April 26, 2008
Complete Results
BERKELEY, Calif. - Senior Rachel Hernandez and sophomore Aja Evans were event winners, while senior LaNeisha Waller tied her personal-best for the Illinois women's track and field team in the 100m hurdles on Saturday at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. The Illini finished the meet with three event titles over the two-day span.
Hernandez won the 1,500m with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 25.82 seconds and was followed closely in the race by sophomore Katie Engel, who finished runner-up in a time of 4:27.07 in just her second outdoor race of the year.
Illinois now has four athletes who have posted NCAA regional qualifying times in the 1,500m, as Hernandez and Engel join previous qualifiers Angela Bizzarri (4:19.95) and Danelle Woods (4:26.64). Illinois' distance runners concluded a solid weekend of competition, as Bizzarri won the 5,000m on Friday (16:16.43) while freshman Chantelle Groenewoud ran a NCAA regional qualifying time in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:40.06).
"Our distance athletes really had a great weekend," head coach Gary Winckler said. "Rachel (Hernandez) had an impressive personal-best as did Bizzarri on Friday in the 5,000 meters. LaNeisha (Waller) is getting up to form and running better every week, while Aja got back on track in the shot put. Overall, it was a very productive meet for us."
In the shot put, Evans recorded an outdoor personal-best in winning the event with a distance of 51 feet, 7 inches. Waller also had a career day, as she finished as the top collegiate finisher in the 100m hurdles. The senior tied her personal-best time of 13.18 ran last season at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, taking second to Hyleas Fountain running unattached (12.98). Junior Nikkita Holder was fourth in the hurdles in 13.91.
Other highlights include the Illini 4x100m relay of Tiara Armstrong, Waller, Cheria Morgan and Melissa Bates taking second with a time of 45.28 and Armstrong (11.85) and Morgan (12.11) taking fourth and eighth in the 100m, respectively. Redshirt freshman Shannon Phelan was fourth in the 800m (2:11.56).
The Illini will host the Illinois Twilight meet at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium on Wednesday, April 30 beginning at 2 p.m. Illinois will then be host to the Big Ten Outdoor Championships from May 16-18.
