March 14, 2007

The men's track and field team kicks off their outdoor season this weekend as they travel to Tuscon, Ariz., to compete in the Willie Williams Classic on March 16-17. The meet is scheduled to begin at noon on Friday at Roy P. Drachman Stadium and will resume at noon on Saturday.

"Our focus and goal this week is to get as many athletes qualified for the Regionals as possible," head coach Wayne Angel said. "This meet will provide excellent competition for us, so it's very important that we take advantage of this great opportunity."

Illinois hopes to improve upon a challenging indoor season in which the team finished 10th in the Big Ten Championships and had one athlete, Lesiba Masheto (400m), qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2006, the Orange and Blue tied for fifth in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and had four athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Other teams scheduled to compete this weekend include Arizona, Southern California, Iowa and Utah State.

A full recap and results of the Willie Williams Classic can be found at fightingillini.com following the conclusion of the meet.