May 16, 2010

Results | Photo Gallery

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore Andrew Riley won a pair of Big Ten titles on Sunday at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Complex, earning the top spot in the 110m hurdles and the 100m dash. The Kingston, Jamaica native also led off the runner-up 4x100m relay and helped the Illinois men's track and field team move up to sixth place with 70 points on the final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

"I was thrilled with the performances we had today," interim head coach Mike Turk said. "This was a big step forward for us. After a bit of a rough day yesterday, it would have been easy for us to fold, but we stepped up and did an outstanding job to finish strong."

Riley notched his first-ever Big Ten title in the 110m hurdles, clocking a time of 14.18 to defeat runner-up Nate Larkin (14.24) of Wisconsin. The three-time All-American followed it up by winning the 100m dash with a personal-best 10.54, marking his fourth career Big Ten title. Riley is also a two-time indoor champion in the 60m hurdles.

"Andrew is the man," Turk said. "He is an outstanding athlete and just wants to win."

Before picking up his two titles, Riley began the day on the leadoff leg of the 4x100m relay, which placed second for the second straight year with a time of 40.26. The Illini squad finished just behind Wisconsin (40.15) and also included senior Azeez Shogbuyi, freshman Bai Kabba and sophomore Stanley Azie.

Junior Cody Wisslead scored 11 points for the Illini thanks to solid efforts in both hurdle events. The Sciota, Ill., native took third in the 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 51.05 and finished fourth in the 110m hurdles with a mark of 14.55.

"Cody has really stepped up during the outdoor season," Turk said. "It is amazing for him to come back and do what he did today because he missed a lot of training during the indoor season with mono, so he was way behind. He showed that he really cares about the program and the team."

Azie scored individually for the first time in his career and added a combined nine points to the Orange and Blue total with his finishes in the short sprints. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native clocked a time of 10.71 and placed fourth in the 100m dash before coming in fifth in the 200m with a time of 21.58.

"Stanley always wants more, but was solid in both sprinting events," Turk said. "It was great point production from a guy who has really made great strides after joining the team as a walk-on last year."

The Illini received a pair of sixth-place finishes from junior Oz Lifshitz in the triple jump and the 4x400m relay. Lifshitz recorded a bound of 49-10 (15.19m) while the foursome of junior Shane Daniel, Kabba, freshman Malcolm Taylor and junior Dan Jones timed 3:10.56 in the final running event of the day.

Illinois' final point of the day came from senior Brian Beaird, who scored for the first time in his career with an eighth-place finish in the 800m. Beaird timed 1:50.27 to enter the scoring column.

"Brian had a great performance today," Turk said. "In his four-year career, he has missed the finals twice by a couple hundredths of a second and barely missed scoring last year, so it was outstanding for him to add that point for us today."

Two Illini missed scoring by two spots, as sophomore Colin Mickow (14:12.80) took 10th in the 5,000m and junior Casey Fonnesbeck filled the same position in the shot put with a toss of 56-3 (17.14m).

The Orange and Blue recorded its highest team finish since 2007 when it also took sixth after placing ninth for the last two years. Minnesota took home the team title for the second straight year with 145 points. Wisconsin (124) was second followed by Ohio State (115) in third and Iowa (86) in fourth. Indiana rounded out the top five with 82 points.

Illinois will head to Austin, Texas in two weeks for the NCAA Preliminary Round of Championship from May 27-29 at the University of Texas. The Illini athletes who qualify for the opening round of competition will be announced later this week.

Illinois Sunday Results at Big Ten Outdoor Championships

100m (FINAL)
1. Andrew Riley 10.54; 10 team points
4. Stanley Azie 10.71; 5 team points

200m (FINAL)
5. Stanley Azie 21.58; 4 team points

800m (FINAL)
8. Brian Beaird 1:50.27; 1 team point

5,000m (FINAL)
10. Colin Mickow 14:12.80
22. Dan Kremske 14:29.75
31. Hunter Mickow 14:45.93

110m Hurdles (FINAL)
1. Andrew Riley 14.18; 10 team points
4. Cody Wisslead 14.55; 5 team points

400m Hurdles (FINAL)
3. Cody Wisslead 51.05; 6 team points

4x100m Relay (FINAL)
2. Illinois 40.26; 8 team points
(Andrew Riley, Azeez Shogbuyi, Bai Kabba, Stanley Azie)

4x400m Relay (FINAL)
6. Illinois 3:10.56; 3 team points
(Shane Daniel, Bai Kabba, Malcolm Taylor, Dan Jones)

Shot Put (FINAL)
10. Casey Fonnesbeck 56-3 (17.14m)

Triple Jump (FINAL)
6. Oz Lifshitz 49-10 (15.19m); 3 team points

Final Team Results
1. Minnesota - 145
2. Wisconsin - 124
3. Ohio State - 115
4. Iowa - 86
5. Indiana - 82
6. Illinois - 70
7. Penn State - 52
7. Michigan State - 52
9. Purdue - 49
10. Michigan - 44