Rookies, veterans seek to mesh at SIU-C meet

    After tallying six top-five finishes in the indoor Eastern Illinois Mega Meet Jan. 23, the track and field team is ready for SIU-Carbondale’s McDonald’s Invitational today.
    Head Coach Dereck Chavis said the team of young athletes and seasoned veterans hope to make a good showing at the meet.
    “SIU is generally a meet with a few teams, many in our conference,” Chavis said. “It should serve as a measuring stick to where we are. There will also be some teams outside of our league. These two mixes should make for a very competitive meet.”
    Murray State is ranked No. 4 in the conference and is led by 2009 OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year, senior middle distance runner, Taylor Crawford.
    In the EIU Mega Meet, Crawford claimed second place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:22.34 and took fourth with a 5:21.86-minute mile.
    With a 1:39.50 time in the 600-meter dash, junior sprinter Amber Mills claimed second.
  Third place finishers included freshman Taylor Utsey, who marked a long jump of 17’02.00”, and junior distance runners Katelyn Jones and Kayla Crusham.
    Jones clocked in just shy of 19 minutes in the 5,000-meter run, while Crusham marked a time of 10:33.27 minutes in the 3,000-meter run at the Mega Meet.
  “We’re showing progress,” Chavis said. “Eastern (Illinois) is usually a very strong team and is good to go up against.”
  Chavis said the team, consisting of four freshmen, eight sophomores, seven juniors and six seniors, has talented athletes across the board.
    The Racers are also looking to young members for an impact in addition to the strong performances of the experienced upperclassmen, he said.
   “With the young athletes combined with the already proven veterans, I think we’ll gel well and make a great team,” Chavis said.
    Following today’s meet, Murray State competes in three more invitationals before participating in the OVC Indoor Championship Feb. 26 and 27 in Nashville, Tenn.
    Contact Johnson at elizabetha.johnson@murraystate.edu.