Jan. 22, 2011

Complete Results

NORMAL, Ill.- Northern Illinois track and field sprinter Rasheta Butler won both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash as the Huskies claimed four first-place finishes at the Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Ill. Sprinter Roneisha Frye and jumper Jenner Sio joined Butler among the Huskies' first-place finishers at the Horton Field House Saturday.

"The Illinois State Invitational was another productive start to competition for the team," said NIU head track and field coach Connie Teaberry. "The girls competed really hard and you can see that reflected in their performances. Their hard work in practice and competition has paid off, and we are really proud of how well the ladies continue to do."

The Huskie sprinters shined for the second-straight week, outpacing their competition in a dominating fashion. Roneisha Frye and Erin Milner were the key sprinters in the 60-meter hurdles. Frye raced to a first-place finish (8.94), while Milner clocked in with a personal-best 9.21 to finish second.

Northern Illinois dominated the 60-meter dash, sweeping the top-six finishes in the event. Sprinting to first-place Rasheta Butler crossed the finish line in a time of 7.75, a career best for the Huskie. Freshman Janay Mitchell took second in the event with a time of 7.79, while Rhonda Lee raced to a third-place time of 7.82. Rounding out the top six spots Chanel Kellyman (7.90), Brittany Smith (8.02), and Frye (8.16), claimed the fourth, fifth, and sixth place finishes.

Racing to her second first-place finish of the afternoon, Butler won the 200-meter dash with a time 25.69. Mitchell and Frye joined Butler among the top-five finishers as Mitchell clocked in with a time of 26.45 to finish third, and Frye placed fourth with a time of 26.58.

Freshman Nora Ferguson notched a career-best in the 800-meter run, clocking in with a second-place time of 2:24.84. Joining Ferguson in the 800-meter run, Sunsea Shaw (2:29.56) and Jessica Troike (2:39.66) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Sophomore Rebecca Cronin took fourth in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:39.47, while Lindsay DeReadt finished fifth in the 1,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 3:17.68

The distance runners also had a strong performance, as four Huskies earned personal-best marks in the one-mile run. Claire McAuley (5:39.87), Katie Janssen (5:44.80), Alexis Capps (5:50.75), and Samantha McConeghey (6:08.13) all raced to career best times in the mile.

The Huskies continued to make strides in the field events, recording a first-place finish and eight top-five performances. Jenner Sio earned the Huskies top finish in the field Saturday when she recorded at first-place mark of 36-10.50 in the triple jump.

Senior Kelly Moser and freshman Amber Walker represented NIU in the high jump event, placing second and third, respectively. Moser leapt to a height of 5-03.00, while Walker earned a mark of 5-01.00. Fellow freshman Rachael Waldrop also represented NIU in the field events, recording a mark of 9-09.00 in the pole vault.

In the long jump, NIU saw Deidra McIntosh, Rochelle Muskeyvalley and Sio finish among the top five. McIntosh earned a third-place mark of 16-08.75, while Muskeyvalley placed fourth with a leap of 16-04.50 and Sio finished fifth (16-03.00) in the event. Sophomore thrower Mary Bull notched a top finish with a throw of 39-03.00 in the shot put, a fourth-place mark, before recording a personal best 42-04.00 in the weight throw.

The final event of the afternoon was the 4x400-meter relay. Erica Miller, Cronin, Milner, and Butler combined forces to run the race in a season-best 4:02.43. a third-place finish.

"Next week we will see Ball State at Indiana Wesleyan, and we want to be ready to compete," said Teaberry. "Today we had another good weekend of performances from the team, and we want to continue to see us compete strong as prepare for Ball State next week, and then the Iowa State Classic in three weeks."

The Huskies will continue action next Saturday, Jan. 29, when the NIU travels to Indiana Wesleyan to compete in the IWU Invitational. Following Saturday's competition the Huskies will travel to Ames, Iowa to compete in the annual Iowa State classic, Feb. 11-12.