March 17, 2007
Meet Results (PDF)
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The Fighting Illini concluded competition at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday. The Orange and Blue had a very successful first outing, tabbing four first-place finishes and five regional-qualifying performances.
Sophomore Lesiba "Shoes" Masheto ran the 400m with a career-best 45.41, placing first, in an exciting photo finish. His time was good enough to rank him first among collegiate athletes in the United States, and fourth in the world. Additionally, his time qualifies him for NCAA Regionals, and earns him the third-place spot on the Illinois All-Time Outdoor Best list.
Senior Anthony Young also had a career-day, finishing first in the 400m hurdles with a regional-qualifying and career best time of 51.95. Not far behind him was fellow senior Adrian Walker, who placed second with another regional-qualifying time of 52.21. Walker hit a hurdle midway through the race, and as a result, did not finish as highly as expected.
Senior Tramell Smith took the 800m crown with a 1:50.42, missing regional-qualifying standards by two-hundredths of a second. Also finishing well on the day was senior Trent Hoerr, who won the 5000m with a 14:38.36. Additionally, senior Brian Pratt took third in the 110m hurdles with a regional-qualifying time of 14.12, earning the eighth spot on the Illinois All-Time Outdoor Best list.
Junior Nick Brown shown just as brightly for the Illini in jumps. Brown placed third in the long jump with a 23'00.50" and second in the triple jump with a regional-qualifying mark of 49'05.50".
"We accomplished a lot this weekend and we're definitely moving in a positive direction," head coach Wayne Angel said. "We must continue to work hard and not rest on our laurels. I'm very proud of how everyone competed this weekend."
The Illini return to action on March 23-24, when they head to Carbondale, Ill., to compete in the SIU Invite at Southern Illinois University. A full recap and results of the meet can be found at fightingillini.com following the conclusion of the meet.
