Jan. 3, 2007

Head coach Wayne Angel and his Fighting Illini men's track team will travel with a limited squad to Hanover, N. H., this weekend to compete in the Dartmouth Relays. The last time the Illini competed in the Dartmouth Relays, in January 2004, they dominated the meet, scoring 158 points en route to a team victory. The Illini also earned seven first-place finishes, 16 top-three finishes and broke two meet records.

"We're very excited about competing at Dartmouth this weekend," head coach Wayne Angel said. "We've trained from September until now, and we are anxious to get down to business and compete, as well as evaluate our level of fitness," Angel said.

Sophomore sprinter Dominique Worsley, who comes off an impressive freshman year, returns to his home state of New Hampshire to compete for the first time in Orange and Blue. Worsley and the Illini look to start off their season strong at a meet that draws nearly 3,000 competitors from around the United States and Canada. The men's heptathlon will be held on Friday, Jan. 5, and Saturday, Jan. 6, while the collegiate and open events will be staged Sunday, Jan. 7.

"We want to get off to a quick, competitive start because momentum is very important at the onset of the season," Angel said. "Our primary goal in every competition is to build on our successes from week to week until we are ready for peak performances at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships," Angel said.