Feb. 24, 2010

DEKALB, Ill. - After weeks of preparation and competition the Northern Illinois women's track and field team is geared up to compete in its final indoor competition of the 2010 season. The Huskies head to the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships hosted by Central Michigan at the Jack Skoog Indoor Track in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 26-27.

"The coaching staff and I are looking forward to going to the Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend," head track and field coach Connie Teaberry said. "Based on our past performances the girls should perform pretty well. We are hoping that their focus and drive will lead us to a better finish than we have had in the MAC previously. The team and the coaching staff is excited for this weekend, and we are eager to see what we can do."

As the Huskies head into the weekend they will look to carry the success of their regular season into the championships. Along with setting several NIU school records this season, five Huskies rank among the top-15 performers in the MAC.

In just her first collegiate meet as a Huskie, sophomore Megan Gregory (Chicago, Ill./Plainfield North) set an NIU school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.95 at the Eastern Michigan Early Bird Invitational, Dec. 12. Gregory later broke her own NIU school record in the event when she raced to a time of 8.60 at Panther Open, Jan. 16. Heading into the weekend Gregory's time of 8.60 seconds currently ranks fourth in the MAC for the 60-meter hurdles.

Newcomer Rhonda Lee (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) also made her mark this season when she shattered two 31-year old school records. Lee achieved her first school record at the Carthage College Tadd Metzger Invitational on Jan. 30 when she raced to a first-place time of 7.16 in the 55-meter dash. Two weeks later, Lee broke a school record in the 60-meter dash when she raced to a time of 7.70 at the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 13. Lee's 60-meter time ranks 13th among MAC competitors.

Also among the league's top performers is Jenner Sio (Rockford, Ill./Christian Life), who ranks 15th in the triple jump, and Roneisha Frye (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East) who ranks 13th in the 60-meter hurdles. The Huskies distance medley relay team ranks seventh among MAC performances.

The two-day event is set to begin Friday, Feb. 26, at 9 a.m. with the pentathlon events. Friday's field events will begin at 1 p.m., while track events will start at 2 p.m. The action will continue into Saturday, Feb. 27, with the heptathlon and field events beginning at 11 a.m., and the track events will commence at 12:15 p.m.