Beavers Set Multiple School Records at Millikin Big Blue Opener

DECATUR, Ill. — The Blackburn College track and field team opened the 2026 outdoor season in impressive fashion Saturday at the Millikin Big Blue Outdoor Opener, setting multiple school records and establishing strong early-season marks across the board.

The Beavers were highlighted by a standout day of program history, as several athletes etched their names into the record book.

On the women's side, Isabella Bradley broke the school record in the 400 meters, clocking 1:14.32 to surpass the previous mark of 1:17.00. Maya Bennett added a strong all-around performance, setting school records in both the 100 meters (13.74) and 200 meters (29.29), while also improving her own long jump record with a mark of 4.32 meters.

Sophia Palmier set the school record in the pole vault with a clearance of 2.45 meters and also competed in the 800 meters, continuing to show versatility across events. In the throws, Bree Hammon established a new school record in the discus with a mark of 23.50 meters.

The men's team matched that momentum with several record-breaking performances of their own. Tristan Toss reset the standard in both the 100 meters (11.50) and 200 meters (23.24), while also improving the school record in the long jump with a leap of 5.95 meters.

In the throws, Leland Branstner delivered a strong performance in the discus, throwing 41.91 meters to set a new school record. He also broke the school record in the shot put with a mark of 14.36 meters, a significant improvement from the previous record of 6.99 meters. He currently leads the conference in both events, and entered the top 5 all time SLIAC performance list in discus.

Distance standout Sam Burrows turned in one of the top performances of the day, breaking the school record in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:54.91, a massive improvement from the previous mark of 21:29.14. He was joined by teammates Kendrik Troutt (17:46) and Collyn Oberkfell (17:58), as the Beavers opened their outdoor distance campaign with a strong showing in the event.

Elsewhere, Byron McNeil competed in both the triple jump and 400 meters, recording a collegiate personal best in the 400, while Landan Tribble contributed in the long jump and 200 meters.

"This was a really strong day to open the outdoor season," said head coach Noah Daum. "We had a lot of athletes step up and set the tone with school records and PRs. It shows the hard work this group is putting in and gives us a lot to build on moving forward!"

The Beavers will look to carry that momentum into the Thursday Throwdown meet at Illinois College on April 2nd.