Feb. 27, 2011

Complete Results

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Illinois' school record-holder in the 400m now has a Big Ten title to go along with it, as junior Ashley Kelly timed 54.54 to win her first career conference crown. The Illini had four top-three finishes on Sunday at Purdue's Lambert Fieldhouse to wrap up the 2011 Big Ten Championships in seventh place with 61 points, just eight points shy of a top-four finish.

"We have a really good, young team, but just came up short in a couple of events to get into the top half of the conference," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "We just need to figure out how to get those last couple points to get where we want to be. We also were only a few points shy of where we scored last year after losing three Big Ten champions, so we have the potential to be up there in the future."

Along with breaking Yvonne Harrison's 400m school record earlier this season, Kelly became Illinois' first indoor 400m champion since Harrison in 1998. The Tortola, British Virgin Islands, native also tallied a fifth-place finish in the 200m with a personal-best time of 24.12 to earn 15 points individually for the Illini.

"Ashley scored big for us today and had a great 400m race," Buford-Bailey said. "She has been working toward this goal all season and competed strong when it counted."

Senior Tamika Robinson battled through a hamstring injury and still managed to score in both her events. The Chicago, Ill., native timed 8.21 in the 60m hurdles to take third behind Ohio State's Christina Manning (8.01) and Letecia Wright (8.03), who rank first and second in the country in the event. Robinson also placed sixth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.50.

"Tamika came back from an injury and still scored in her two events," Buford-Bailey said. "She raced against national-level competition in the hurdles and was third behind the top two hurdlers in the country. She had a difficult challenge but made it through."

In the 800m, the Orange and Blue racked up 14 points behind excellent efforts from a sophomore and a freshman. Transfer Stephanie Morgan was the runner-up with a personal-best time of 2:08.02 while Samantha Murphy crossed the line third with a career-best time of 2:09.53.

"Our underclassmen really came through for us in the 800m," Buford-Bailey said. "They were really aggressive and ran really well overall. They put outstanding effort into that event which was really fun to watch."

Illinois' 4x400m relay squad of juniors Ryisha Boyd, Kelly and Latoya Griffith and sophomore Marissa Golliday closed out the meet with a fourth-place finish after posting a time of 3:41.36. Boyd also ran the 400m in 56.41 and scored with an eighth-place finish.

The Orange and Blue just missed scoring in a pair of field events on Sunday. Senior Melissa Bates was one spot away from points in the triple jump after finishing ninth with a bound of 38-11 (11.86m). In the high jump, junior Kendall McCaugherty took 10th after clearing a height of 5-7 (1.70m).

A full list of Illinois' Sunday results can be found below along with the final team scores from the meet. Ohio State won its first Big Ten title with 122.5 points while Penn State (86) took second and Minnesota (73) was third. A mere three and a half points separated places four through six, with Michigan (68.50) in fourth, Indiana (67) in fifth and Michigan State (65).

The 2011 Big Ten Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships will be aired on the Big Ten Network on Saturday, March 12 at 4 p.m. CT.

Up Next: Illinois will send select athletes to NCAA Last Chance Qualifying meets on March 4-5 before heading to College Station, Texas, for the NCAA Championships from March 11-12.

Illinois Sunday Results at Big Ten Indoor Championships

60m (FINAL)
6. Tamika Robinson 7.50; 3 team points

200m (FINAL)
4. Ashley Kelly 24.12; 5 team points

400m (FINAL)
1. Ashley Kelly 54.54; 10 team points *Big Ten Champion
8. Ryisha Boyd 56.41; 1 team point
9. Melissa Bates 56.83

600m (FINAL)
9. Jayla McArthur 1:35.41

800m (FINAL)
2. Stephanie Morgan 2:08.02; 8 team points
3. Samantha Murphy 2:09.53; 6 team points

5,000m (FINAL)
21. Courtney Yaeger 17:32.11
DNF Elizabeth Boyle

60m Hurdles (FINAL)
3. Tamika Robinson 8.21; 6 team points

4x400m Relay (FINAL)
4. Illinois 3:41.36; 5 team points
(Ryisha Boyd, Ashley Kelly, Latoya Griffith, Marissa Golliday)

High Jump (FINAL)
10. Kendall McCaugherty 5-7 (1.70m)
12. Shinelle Proctor 5-5 (1.65m)

Triple Jump (FINAL)
9. Melissa Bates 38-11 (11.86m)
12. Alexandria Smith 38-4 ¾ (11.70m)
14. Kawanna Brooks 38-1 ¼ (11.61m)
16. Kelly Washington 37-3 ¼ (11.36m)

Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships Final Team Standings
1. Ohio State 122.50
2. Penn State 86
3. Minnesota 73
4. Michigan 68.50
5. Indiana 67
6. Michigan State 65
7. ILLINOIS 61
T8. Purdue 56
T8. Iowa 56
10. Wisconsin 47