Western Illinois Track and Field Shines at Hawkeye Invite
The Western Illinois University Track and Field team delivered several standout performances at Saturday’s Hawkeye Invite, rewriting the school record books.
Edward Clark got things started for the Leathernecks posting an impressive time of 6.94 seconds in the men’s 60m sprint, landing him 3rd place overall. Clark’s time not only marks a new personal best, but also marks the fourth fastest time in WIU Men’s Indoor Track and Field program history.
On the women’s side, Jolena Site achieved a season-best 25.48 seconds in the women’s 200m, while Lydia Bennett ran a personal record of 2:22.33 in the women’s 800m.
Caleb Brown also had an impressive showing for the men, recording a personal best of 23.41 seconds in the 200m. Robert Perry wrapped up the track events with a strong performance in the mile,, finishing with a personal record time of 4:20.20.
In field events, Garrison Murray earned a third-place finish in the high jump, clearing an impressive 1.90 meters. On the women’s side, Brooke Boehm also set a personal best, jumping 1.50 meters in the high jump.
Cage Davidson delivered a solid performance in the men’s long jump, recording a jump of 6.52 meters to finish third overall. Rayvon Wright followed with a standout performance in the men’s triple jump, setting a personal record of 14.34 meters to take second place.
Kelsey Hutchins continued her dominance in the women’s triple jump, securing third place with a jump of 10.90 meters.
The performance of the night came from Emma Ponx in the women’s pole vault. Ponx not only set a new personal best but also etched her name in the record books with a vault of 3.90 meters. Her victory in the event marked the highest pole vault clearance in WIU Women’s Indoor Track and Field history.
The Leathernecks will look to carry this momentum into their next competition, as they head to the University of Missouri for the Bob Teel Invitational on January 25.