Feb. 29, 2008

Results

YPSILANTI, Mich. - Sophomore Brittany Houghton broke a 27-year-old Northern Illinois record, and three other Huskies set personal records on the first day of the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, Friday.

Houghton (Freeport, Ill./Dakota) set a new Huskie standard in the long jump with a leap of 18'05.50", narrowly outdistancing Dolly Patterson's NIU record of 18'05.00", set in 1981.

"Breaking a school record and getting over that 18-foot mark in four of her six jumps in the finals is huge," NIU head coach Connie Teaberry said.

Houghton's jump earned a seventh place finish in the championship field. Ball State's Terri Abraham took first in the event with a jump of 19'08.75"

After one day of competition, Northern Illinois sits in 11th place with five team points.

"I thought the athletes would perform well, but to me they went above and beyond," Teaberry said. "Without a shadow of a doubt, they represented Northern Illinois University in a most positive fashion."

Senior Meagan Guenther scored some of the points for NIU, taking sixth-place in the weight throw. Guenther's 57'07.00" toss was around two-feet short of her personal record, but still garnered three points for Northern Illinois' team total.

The Huskies started the day on a high note, as two NIU athletes set personal records in the 60-meter dash. Sophomore Rochelle Muskeyvalley (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) and freshman Kaylee Walters (Lafayette, Ind./Hononegah) tabbed the best times of their careers. Muskeyvalley clocked-in at 8.10, and Walters finished in 8.28.

A Northern Illinois distance runner also recorded a career-best. Junior Allison Grissom (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) ran a time of 19:06.87 in the 5,000-meter run.

Running for the first time in competition since Jan. 12 after being sidelined with injury, senior Coretta Evans returned to the track with a crisp performance in the 400-meter dash. Evans' time of 58.91 was her best of the season, and good enough to earn a trip to Saturday's final.

"I was impressed with Coretta, who came off an injury and being able to make it to the finals on pure determination," Teaberry said.

In addition to the finals of the 400-meter dash, Northern Illinois athletes will compete in the shot put, triple jump, high jump, one-mile run, and 3,000-meter run, Saturday. Teaberry is confident her team can score points and move up in the standings on the championships' second and final day.

"We've got strong events tommorrow, a good strong day to finish," she said.