April 22, 2000

Box Score

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois men's and women's track teams competed in the first home meet of the outdoor season this evening, under lights for the first time at the UI Outdoor Track Stadium. The Illini men finished second to Indiana in a triangular meet, while the Illini women were beaten by Indiana in a dual meet. The Illinois men scored 131.5 points, behind Indiana's 142.5 points. Iowa was third in the triangular with a score of 101. For the women, Indiana won with a score of 118 points to Illinois' 78.

There were several impressive individual performances by both teams. For the men, junior Sherman Armstrong again stole the show. Armstrong, the defending Big Ten champion in both the 110m and 400m hurdles, won both hurdle events, taking the 110's in a time of 14.03 and the 400's in a time of 50.67. Armstrong also anchored Illinois' victorious 4x400m relay squad, which ran a time of 3:11.26. With 300 meters to go in the relay, Armstrong trailed Iowa's anchor, Scott Williamson, by 15 meters. But the Illini star caught Williamson with 100 meters to go, then surged ahead to seal the victory. Armstrong's split in the relay was hand-timed at 46.06. Armstrong also ran the third leg of the victorious 4x100 meter relay.

Senior Babatunde Ridley also ran strong at the meet, winning the 200 meter dash in a time of 21.34, as well as running the anchor leg of Illinois' winning 4x100m relay, which ran a season's best time of 40.30.

Freshman Brandon Lloyd, who rejoined the team and began workouts on Wednesday after concluding spring football, won the long jump with a jump of 23 feet, 4 1/2 inches. Lloyd jumped just twice, passing on his final four attempts. Lloyd also competed in the high jump, tying for third place.

Other event winners for the Illini were senior Justin Norberg, who won the pole vault with a vault of 16 feet, 7 1/4 inches, and sophomore Nick Gow, who won the 1,500 meter run in a time of 3:49.7.

For the Illini women, junior Gia Lewis was just two inches shy of the school record in the discus, winning the event with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 175 feet, 7 inches. Her throw shattered her previous personal best by a whopping 23 feet and nearly eclipsed Laura Mindock's school record of 175 feet, 9 inches set in 1996. Lewis' mark of 175-7 also registers as the seventh-best throw in the nation this season.

Freshman Perdita Felicien won the 100 meter hurdles with a provisional qualifying time of 13.39, placing her fifth on the Illinois all-time performers list in that event. That is also the third fastest time in the Big Ten this season. Felicien also finished fourth in the 200 meter dash.

Sophomore sprinter Chequetta Bearfield won the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.98. Bearfield also took third in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.79. Sophomore Jordana Meyer was the top collegiate in the 400 meter hurdles, running a time of 1:03.30. Meyer was second only to former Illini Tonja Burford-Bailey, who was competing unattached. In the high jump, sophomore Camee' Williams was the top collegiate finisher, placing second with a season's best jump of 5 feet, 5 1/4 inches. Williams finished behind former Illini Stacy Ann Grant, who also was competing unattached.

ILLINOIS EVENT WINNERS

MEN

WOMEN