The Western Illinois track and field teams competed at the Meet of Champions this past Friday at Augustana College in Rock Island. Lucas Burmeister led the team on the track while Arnie Grunert led the Leatherneck men in the field. Burmeister ran away with a win in the 100 meter dash while Grunert jumped fourth best mark in school history.
"We had a few great performances this weekend. Arnie Grunert is starting to come into form in the pole vault and his training partner, Emma Ponx, had some really good attempts over 12 feet. Mid-year transfer, Lucas Burmeister, had an impressive double in the 100 and 200 meters. Only a freshman, Lucas is emerging as one of the top short sprinters in the conference," coach Trey Brokaw said. "Toriano Tate finally opened up his outdoor season, nearly jumping a personal best in both the long and triple jump. Alexis Ellison also had a great day in the long jump, she ran a big personal best in the 200 meters, and she led off our 4 x 100 meter relay. Finishing off the night of competition, Faith Procopio ran a huge personal best in the 5,000 meters and freshman Robert Perry had a great debut in the 10,000 meter run."
The Leathernecks are feeling prepared to have several breakthroughs, with just two weekends of competition left before The Summit League Conference Championships. The teams are hoping for some nice weather conditions and competition during the Drake Relays weekend.
"We've been training at a very high level for many weeks now. When we catch a good weather day, I won't be surprised to see an explosion of great performances from the team. Our hurdlers, Aliyah Adams and Zach Taylor are just on the cusp of doing something great. Same story for our jumpers, javelin throwers, and steeplechasers," Brokaw said. "Until the great weather presents itself, we will continue to control what we can - a winning attitude and a winning effort. Those two ingredients make our team culture a lot of fun."
WIU heads to the Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Invite on April 27-29, 2023 for their next track and field competition.
