2008 Woodie Awards
Track competes at Redbird Invitational
Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Sports
Saturday, May 3, will be the final chance for the Western Illinois track and field teams to fine-tune its performances before The Summit League Championships when they travel to Normal, Ill., to participate in the Redbird Invitational.
The non-scored meet is scheduled to begin with field events at 9 a.m. and running events at 11:30 a.m. at Redbird Track. Western joins the host Redbirds, Beloit College, Florissant Valley C.C., Illinois Central College, Illinois, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the event.
A Year Ago in Normal
This will be the second straight trip to Normal for the Redbird Invitational for Western, as they participated in the meet at the end of the 2007 outdoor season as well.
A year ago the teams recorded a dozen personal-best performances in the final meet before the 2007 Summit League Outdoor Conference Championships. Three freshmen and one sophomore also earned first-place finishes at the meet.
Then-sophomore Tim Chybicki (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) claimed a first-place finish and recorded a then-personal-best throw in the javelin of 53.37m (175'01"). Tony Odele (Springfield, Ill./Springfield) earned the final first-place finish for the Leathernecks, with a time of 15.42 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles.
The then-freshman continued his strong performance, with a second-place finish in the discus with a throw of 45.62m (149'08").
On the women's side, then-freshman Nikki Klier (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) had an impressive day, earning first place in the 200-meter dash, with a career-best time of 25.19, and second place in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 56.70.
Challenging Chybicki
Junior Tim Chybicki has been challenging himself over the last two weeks and it's showing in the javelin. Chybicki has thrown career-best marks in the event in the last two meets for the Leathernecks. At the SIUE Twilight he sent the javelin 56.94m (186'10"), almost four feet longer than his previous personal-best mark of 55.75m (182'11") at the Iowa Invitational.
The Mt. Prospect, Ill., native owns the No. 5 spot on Western's career javelin list and needs to hit a mark over 59.50m to surpass Ken DeMarse for the No. 4 spot. DeMarse hit 59.62m (195'07") in 1995.
Up Next
Western will have a week off before hosting the 2008 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hanson Field, May 15-17. The last time that Western hosted the conference championships was in 2006, when both teams earned third-place finishes. This will be the ninth time the championships have been hosted at Hanson Field since 1983.
- Western Illinois University
Athletics Media Services
The non-scored meet is scheduled to begin with field events at 9 a.m. and running events at 11:30 a.m. at Redbird Track. Western joins the host Redbirds, Beloit College, Florissant Valley C.C., Illinois Central College, Illinois, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the event.
A Year Ago in Normal
This will be the second straight trip to Normal for the Redbird Invitational for Western, as they participated in the meet at the end of the 2007 outdoor season as well.
A year ago the teams recorded a dozen personal-best performances in the final meet before the 2007 Summit League Outdoor Conference Championships. Three freshmen and one sophomore also earned first-place finishes at the meet.
Then-sophomore Tim Chybicki (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) claimed a first-place finish and recorded a then-personal-best throw in the javelin of 53.37m (175'01"). Tony Odele (Springfield, Ill./Springfield) earned the final first-place finish for the Leathernecks, with a time of 15.42 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles.
The then-freshman continued his strong performance, with a second-place finish in the discus with a throw of 45.62m (149'08").
On the women's side, then-freshman Nikki Klier (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) had an impressive day, earning first place in the 200-meter dash, with a career-best time of 25.19, and second place in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 56.70.
Challenging Chybicki
Junior Tim Chybicki has been challenging himself over the last two weeks and it's showing in the javelin. Chybicki has thrown career-best marks in the event in the last two meets for the Leathernecks. At the SIUE Twilight he sent the javelin 56.94m (186'10"), almost four feet longer than his previous personal-best mark of 55.75m (182'11") at the Iowa Invitational.
The Mt. Prospect, Ill., native owns the No. 5 spot on Western's career javelin list and needs to hit a mark over 59.50m to surpass Ken DeMarse for the No. 4 spot. DeMarse hit 59.62m (195'07") in 1995.
Up Next
Western will have a week off before hosting the 2008 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hanson Field, May 15-17. The last time that Western hosted the conference championships was in 2006, when both teams earned third-place finishes. This will be the ninth time the championships have been hosted at Hanson Field since 1983.
- Western Illinois University
Athletics Media Services
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