March 1, 2003

See the Big Ten Website for meet results...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Marty Keifer and Adam Pierson made their Big Ten finale` one to remember as they finished second and third in the pole vault to give Illinois 14 important points and help them into seventh place after the first day of competition at the 2003 Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships in Champaign.

Keifer, who has been one of the more consistent vaulters in the Big Ten this season, jumped 16'06.75" to finish second and earn his third career Big Ten Championships scoring performance.

Pierson also made the most of his final meet jumping a steady 16'00.75" to finish third overall and join Keifer on the awards stand.

"I thought those two guys really competed," head coach Gary Wieneke said. "They did what they had to do today, which was stay consistent and just keep doing what they have done all season long."

The 14 points scored by Keifer and Pierson put Illinois into seventh place through the first day of competition. Ohio State leads after five scored events with 36 points, followed by Wisconsin with 30.

Also competing well today was freshman Steve Weatherford in the Heptathlon. Weatherford, a punter on the Illinois football team, is in fourth in the Heptathlon after winning the event's high jump competition with a personal-best leap of 6'06.75". After events in the 60 meters, high jump, shot put and long jump, Weatherford has accumulated 2,877 points and is just 21 points behind Nathan Brown of Wisconsin for third.

"Steve really competed hard today," Wieneke said. "He's been banged up lately with a bad ankle, but he's the type of guy that won't let that get to him. He competes with reckless abandon everyday."

Weatherford will wrap up the Heptathlon on Sunday when he competes in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and the 1,000 meters.

Illinois also sent a number of runners onto the finals in the middle distance races, where Tramel Smith and Clint Cherco will compete in heat 2 of the 600 meter finals. Smith, a freshman, won his 600-meter trial heat with a time of 1:20.05, while Cherco finished second in his heat. However Cherco's time of 1:19.76 was a career best by the sophomore and is the seventh-fastest 600-meter time in Illinois history. Smith's time was also a career best an registers as the 10th fastest time in school history.

Another freshman, Jimmy Kinn, will also be in action on Sunday as he qualified for the finals of the 800 meters. Kinn is one of just two freshman competing in the 800 meter finale on Sunday as he finished second in his heat with a time of 1:53.39.

"This will be a great experience for each of these young guys," Wieneke said. "They worked hard to make it to Sunday and this is something that will help them down the road in their careers."

The 2003 Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships concludes on Sunday. Competition begins at 9 a.m. with the weight throw and wraps up at 3:25 with the 4x400-meter relay. Tickets to Sunday's finals can be purchased at the U of I Armory Track. Tickets are $6 for Adults and $3 for students and Children.

For complete results, please visit the Big ten website at www.bigten.org, or just use the link above.

Day One Team Results
1. Ohio State 36
2. Wisconsin 30
3. Minnesota 28
4. Purdue 26
5. Indiana 16
6. Michigan 15
7. Illinois 14
8. Michigan State 11
8. Penn State 11
10. Iowa 8