April 30, 2010

Results | Photo Gallery

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Senior Aja Evans continued her undefeated season by winning the shot put at the Illinois Twilight for the second straight year, as the Illini women's track and field team won 11 events overall on a windy Friday night at the UI Track Stadium.

Evans won the event by nearly six feet, tossing a mark of 55-0 ¼ (16.77m), which also marked her fifth consecutive victory this year. The Chicago, Ill., native has eclipsed the 55-feet mark in four of her five meets this season and came into the weekend ranked second in the NCAA in the event.

"Aja had another great day in the shot put," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "She is staying consistent and hasn't lost at all this outdoor season. She just wants to keep it going as we go into Big Tens."

Sophomore Ashley Kelly paced a strong Illini effort in the 100m dash, where Illini athletes filled the top three spots with personal-best times. Kelly clocked an 11.69 to win the event followed by freshman Kayla Smith in second with a time of 11.78 and junior Cheria Morgan in third at 11.87. Those three Illini along with junior Tamika Robinson on the anchor combined to win the 4x100m relay with their second-fastest time of the year (45.12).

"Even with the wind conditions, we still ran a very good 4x100m relay," Buford-Bailey said. "We are really doing some good things in that event, and we are about one exchange from being where we want. I am really proud that they are putting it together this year."

Robinson also posted a strong showing in the 100m hurdles, clocking a wind-aided mark of 13.13. Former Illini Deserea Brown took second (13.74) in the hurdles followed by senior Alecia Beckford-Stewart in third (14.00) and freshman Kawanna Brooks in fourth (14.22).

Orange and Blue athletes also dominated the 200m, taking the top three positions in the wind-aided race. Smith won the event with a time of 23.66 while Kelly was close behind in second at 23.69. Junior Melissa Bates finished in third at 23.75. Morgan notched the best non-wind aided time by an Illini and finished eighth with a personal-best 24.44.

In the 400m hurdles, sophomore Latoya Griffith beat last year's Big Ten Champion in the event by .35 seconds, as Griffith timed a personal-best 58.11 to edge the former Illini Brown.

"Latoya had a good race, but she can still run faster," Buford-Bailey said. "I am excited that she can potentially run almost two seconds faster than today if we can work on her race strategy. She is definitely ready to do some good things at Big Tens, so hopefully it comes together for her there."

Senior Ashley Thompson posted a personal best by nearly three seconds in the 1,500m and won the race with a time of 4:34.45. Sophomore Danelle Woods finished fifth at 4:46.58 in her first race of the season.

The Illini finished one-two in the 3,000m steeplechase, as freshman Madeline Aufmann picked up the victory with a personal-best time of 11:12.96 followed by freshman Amber Stack at 11:14.96.

"Maddie and Amber did great in the steeple," Buford-Bailey said. "Considering the wind conditions, they ran really fast to open the meet and were able to show everyone else that you could still run fast."

The Illini swept all three jumping events on Friday night. Sophomore Kendall McCaugherty won the high jump with a leap of 5-7 (1.70m), Beckford-Stewart earned the top spot in the long jump with a mark of 19-2 ¾ (5.86m) and sophomore Alexandria Smith secured the win in the triple jump with a bound of 39-1 (11.91m). Brooks took second in both the long and triple jump, with marks of 18-10 (5.74m) and 38-3 ½ (11.67m) in the respective events.

Illinois had a pair of runner-up finishes in the 400m and 800m, as freshman Marissa Golliday clocked a personal-best time of 54.49 in the quarter-mile race and junior Jamie Brusa ran an outdoor personal best in the half mile with a time of 2:18.17. In the 3,000m, Illinois runners placed second and third, with senior Theresa Brokaw at 10:10.50 and freshman Courtney Yaeger at 10:10.96.

In the pole vault, junior Kaitlin Vicari placed third with a personal-best mark of 12-1 ½ (3.70m), while senior Danyelle Michelini threw 102-8 (31.30m) in the javelin to take third in her final home meet.

Up Next: Illinois is off next week before it heads to Bloomington, Ind., for the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Indiana, from May 14-16.

Illinois Event Winners
Ashley Kelly, 100m..........11.69
Kayla Smith, 200m..........23.66
Ashley Thompson, 1,500m..........4:34.45
Tamika Robinson, 100m hurdles..........13.13
Latoya Griffith, 400m hurdles..........58.11
Madeline Aufmann, 3,000m steeplechase..........11:12.96
4x100m relay (Morgan, Kelly, Smith, Robinson)..........45.12
Kendall McCaugherty, high jump..........5-7 (1.70m)
Alecia Beckford-Stewart, long jump..........19-2 ¾ (5.86m)
Alexandria Smith, triple jump..........39-1 (11.91m)
Aja Evans, shot put..........55-0 ¼ (16.77m)