June 7, 2006

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Fighting Illini men's and women's track and field teams began competition at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Wednesday evening. The Orange and Blue had three athletes competing on the day, including freshman Dominique Worsley and junior Nathan Vadeboncoeur from the men's squad and senior Cassie Hunt from the women's team.

Worsley kicked off the championships for the Illini in the first round of the 200-meters as he posted a time of 21.46 (wind -0.3) to finish sixth in his heat and 24th overall. The freshman's time failed to qualify him for Friday's 200-meter semifinal.

Two events later, Vadeboncoeur took to the track for the 400-meter semifinal. The Canadian National Champion in the event struggled, finishing fifth in his heat and 26th overall with a time of 46.95. The performance was not good enough to qualify for Friday's final.

Hunt, the only competitor from the women's squad to compete on Wednesday, closed out the day with a fourth-place finish (eighth overall) in her steeplechase heat. The junior's time of 10:12.71 automatically qualified her for Friday's final in the event.

Competition at the NCAA Championships continues tomorrow, Thursday, June 8 for the Orange and Blue beginning with junior Yvonne Mensah in the first round of the 100-meter dash at 5:30 p.m. CT. The only competitor from the men's squad scheduled to compete on Thursday is senior Abe Jones (400-meter hurdles). All results from the championship can be found at: www.flashresults.com.