May 3, 2008

Complete Results

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Sophomore Cora Caulfield (Fox Lake, Ill./Grant) won the discus with a personal best throw of 152-03 at the Jack Shaw Invitational, one of four PRs Northern Illinois track and field athletes set, Saturday.

"She's just about three feet away from qualifying," head coach Connie Teaberry said of Caulfied. "She's hit a personal record in that event in just about every meet this year."

Hurdler Rachel Pinson (Bloomington, Ill./Tri-Valley), sprinter Kaylee Walters (Lafayette, Ind./Hononegah [Rockton, Ill.]), and distance runner Denisse Valladares (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Hersey) also set career marks. Pinson ran to 100-meter hurdles in 16.9 to place ninth. Walters completed the 100-meter dash in 12.81, her best collegiate mark. Valladares placed fifth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:12.98.

"It was a solid day, and a lot of girls stepped-up and rose to the level of competition," Teaberry said. "We're going to need some more girls to do that to be competitive at the MAC Championships in two weeks."

As a team, the Huskies scored 89.5 points to finish third to Eastern Michigan, and No. 14 Western Michigan. The Eagles scored 94 points to edge NIU, while the Broncos took first with 175.5 points.

"It hurts when you get beat by such a narrow margin," Teaberry said. "That may be what we need to fuel us for MACs, to see that we were that close."

Teaberry feels confident in her team's ability to close the gap before the Mid-American Conference Championships begin, May 15.

"We're moving in the right direction to do some damage at MACs in two weeks," she said.

The Huskies will have one more chance to hone their performances before the conference meet. Northern Illinois will compete at the Purdue Outdoor Open, May 10 in West Lafayette, Ind.