MEMPHIS, TN --- It was two years ago that the Illinois Springfield track program was a simple paper and pencil team.  It was a handful of walk-on students on campus that were the beginnings of the cross country program. Saturday, at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, the UIS men set a high standard in their first track meet ever!
 
The Rhodes College Invitational hosted 28 schools across seven states, including eight NCAA Division I programs as well as six more NCAA Division II programs.  The other half of the field included NCAA Division III and NAIA Programs.  The meet was non scored as well.
 
Leading the way for the first meet was George Wayda, (Pleasant Plains HS) a graduate student who finished his undergraduate work as a member of the BIG 10 Champion Illinois track program with a seventh place finish in the Decathlon.  Wayda finished third of 38 throwers in the Javelin with a distance of 171' 1" (52.16m). He was the first Non-Division I finisher (in following results the place in parentheses will indicate the Non-D I place). Wayda also finished 14th in the Discus (5th) with a throw of 131' 8" (40.13m) of 42 throwers.
 
Eli Cook (Soph, Rochester) was 12th (2nd) in the mile run with a time of 4:29.09 in the field of 69 runners.  Preston Henze (Frosh, Shelbyville) placed ninth (4th) in the 800m run with a time of 2:00.90 along with team mate Brendan Kroeger (Frosh, Quincy) 12th (5th) with a time of 2:02.13 in the field of 39 runners.
 
Other events that were contested by the team that established school records (all of the events established school records) included:  Blake Carlino (Fr, Riverton) 400m dash :53.63 37th (23rd) in the field of 59 runners.  The 4 x 400m relay team placed 11th (6th) of 14 teams with a time of 3:36.63 and included (Wayda, Carlino, Henze, and Kroeger).
 
UIS Coach Mike De Witt had these comments about the kick-off meet for the Prairie Stars: "The men have been anxious and ready to compete since the end of cross country in November. They endured the winter with a great work ethic and it showed as they competed like veterans in their very first collegiate track meet for all but two of the team members.  The frosh were especially strong as most of them ran career best times, but more impressive was that across the team, we competed to the front of our sections and raced strong and focused.  The setting was near perfect with a nice mix of abilities in the meet along with perfect 70 degree, sunny, and light winds for the day.  The overall philosophy of the early season meets are that we work to learn how to race and the times will improve with better weather and experience.  We are off to an exceptionally good start.  It was nice to see gold and blue at or near the front of nearly every race on the track or flight in the field events.  Not many people realized it was the first meet ever and the team received a lot of great compliments."