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Track, field takes second at Ball State quad

February 16, 2013
Janay Mitchell

Janay Mitchell

The Northern Illinois track and field team placed second Friday at the Ball State Quadrangular.

NIU’s 106 points trailed only Western Michigan in the final team standings. Miami (Ohio) finished third with 90 points, while the host Ball State Cardinals scored 87.5 points.

“Today, the ladies competed hard,” said NIU head coach Connie Teaberry.

“This is a tough meet because of the schedule. The ladies had little rest between events, which makes their performances impressive. We had explosive showings from Meghan Heuer, Megan Gregory and Janay Mitchell. Meghan showed confidence in the mile and Megan ran with consistency in the 60 hurdles and 60 meters, while Janay exhibited the ability to execute in the 60 meters and 200 meters.”

“The staff was pleased overall and feel the ladies ran with passion. We’re looking forward to seeing the MAC qualifiers compete next week.”

Sprinter Mitchell looked to be back in 2012 form with a pair of top two finishes. The senior from Teaneck, N.J., dominated the 60 meters, leading wire to wire for the event title. Mitchell won the prelims with a time of 7.59, then held on to the win with a 7.57 mark in the final to outdistance Western Michigan’s Iris Campbell by 0.12 seconds. She would claim second in the 200 meters, clocking in at a season-best 25.42.

Fellow sprinter Gregory also took home a win with a first place showing in the 60 hurdles. After finishing second in the prelims behind WMU’s Campbell, the senior squeaked past her MAC rival in the finals with a time of 8.77 – beating Campbell by one-hundredth of a second.

Heuer earned her first event title in NIU’s cardinal and black with a convincing win in the mile. The sophomore ran a 5:02.75 clip, beating Miami (Ohio)’s Monica Fischer to the line by over two seconds.

Leah Raffety

Leah Raffety

Beyond Mitchell, Gregory and Heuer, there were several other Huskies with successful nights in central Indiana. Jamie Burr obliterated her personal-best in the mile with a time of 5:06.49 to place fifth. Meanwhile, fellow distance runner Leah Raffety earned a fourth place showing in the 3000 meters behind a 10:34.42 clip.

In sprints, Jenelle McCalla broke her personal record in the 60 hurdles, clocking in at 8.99 in the prelims en route to a fifth place finish. Alexandra Rowe recorded a sixth place showing in the 200 meters at 26.87, while Julianne Cronin took eighth in the 400 meters at 58.98.

The quartet of McCalla, Kristal Pitts, Cronin and Erica Miller posted a third place finish in the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:01.57.

Off the track, Sidra Sherrill took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 46-06.75 (14.19m), likely solidifying her spot in next weekend’s conference meet.

Ida Burbulla and Michaela Dwyer placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the high jump with a pair of 5-01.00 (1.55m) marks. Ellen Renk was fifth in the triple jump with a 36-07.00 (11.15m), while Renk and fellow Huskie jumper Alex Schad tied for sixth in the long jump.

The Huskies move into the indoor postseason for the weekend of Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 as they head to Ypsilanti, Mich., for the 2013 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships. The action starts at 9 a.m. CT Friday on Bob Parks Track on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

For more information on NIU track and field and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.