NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee announced the hiring of Rodney Burkes as the sprints/hurdles/relays coach Tuesday. Burkes joins the Redbird staff after spending the previous season as a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma State, and will replace Brenton Emanuel who left the staff to take over as head coach at Eastern Illinois.
Burkes brings several years of collegiate, prep and club experience with him to the Illinois State track and field program, which was named the MVC program of the year in 2018 after sweeping the men's and women's title indoors and claiming the women's title outdoors.