The Illinois State track and field team will split its squad on May 7 for the final weekend of the regular season, competing at both the Illini Tune-Up in Champaign, Illinois, and the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Indiana. Five athletes will head to Indiana while 33 others will compete at the University of Illinois, with events starting at 11 a.m. Central Time.
This weekend’s meets are significant as they mark the last opportunity for Redbird athletes to qualify or improve marks before heading to the Missouri Valley Conference Championships scheduled for May 16-17 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Last week at the Badger Challenge, several Redbirds delivered standout performances. Cole Stevens improved his eighth-place school mark in hammer throw with a distance of 61.27 meters. Becca Heitzig moved into tenth all-time in program history for the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:32.87, while Nora Brady claimed ninth place all-time in school history for her performance in the women’s 5000m run (16:49.18). Event winners included Brody Rigdon (long jump), Jamarion Bardwell (high jump), Aidan Wyzard (100m dash), Megan Clark (women’s triple jump), and Victor Byaundaombe (men’s triple jump).
Four outdoor school records have been tied or broken this season so far—three coming during last week’s meet. Zach Paul set a new wind-aided record in the men’s 100m dash with a time of 10.19 seconds; Paul also anchored a men’s relay squad that broke their own previous record by over one second with a finish of 3:05.27 in the men’s 4x400m relay alongside Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr., Jake Welch and Evan Watson; Seth Nelson broke his own pole vault record clearing 5.30 meters; Becca Heitzig twice broke her own women’s 1500m record this spring.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association recently released its sixth checkpoint #EventSquad rankings for outdoor track teams nationwide on May 5, featuring multiple Redbird event groups among top national rankings including tenth nationally for men’s shot put group average distance.
Illinois State Redbirds is linked to Illinois State University and competes across NCAA Division I events regionally according to the official website. The athletics program utilizes resources such as news updates, fan engagement platforms, facilities like OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation, and benefits from support funds aimed at competitiveness and recruitment—all designed to bolster their athletic community.
