Orange and Blue Win Eight Events at Home Invite

Women's Track & Field May 2, 2009

Orange and Blue Win Eight Events at Home Invite

May 2, 2009

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's track and field team appears poised to make noise at the Big Ten Championships, dominating its home Illinois Invitational on Saturday. The Orange and Blue won a total of eight events and turned in eight qualifying performances for the NCAA Regional Championships on a beautiful day at the UI Track Stadium.

"We had a fabulous meet today," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "There were a lot of improvements and we added some regional qualifiers. Our home track is a good environment to relax and just run fast. Today was the best weather conditions we've seen in the last month, and we capitalized on it. I think our team is ready to go for the Big Ten Championships."

Junior Aja Evans had a season-best throw in the shot put, marking a distance of 54 feet, 9 ¼ inches to easily win the event and hit the regional qualifying standard for the sixth time this season. Evans' performance was the third-best in her career as well as the third-best in Illinois history. She now is ranked sixth in the NCAA in the shot put.

Evans also led off the 4x100m relay that qualified for the regional championships for the first time this season, teaming up with freshman Ashley Kelly, senior Omoye Ugiagbe and sophomore Tamika Robinson to time 45.68 and take first.

Senior Deserea Brown continued her streak of strong 400m hurdles performances, winning the event and hitting the regional standard with a time of 58.47. Freshman Latoya Griffith was close behind Brown, taking runner-up in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.48.

Freshman Alexandria Smith qualified for the regional championships for the first time in her career, with a personal-best performance in the triple jump. She marked 40-5 to join Illinois' list of event winners. Sophomore Jessica Penney had two regional-qualifying performances on Saturday, as she took second in the long jump with a mark of 19-11 and was fourth in the 100m hurdles with a personal-best time of 13.89.

The Illini 4x400m relay `B' team brought home first place, as junior Paris Streeter, Kelly, freshman Jayla McArthur and Griffith timed 3:42.77. That performance just missed the regional qualifying standard.

Sophomore Shannon Phelan turned in a personal-best in the 800m, winning the event with a time of 2:10.60. Other Illini with first-place finishes were senior Christina Beaird in the 3,000m (10:17.60) and junior Danyelle Michelini in the javelin (94-10).

Robinson paced the Illini in the 100m and 100m hurdles, taking third in the hurdles with a regional-qualifying performance of 13.85 and also placing fourth in the 100m (11.91). Illinois had four athletes run season-bests in the 200m, led by sophomore Melissa Bates (24.35) and Ugiagbe (24.36) finishing in second and third, respectively. Ugiagbe also ran a season-best in the 400m, finishing runner-up with a time of 54.97. Streeter was third in the 400m (55.24), while Kelly was fourth (55.55).

Two-time Olympian and former Illini great Perdita Felicien competed in the 100m hurdles at the UI Track Stadium for the first time in seven seasons, winning her signature event with a time of 12.99. Former Orange and Blue All-American Gia Lewis-Smallwood won the discus with a throw of 194-6.

Illinois will have next weekend off from competition, preparing for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio from May 15-17.

Illinois Event Winners

Athlete/Event..........Mark
Shannon Phelan, 800m..........2:10.60
Christina Beaird, 3,000m..........10:17.60
Deserea Brown, 400m Hurdles..........58.47
4x100m relay (Evans, Kelly, Ugiagbe, Robinson)..........45.68
4x400m relay (Streeter, Kelly, McArthur, Griffith)..........3:42.77
Alexandria Smith, triple jump..........40-5
Aja Evans, shot put..........54-9 ¼
Danyelle Michelini..........94-10