March 2, 2001

Ames, Iowa - The Illinois men's track and field team sent four athletes to Iowa State University and one athelte to Notre Dame to compete in a last chance meet. The purpose of the meet was to qualify athletes for next weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships.

Senior Sherman Armstrong finished fifth in the 400 meter dash, running a time of 47.03. That time betters Armstrong's season's best and provisionally qualifies him for the national meet.

In the field, junio Charles Burton competed in the triple jump. Burton finished third with a jump of 51 feet, 2-3/4 inches (15.61m), a season's best and also a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Championships.

Senior Babatunde Ridley won the 200 meter dash, running a time of 21.22 seconds. That did not better Ridley's season's best of 21.20 that he ran during the preliminaries of the Big Ten Championships.

Ridley also competed in the 60 meter dash, clocking a time of 6.81 seconds in the finals to place fourth. That also did not better Ridley's season's best in the event, of 6.74 seconds that he also turned in at last week's Big Ten Championships.

Illinois' final competitor at Iowa State was junior Nick Gow. Gow participated in the 800 meter run, placing sixth with a time of 1:50.00. That did not improve on his season's best of 1:49.52 from the finals of the 800m at the Big Ten Championships.

At Notre Dame on Saturday, senior Tom Marchese improved his personal best in the pole vault by one inch. He vaulted an NCAA provisional qualifying 17 feet, 5-1/2 inches (5.32 meters) to improve his standing on the national list. Marchese entered the meet with a season's best vault of 17 feet, 4-1/2 inches (5.30 meters).

The accepted qualifiers for the NCAA indoor national meet will be announced next week.