MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois indoor track and field teams travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa this weekend to participate in Northern Iowa's Jack Jennett Invitational. Competition will take place on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 27-28) inside the UNI-Dome.

Friday's schedule of events only includes the women's pentathlon and men's heptathlon while Saturday kicks off at 11 a.m. with the women's weight throw. The events on the track also begin at 11 a.m. with the preliminaries of the men's 60-meter hurdles. Other teams competing include Northern Iowa, Iowa Central, Drake and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

LAST TIME OUT: Juniors Chelsea Lynes and Jamario Taylor were victorious in their respective events and the Western Illinois indoor track & field squad collected 14 top-three finishes overall Saturday (Jan. 21) inside The Shell at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. Overall, the women placed third out of five squads with 105.50 points while the men finished third out of four teams with 114 points.

LYNES' 800-METER WIN: Junior Chelsea Lynes won the women's 800-meter run at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational by nearly three seconds with a time of 2:15.28. Lynes' second win of the 2011-12 indoor season ranks second in The Summit League behind South Dakota's Emma Ladwig (2:14.48) and 67th fastest in the nation. Her personal best time of 2:13.70 at 2011's Last Chance Qualifier is third fastest in program history.

Elsewhere, Lynes placed second in the women's one-mile run with a time of 5:01.66. Her season-best performance (5:00.04) at Iowa's New Year's Classic (Jan. 14) ranks second in The Summit League behind North Dakota State's Amy Jo Thorne (4:58.71) and sixth fastest in program history.

In the women's 1000-meter run at the New Year's Classic, Lynes placed second with a time of 2:54.38. That effort ranks as the second fastest performance in program history behind Lane Suarez, who set the program record with a time of 2:51.54 in 1986.

TAYLOR'S HIGH JUMP VICTORY: Junior Jamario Taylor, who earned All-Summit League indoor honors last season, won his third consecutive and fifth career men's high jump competition by clearing a height of 6-10.75 at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. Taylor's season-best performance of 6-11.75 at Illinois State's Early Bird Open (Dec. 3) ranks first in The Summit League, fourth in program history and 32nd in the nation.

HAMES SETS PERSONAL BEST: Senior Paul Hames set a personal-best with a second place finish in the men's weight throw at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. Hames' toss of 59-01.25 ranks second in The Summit League and 75th in the nation. It also eclipses Nathaniel Marshall's throw of 59-00.75 at the New Year's Classic (Jan. 14) as the sixth farthest in program history. Marshall's toss currently ranks third in The Summit League and 76th nationally.

LARUE'S SEASON-BEST: Senior Dana LaRue placed seventh with a season-best performance in the women's weight throw at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. Her throw of 56-00.50 ranks second in The Summit League behind South Dakota State's Brooke Garner (60-03.25).

LaRue's shot throw performance (45-07.25) at Illinois State's Redbird Open (Dec. 3) is fourth best in the conference. Before redshirting last indoor season, LaRue was named an All-Summit League performer following the 2009 and 2010 indoor campaigns. She was the 2010 Summit League indoor shot put champion.

CRABTREE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: By clearing a height of 6-07.00, sophomore Michael Crabtree placed third in the men's high jump at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. At Iowa's New Year's Classic (Jan. 14), Crabtree tied his personal best mark of 6-08.75 which ranks third in The Summit League and 79th in the nation. Crabtree's personal best is currently the ninth best performance in program history.

MCGLONE'S TRIPLE JUMP: At Wisconsin's Elite Invitational, freshman Megan McGlone placed fourth in the women's triple jump with The Summit League's fifth best effort (36-09.00). Her season-best performance also passed Kelicia Jones (2003) into ninth all-time in program history.

McGlone, from Streamwood, Ill., was also named the Papa John's Scholar-Athlete of the Week for her accomplishments on the track and in the classroom. McGlone boasts a 3.646 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology.

BYERS' PERSONAL-BEST: Senior Amy Byers set a personal-best in the women's 400-meter dash at Wisconsin's Elite Invitational. She placed second in the competition with a time of 59.71, which ranks as The Summit League's fifth fastest performance.

Byers, a two-time all-league selection, has also set personal bests in the 200-meter dash (27.05) and 60-meter hurdles (9.39) this season. Last season, Byers recorded the sixth fastest 600-meter run in program history with a time of 1:36.90 at the 2011 Illinois Intercollegiate.

VERITY NAMED RHODES SCHOLAR FINALIST: In early November, Western Illinois senior track & field throws athlete Jenna Verity (Schaumburg, Ill./James B. Conant High School) was named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Verity, a pre-law/political science major, is the first Rhodes Scholar finalist in the 112-year history of Western Illinois University. 

On track to graduate this May in three years, Verity has compiled a stellar academic record and demonstrated remarkable leadership on campus. She currently owns a 3.94 cumulative grade-point-average has received several academic awards during the last few years. 

During the 2011 outdoor season, Verity set a personal-best in the hammer throw of 156-9 at the Stan Lyons Invitational. She also set a personal best in the weight throw at the 2011 Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships, clearing 49-11.75 feet for ninth place. At the 2011 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Verity (148-4) finished tenth in the hammer throw.

LEE CALHOUN MEMORIAL PROJECT BEGINS: In early October, the Western Illinois Athletics Department and Track & Field program announced the Lee Calhoun Memorial Plaza Project, starting with an engraved plaque on the Lee Calhoun Statue out at the Hanson Field track. Made by Lacky Monument in Macomb, the plaque was installed in late September. The plaque is the first addition to the plaza that honors Lee Quency Calhoun, who was the track and field coach at Western Illinois from 1980 until his untimely passing in 1989. 

Future enhancements to the plaza will feature the permanent recognition of all former head track and field coaches. The project coincides with the Hanson Field renovation, which included/includes the removal of the current grass surface and the track and field jump pits, installation of the Matrix Turf brand artificial surface and renovation of the field events area. The installation of a javelin runway, four new pits for the long jump and triple jump, and redesigning the discus/shot put area will take place on the north end of the facility. 

An internationally known track and field figure, Calhoun was a two-time Olympic gold medal winner in the high hurdles, and the first man to win successive titles in the event. The 23rd running of the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational is set for the weekend of April 13-14, 2012.

LEGENDARY COACH ELECTED TO HALL OF FAME: Legendary track & field head coach Dave Miller (1976-2000) was part of the six-member 2011 Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Miller was officially inducted on Friday, Sept. 30 and honored at halftime of the Leathernecks' homecoming football game.

Other members of the 2011 Hall of Fame Class include: Patty Cutright (Softball), Amber (Hunt) Kindt (Swimming/Diving), Mike Pendergast (Athletic Training), Rich Seubert (Football), and Rick Short (Baseball).

AUBREY MARTIN NAMED DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTOR: Aubrey Martin (2003-06), a four-time All-American in the shot put during her four-year career, was named to The Summit League's 30th Anniversary List of 'Top 30' Distinguished Contributors. The list, released in mid-August, was determined by voting by a panel of representatives from each current Summit League member institution and each former league member of at least five years along with members of the media who regularly cover the league. 

Owning the indoor shot put and 20# weight throw record at Western, Martin won 12 Mid-Continent Conference event championships. She won the 2003 Indoor 'Athlete of the Year' Award and 2005 Outdoor honor. Martin placed seventh in the 2004 Olympic Trials. Martin was one of three Fighting Leathernecks on the list, joining former Athletics Director Dr. Helen Smiley and Zane Teilane of women's basketball.

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