WHEATON, Ill. — Illinois Tech Track & Field delivered a strong all-around performance at the Wheaton College Invite on Tuesday, highlighted by personal records, a school record, and multiple podium finishes.
The meet had to be moved up from Thursday, April 2nd due to the storms forecasted for that day. The Scarlet Hawks still had to work around a rainy start to the morning at Wheaton on Tuesday.
Head coach Tyler McQuality pointed to the team's ability to compete at a high level despite a quick turnaround.
"On a tight turnaround our distance runners saw numerous lifetime PR's!" He added: "I am proud of everyone for embracing the opportunity to compete and now we get back to training!"
One of the meet's top highlights came in the sprints, where Zoe Turner placed fourth in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 25.62, reclaiming her school record in the process.
Sprints coach Brendan Batliner praised the group's execution.
"Coming back to compete just three days after NCC First Chance, our sprinters made the most of the warm weather this Tuesday afternoon with 200 bests across the board, including a huge school record from Zoe!" He added: "Congrats to everyone and we're looking forward to good weather, good training, and faster times ahead."
Illinois Tech saw continued success in the middle-distance events. Isabelle Pullen finished third in the women's 800-meter run, finishing in 2:27.7, followed by Brianna Sorrillo in sixth place at 2:30.01. Rachel Brettin added another podium finish, placing third in the women's 1500-meter run coming through the line with a 5:05.89.
In the field events, Annika McKown led the way with a third-place finish in the long jump propelling herself 4.86m, while Kailey Nicholas placed fifth leaping to 4.81m. Olivia McMath cleared 2.95m to finish fifth in the pole vault. On the men's side, after throwing a 43.70m, Isaiah John placed fourth in the hammer throw.
Annika McKown also took eighth in the 100-meter hurdles with a 19.08, and Finnick Poulin finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles racing his way through 21.26.
Assistant coach Evan Balizado highlighted the field group's early-season progress.
"For our field athletes we are seeing fantastic marks early on. We already have new women's school records in two events and our men's hammer throw record is on borrowed time." Looking ahead to conference season, Balizado added: "One month to go until conference, our team is going to be firing on all cylinders!"
Up Next
Illinois Tech returns to action at the Chicagoland Invitational in Elmhurst, Illinois, from April 9–11. Events begin at 12:00 p.m.
