March 18, 2006
Results
COLOMBIA, S.C. -
Weems Baskins Relay Results (Day 2) in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Fighting Illini men's track and field team successfully wrapped up its first outdoor meet of the 2006 season Saturday at the Weems Baskins Relay in Columbia, S.C. Included in the day's highlights were five Illini first-place finishes and a regional qualifying mark in the 400-meter dash by Abe Jones.
Head coach Wayne Angel felt Illinois' performance over the weekend was a great way to kick off the outdoor season.
"It was an unorthodox kind of meet with the variety of events ran," said Angel. "But we had a great time and the kids had a lot of fun."
One of the main goals Angel and his staff focused on over the weekend was finding the strengths of certain athletes.
"We experimented by moving athletes around to see where they best perform," said Angel. "All the athletes performed well, and we got a lot of work done both days."
Senior Abe Jones highlighted the meet with a first-place finish and a regional qualifying time of 51.52 in the 400-meter hurdles. The senior's time was almost a full second over the regional qualifying minimum of 52.51.
Freshman Dominique Worsley made the most out of his freshman debut on the outdoor track with a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.51. His time was just .01 seconds away from being a regional qualifying mark.
Sophomore Trent Hoerr led the Illini in distance events with a first-place finish in the 1,500-meter run (3:55.32). Junior Dan Stock placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:23.76.
After recording two first-place finishes and a second-place finish in three different relays on Friday's events, the Illini ran away with another first-place finish in the 4x200-meter relay (1:25.23) and a second-place finish in the 1,600-meter sprint medley (3:29.86).
Senior Charley Kurlinkus brought home Illinois' final first-place finish on the day in the high jump. The senior won the event with a jump of 2.05-meters (6'08.75"). Sophomore Jon Reagan finished fourth with a jump of 1.90-meter (6'02.75").
The Illini return to the track next weekend when they travel to Carbondale, Ill. for the Southern Illinois Invite on Saturday, March 25. The meet is set to begin at 10 a.m.
