The Illinois Springfield women's track and field team heads into a pivotal weekend with strong entries in distance events at the prestigious GVSU Big Meet. With a focus on the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs, this event presents a major opportunity for the Prairie Stars to make a statement in regional competition. 

Entries
The weekend kicks off with 10 UIS athletes tackling the 5,000-meter run, many for the first time this winter. Among them is Madelyn Miller, who has already set UIS records in the 3,000-meters and mile this season. Camille Terre, meanwhile, is the lone entry in the 600-meter event.

On Saturday, seven Prairie Stars will race the 3,000 meters after competing in the 5,000-meter run the day before. Norah Wright is set to double in the 800 meters and the mile, with others focusing on either the mile or 800.

Weekend Recap
Madelyn Miller captured the spotlight with the UIS women's track and field program's first-ever sub-five-minute mile at the Lewis Invite on Friday, posting a 4:57.00 to finish third behind two conference competitors. Marissa Roggensack also had a breakthrough performance, taking 13th in the mile with a time of 5:13.13, just ahead of Lillian Buzani at 5:17.15.

In the 3,000 meters, freshman Josslyn Gaona turned heads with a time of 10:21.50, ranking her among the program's top-five times, including No. 2 for a freshman.

GLVC Standings
Madelyn Miller is now ranked No. 6 in the conference in the mile, while Josslyn Gaona sits at 14th in the 3,000 meters.

NCAA Standings
Miller enters the NCAA DII top-100 in the mile at No. 58. Kaleigh Inniss sits 82nd in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:54.08, while Miller's provisional mark in the 3,000 meters is ranked 37th.

Follow Along
Results for this weekend's competition can be found on AthleticLIVE and the event will be streamed on FloTrack.