DES MOINES, Iowa – The Western Illinois track and field program has come a long way in a short time. Just a few years ago, the Leathernecks had only one qualifier for the Drake Relays. This past weekend, the Leatherneck travel party reached 28 as Western Illinois had a big weekend in Des Moines.
Jumpers and relays led the way for the Western Illinois men's and women's outdoor track and field teams as the group had a big week at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines.
In the field, Aliyah Adams set the tone for her weekend on Friday, starting with a third-place finish in the women's championship triple jump. On her first attempt, Adams went 40 feet, 11.5 inches. It was her best effort in the competition and good enough to earn her third.
Adams also added a second-place finish, this coming in the college/university long jump on Friday night. Adams had a best effort of 19-10.25. The leap was a new personal best and placed her fourth in program history.
On Saturday, it was the men's turn to leap into the program record books.
Toriano Tate set a new personal best, jumping 24 feet, 9.25 inches. That long jump is the sixth-best in program history and earned Tate a spot on the podium, finishing the event second overall. Tate was only one-half inch behind the event winner.
Alessandro Belluz also competed in the men's long jump, finishing 17th with a best effort of 22-6.5.
Renee Raglin also had a strong Saturday in the long jump to boost Western Illinois' jumpers. Competing in the college/university championship division, Raglin had a best of 19-11.75. Raglin's performance earned her a spot on the podium with a third-place finish.
On the track on Saturday, relays had a big day for the Leathernecks.
The sprint medley relay team of Briza Dure, Jolena Site, Nakeita Kessling, and Maleigha Huston rewrote the program record book, setting a new program best with a 3:58.38. The new record is close to 1.5 seconds faster than the previous best, set in 2001. The group finished the event eighth.
The men's sprint medley relay team also found its way into the program record book. The squad of Malachi Barendilla, Lucas Burmeister, Jaiden Young, and Richard Brown ran a time of 3:23.51, which placed them sixth in program history and fifth in the event.
The women's distance medley relay team of Monique Remy, Madison Trevena, Hannah Steinmeyer, and Aylana Cezar finished at 12:14.25. The time is the fourth-fastest in program history and secured the group 15th place.
In the men's distance relay, the foursome of Mohammed Baghati, Jaiden Young, Isaac Jones, and Logan Lommel also put themselves in the program's record book. The group finished at 10:00.16. The time is now the fifth-fastest in program history and gave the team a seventh-place finish.
In the women's 4x400, it was another record-book performance as the team of Monique Remy, Nakeita Kessling, Sophia Myers and Briza Dure covered the race in 3:47.38. The time gave the squad a second-place finish and put the group at eighth all-time in program history.
In the men's pole vault, Arnie Grunert finished fourth, clearing 16-3.5.
In the women's hammer throw, Jasmine Stokes finished 20th with a best toss of 169-8.
On Friday, in the prelims of the women's 100 hurdles, Sophia Myers finished 11th overall, clocking in at 13.92, just missing her WIU best of 13.89 and making it to the finals. Myers also competed in the 400 hurdles, finishing 24th overall with a time of 1:04.95.
In the first round of the women's 4x100 relay, the team of Renee Raglin, Savannah Harvey, Briza Dure, and Aliyah Adams had a strong run of 46.96, but it was not enough to advance, placing the group 10th. The was only .31 slower than the school record the foursome recorded earlier this spring.
In the men's triple jump, Alessandro Belluz finished 15th with a best effort of 45 feet, 1.5 inches. In the men's 800, Richard Brown finished 10th, clocking in with a 1:52.73. Brown was in third at the midway point after running a 53-second first 400. In the women's pole vault, Emma Ponx finished tied for 12th. Ponx cleared 11-4, then 11-10.5 before ending her day with misses at 12-4.5.
During Thursday night's Distance Carnival, Western Illinois' evening was highlighted by its two 10,000-meter runners.
Logan Beckmier finished the men's 10k in 30:41.99, good for 10th. Beckmier's time is the second-fastest in program history, only 10 seconds back of the program record. In the women's 10,000, Madison Trevena finished in 35:56.72, good for 14th overall. The time is the third-fastest in program history and a new personal record for Trevena.
In the 3000 steeplechase, Western Illinois had a pair of competitors. In the women's race, Aylana Cezar finished 26th overall, clocking in at 11:08.68. In the men's portion, Logan Lommel was 17th, finishing in 9:10.04.
In the women's 800 unseeded, Maleigha Huston finished 17th overall, clocking in at 2:13.89 In the men's decathlon, Matthew Thomas finished 11th overall, scoring 5619 points.
The Leathernecks are next in action on Friday, traveling to Ames to run in the Iowa State Alumni Open.
