CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Indiana State Men's and Women's Track & Field teams both battled with some tough competition and recorded several impressive performances at the Illini Invitational on Saturday.
 
"We set our team up to work on things this week to help us prepare for better competition the next two weeks," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "I think we gained some good experience being on the road for the first time this season. We have some work to do, but this team is gaining fire."
 
Freshman Matthew Lewis-Banks once again achieved victory in the 60-meter hurdles for the Sycamore men, finishing atop the standing during both the preliminary and final rounds. During prelims, Lewis-Banks posted a time of 8.07 before breaking the eight second barrier in finals, winning with a time of 7.98. He owns the second-best time in the Missouri Valley Conference and is just .01 away from the top time.
 
Two ISU sprinters made their way to the 60-meter dash finals on Saturday. After placing third in prelims at 7.01, Jarel Shaw raced his way to second in the final round with a season-best time of 6.94. Jordan Moothery placed fifth in finals with a time of 7.00. Shaw is now tied for the second-best time in the Valley, while Moothery owns the fourth-best time from the Coughlan-Malloy Cup.
 
In his first collegiate 600-meter run race Antonio Davis placed second with a time of 1:24.19, falling to Joshua English of Illinois-Chicago by less than one second.
 
The Trees managed to place three in the top-five of the men's mile with distance standout Akis Medrano leading the way in third. The senior crossed the line with the clock stopped at 4:11.01 and was followed closely by Ryan Cash who took third at 4:11.81. Cash was followed by Quentin Pierce in fifth place with a time of 4:12.44.
 
Rhett Blake also earned a top-three finish for the blue and white, finishing in third place in the men's 400-meter dash with a final time of 50.41, less than one second away from first place.
 
Also finishing in third on the track for the men was the 4X400-meter relay team of Antonio Davis, Rhett Blake, Kaleb Budde and Stephen Griffith who finished with a time of 3:22.95.
 
In the field for the men, Dearis Herron led the way taking silver in the long jump at 6.67m (21-10.75), falling only to Bryce McMurtry of Milwaukee. Herron's mark of 7.23m (23-08.75) from the Indiana State Early Bird is fourth in the conference.
 
Elsewhere in the field sophomore Nick Schultz took home third place in the men's high jump with a jump of 2.00m (6-06.75) and teammate Nathan Kiger also finished with a mark of 2.00m in fourth place.
 
On the women's side of the track Brooke Moore continued her winning ways, holding off Illinois State's Rachel Hickey by .66 en route to victory with a time of 2:11.06. Moore's converted time of 2:09.14 still leads the conference and is 36th nationally.
 
The Sycamores earned a two-three finish in the women's 600-meter run with Imani Davis edging out teammate Rebecca Odusola for second with a time of 1:34.91, while Odusola clocked a time of 1:36.91 in third.
 
Freshman Bri Buggs raced her way to a second place finish in the 200-meter dash, crossing the line at 25.59, just .28 away from the victor. Fellow ISU sprinter, Esther Chukwunwike, took fourth with a time of 26.32. Buggs recorded the seventh-fastest time in the MVC at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup at 25.08.
 
The dynamic duo from Barbados, Ayanna Morgan and Allana Ince, both earned a top-five finish in the women's 60-meter hurdles finals. Morgan recorded the top time in prelims, sprinting across the line at 8.49 before recording a season-best time of 8.48 en route to a second place finish in finals. Ince claimed the fourth position with a final time of 8.67. Morgan and Ince still own the top two times in the Valley.
 
In the women's 4X400-meter relay, Rebecca Odusola, Imani Davis, Ayanna Morgan and Brittney Walker placed third among eight teams with a time of 3:57.33, falling only to Illinois and Illinois State.
 
Redshirt senior Cassaundra Roper once again threw her way to the number one position in the women's shot put with a toss of 15.58m (51-01.50). Her mark of 15.66m (51-04.50) from the Coughlan-Malloy Cup is still at the top of the MVC and 30th in the nation.
 
Against top competition, redshirt senior Erin Reese rose to the occasion and placed second in the women's weight throw with a mark of 20.64m (67-08.75), only finishing behind Makenli Forrest of Louisville. Reese's mark of 21.81m (71-06.75) still sits atop the conference and is fourth in the nation.
 
The blue and white will be back in action next Friday, Feb. 1 at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
 
Other Notable Performances
Women's 60m Dash:
5. Bri Buggs - 7.80
 
Men's 60m Hurdles:
5. Stephen Griffith - 8.31
8. Tremaine Gonzalez - 8.51
 
Men's 200m Dash:
8. Ejiroghene Biokoro - 22.58
 
Men's 800m Run:
5. Cale Kilian - 1:56.32
6. Isaac Bentz - 1:57.04
 
Women's Mile Run:
5. Jessi Conley - 5:02.40
7. Jocelyn Quiles - 5:07.93
 
Men's 3K:
4. Noah Hufnagel - 8:39.68
 
Men's Heptathlon:
3. Josh Perry - 4123
 
Women's High Jump:
7. Caitlyn Redmon - 1.60m (5-03.00)
7. Kara Cooke - 1.60m (5-03.00)
 
Men's Long Jump:
5. Corey DuPriest - 6.57m (21-06.75)
6. Noah Rogers - 6.49m (21-03.50)
 
Men's Pole Vault:
7. Antoine Howard - 4.77m (15-07.75)
 
Women's Pole Vault:
8. Kim Jackson - 3.62m (11-10.50)
 
Men's Weight Throw:
4. Sam Overton - 17.56m (57-07.50)
 
Women's Weight Throw:
4. Cassaundra Roper - 18.56m (60-10.75)
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.