June 10, 2006
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -
The Fighting Illini men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up competition on Saturday at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Three Illini saw action in today's finals, including sophomore Nick Brown and juniors Yvonne Mensah and Camile Robinson
Brown, the lone athlete from the Illinois men's squad competing Saturday, secured his team's only point of the championship as well as All-American honors by placing eighth in the triple jump event. The sophomore's third jump of the finals, a leap of 15.73-meters (wind: 0.9), collected one team point to help the Illini finish the 2006 collegiate championships tied for 65th overall.
"I'm really happy for Nick," assistant coach Mike Turk said. "This is just another step in his progression to become more competitive and compete at a higher level. He didn't exactly jump well today, however he performed very well, and that is a mark of someone making huge strides. Nick is a class kid who is very gracious and exhibits great sportsmanship. His performance today will be motivation for the future."
Just a day after recording a season-best in her 400-meter hurdle semifinal heat, junior Camile Robinson finished the NCAA Championships with a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles final (57.82) to secure her team three points.
"Camile ran a solid race," women's head coach Gary Winckler said. "She came out a little too fast, just as the entire field did, but managed to keep composure and had a decent showing."
Junior Yvonne Mensah closed out the championship meet for the Illini finishing 12th overall in the triple jump with a leap of 12.76-meters. The mark failed to collect any team point for the women's squad as they finished the 2006 collegiate championships tied for 23rd overall with a total of 11 team points.
Both Illini squads will take the next two weeks to prepare for the USA Track and Field Championships. The USATF championships begin on Thursday, June 22 and run through Sunday, June 25. All results from the 2006 NCAA Track and Field Championships can be found on: ww.flashresults.com.
