University of Illinois
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Illini Conclude Big Ten Championships
May 14, 2006 | Men's Track & Field
May 14, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Fighting Illini men's track and field team wrapped up the 2006 Big Ten Championships Sunday in East Lansing, Mich. as they finished tied for fifth overall alongside Michigan with a team point total of 69.00. Wisconsin won the Big Ten Championship for the third-straight season with 161.50 points. Minnesota placed second (121.50) and Indiana (105.00) and Iowa (77.00) finished third and fourth, respectively.
The highlight of the meet for the Orange and Blue came in the 400-meter hurdles when senior Abe Jones successfully ran away with first place with a regional qualifying time of 51.11.
"I was tired," Jones said. "I was more focused on keeping my composure and just relying on my athletic abilities. I knew I could win it, so I wasn't going to go push buttons right away."
Jones was more excited with the fourth-place performance he put up in the 400-meter hurdles. His time of 46.26 was a new personal best for the senior in the event.
"I got fourth in the 400-meters; that's awesome," Jones said. "I was against three other All-Americans; it looked like nationals all over again. It was great."
After a successful day two, freshman Dominique Worsley wrapped up his Big Ten campaign with two solid performances in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Worsley placed second in the 100-meter dash with a regional qualifying time of 13.95 and third in the 200-meter dash with a regional-qualifying time of 21.12.
Senior Andre English had a second-place showing of his own in the 110-meter hurdles with a regional qualifying time of 13.95 and fellow senior Tim Hobbs placed third in the 800-meters with a time of 1:49.10.
The Illini now have two weeks off to prepare for the 2006 Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships. The Regional Championships are hosted by the University of Tennessee and begin on Friday, May 26.
All results from this weekend's Big Ten Championships can be found on www.bigten.org.
Final Team Results 1. Wisconsin 161.50 2. Minnesota 121.50 3. Indiana 105.00 4. Iowa 77.00 5t. Illinois 69.00 5t. Michigan 69.00 7. Penn State 61.00 8. Ohio State 59.00 9. Michigan State 49.00 10. Purdue 45.00
