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NIU’s Kellyman, Gregory win conference titles at MAC indoor track, field championships

February 25, 2012
Chanel Kellyman

Chanel Kellyman

Chanel Kellyman and Megan Gregory each won conference titles Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, helping the Northern Illinois track & field team to their best indoor conference finish as a member of the MAC.

The Huskies’ 48 team points earned them a seventh place finish in the final standings, topping host Akron by ten points.

Additionally, Kellyman (60 meters) and Gregory (60 hurdles) – who earned all-MAC first team honors for their performances – became the first individual indoor MAC champions in NIU track & field history, while NIU broke school records in six different events at the meet.

“The ladies had an outstanding performance today,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “I’m happy they can see that their belief in themselves and hard work has paid off. Their relentless drive and determination in their events helped to ink NIU’s highest indoor MAC finish.”

“To say I’m proud is an understatement.”

Kellyman capped off a highly successful conference meet with a win in the 60 meters, clocking in at 7.47 to beat Bowling Green’s Jeanette Pettigrew by a one-hundredth of a second. The Toronto, Ontario, native’s time also topped Janay Mitchell’s school record by seven-hundredths of a second. Meanwhile, Mitchell placed fifth with a time of 7.56.

In the 200 meters, Kellyman toppled the NIU record she set 24 hours earlier with a 24.37 clip to finish fourth. Mitchell also scored crucial points for the Huskies with a 24.78 mark to take eighth.

For Gregory, she ran a blistering 8.49 seconds in the 60 hurdles to win the event for Northern, beating Miami (Ohio)’s Layne Baggett by one-hundredth of a second. The time demolished Roneisha Frye’s school record by a full tenth of a second.

Junior Rebecca Cronin placed third in the 800 meters at 2:10.43. Cronin’s time easily broke Lorene Skipper’s school record of 2:11.59, which was set in 2007.

The 4×400 relay team of Kellyman, Rebecca Cronin, Julianne Cronin and Rasheta Butler placed sixth with a 3:49.57 mark.

In field events, two Huskies scored points with top eight finishes. Jenner Sio took sixth place in the triple jump with a 38-06.00 (11.73m) mark. Freshman Sidra Sherrill took eighth in the shot put, posting a career-best 44-05.25 (13.54m).

Courtney Oldenburg took 13th place in the mile at 5:03.79, while Jamie Burr ran a 5:14.76 to finish 23rd. Juliane Totzke claimed ninth in the 3000 meters with a time of 10:01.99.

The Huskies will kick off their outdoor season Saturday, March 17, with the UCF Black & Gold Challenge in Orlando, Fla.

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