Red Devils Notch Nine PRs at Titan Opener

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Eureka cross country and distance team notched nine personal records at the Titan Opener on Saturday.

Karissa Heffernan (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) led the way, setting new PRs in both the 3000-meter run and the mile.

In the former, she stayed with the lead group and placed third overall with a personal record of 11:09.85 – two seconds better than her previous best.

Earlier in the day, the sophomore placed fourth overall in the mile with a personal-best time of 5:28.65, improving by more than a second. She ran a strong, consistent race and held the lead for two laps before slipping back a bit. It was a strong performance that set a good tone for the day.

Junior Sarah Kimbro (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) came in second in her heat of the mile and set a personal record with a 33rd-place finish in 6:48.22. She cut seven seconds off her previous best, which was set at the Principia Relays two weeks ago.

Freshman Rachel Fisher (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) followed Heffernan and Kimbro with a collegiate debut in the 800. She ended up placing ninth overall with a personal-best 2:31.63. Kimbro took 28th with a personal-record setting time of 3:15.33, cutting a second off her best time of last season.

Fellow freshman Jaden Randall (Secor, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) and sophomore Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) made their season debuts after missing the Principia Relays due to their involvement in the Eureka College theatre production of "Promises, Promises."

Randall took 30th and established a collegiate PR of 1:13.37 in the 400.

Grove competed in the 3000, but pulled out after the first mile due to lack of training time this winter. 

Tony DeLira (Chicago, Ill./Alcott/Lincoln) headlined the Red Devils' efforts on the men's side.

The junior opened the day with a strong showing in the 5000. He ran steady splits throughout the 25-lap race and finished 12th overall with a personal-best time of 16:52.80. His previous PR was 17:17.97, which he set last year while competing for Lincoln College.

Three Red Devils competed together in the mile, with freshman Jose Amador (Kempton, Ill./Tri-Point) leading the pack. He came in 42nd with a personal-record-setting time of 5:04.77, improving by four seconds.

Fellow freshman Bailey Webster (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), who didn't compete in the Principia Relays due to injury, followed, taking 47th and establishing a personal record of 5:11.01. Khalil Alleyne (Diego Martin, Trinidad/Fatima College/Lincoln) was just shy of his PR, coming in 51st in 5:17.12.

Amador also made his collegiate debut in the 800 and took 44th overall in a personal-best 2:17.87.

Hayden Skaggs (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield) finished out the day for the men, taking 29th and finishing about a second off his PR with a time of 1:08.02.

After Saturday, Heffernan holds the top time in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in both the mile and the 3,000. Fisher has the best time in the 800, and DeLira has the third-best time in the 5,000.

"Overall, it was a great day for the Red Devils," EC cross country and distance coach Chris Robinson said. "It was great seeing Bailey back from injury, and running strong. I expect his mile time to drop considerably. Getting Jaden and Odessa back running was fantastic. Getting those first races of the season done is a real boost.

"Everyone gained confidence today, and the coaches and I are excited about our opportunities at the SLIAC indoor championships in two weeks."