June 10, 2010
Results
EUGENE, Ore. - Junior Tamika Robinson came up just short of reaching the 100m hurdles final on Thursday at her first-ever NCAA Outdoor Championships, but earned All-America honors for placing among the top eight Americans in the field. The Chicago, Ill., native turned in a time of 13.18 and placed 10th overall in the event. Along with Robinson, the No. 24 Illinois women's track and field team boasted competitors in two other events at Hayward Field, with the 4x400m relay and junior Melissa Bates in the 200m dash.
"The same thing happened to Tamika indoors, but she still had a really good year," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "We are still going to go to the USA Championships, so she will have another chance to compete. We have a lot of race preparation things to work on with everyone, so we everyone that made it here can improve and is hungry for next year."
Robinson, who missed qualifying for the 60m hurdles final by .008 seconds at the NCAA Indoor Championships, suffered heartbreak again at a national meet, as she came in fourth in her heat and .06 seconds short of making the 100m hurdles final. Texas A&M's Vashti Thomas filled the eighth and final qualifying spot with a mark of 13.12. The Chicago, Ill., native matched the second-fastest time of her career in her final race of the season, as she also ran 13.18 at the SeaRay Relays.
"It was a well executed race, but I just kept hitting the hurdle with my lead leg," Robinson said. "I'm not too disappointed because it is my first year here, so I just want to keep pushing forward and will be ready for next year. I've still got the USA Championships coming up, so I am excited for that."
The Illini foursome of sophomore Ryisha Boyd, Ashley Kelly and Latoya Griffith and the junior Bates clocked a time of 3:37.88 in the 4x400m relay and placed 12th overall. In the 200m dash, Bates timed 24.39 and came in 24th.
A pair of All-Americans continue the action for Illinois on Friday at the NCAA Championships, as senior Aja Evans competes in the shot put at 6:45 p.m. CT and three-time national champion Angela Bizzarri looks to defend her 5,000m crown at 8:40 p.m. CBS College Sports Network will air the meet live from 7-9 p.m. while the rest of the day's action can be seen on NCAA.com. Live results along with a full recap can be found on fightingillini.com while live updates will be made at twitter.com/IlliniTrackXC.
Illinois Thursday Results at the NCAA Championships
100m Hurdles (Semifinal)
10. Tamika Robinson 13.18 *earned All-America honors
4x400m Relay (Semifinal)
12. Illinois 3:37.88
(Ryisha Boyd, Ashley Kelly, Latoya Griffith, Melissa Bates)
200m (Semifinal)
24. Melissa Bates 24.39
Illinois Remaining Schedule at the NCAA Championships
(All times Central)
Friday, June 11
6:45 p.m. Shot Put Trials and Finals (Aja Evans)
8:40 p.m. 5,000m Final (Angela Bizzarri)
