June 10, 2008
NCAA Championships Host Page
Illinois NCAA Championships Bios (PDF)
Illinois Performance List (PDF)
2008 NCAA Track & Field Championships
Wednesday, June 11 - Saturday, June 14
Drake Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa
The Fighting Illini women's track & field team will have six athletes competing at this week's NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa beginning on Wednesday, June 11. Representing the Orange and Blue at the national meet are seniors Briana Cunningham (400m Hurdles) and LaNeisha Waller (100m Hurdles), sophomores Angela Bizzarri (5,000m) and Aja Evans (Shot Put) and freshmen Chantelle Groenewoud (3,000m Steeplechase) and Danelle Woods (3,000m Steeplechase).
The NCAA Championships will be aired live by CBS on the final day of competition from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday. The CBS College Sports Network will also have live coverage from 7-10 p.m. on Friday. Live stats can be found throughout the meet at www.godrakebulldogs.com.
The Illini have three athletes seeded in the top 10 heading into the NCAA Championships, headed by Evans who is seeded eighth in the shot put and was a 2008 indoor All-American in the event. Waller is seeded eighth in the 100m hurdles field after running the best race of her career at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, and looking to receive All-America honors for the first time in her career. Bizzarri is ranked 10th in the 5,000m, hoping to add a third All-America accolade to the 2007-08 season after receiving the honor in both the cross country and indoor track and field seasons.
Illinois NCAA Championships Competition Schedule
Wednesday, June 11
6 p.m. Women's 400m Hurdles Round One (Cunningham)
7:20 p.m. Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals (Woods, Groenewoud)
8:10 p.m. Women's 5,000m Semifinals (Bizzarri)
Thursday, June 12
4:30 p.m. Women's 100m Hurdles Round One (Waller)
5:45 p.m. Women's 400m Hurdles Semifinals
7:15 p.m. Women's Shot Put Qualifying Round (Evans)
Friday, June 13
7:25 p.m. Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Final
7:55 p.m. Women's 100m Hurdles Semifinals
8:55 p.m. Women's 400m Hurdles Final
9:15 p.m. Women's 5,000m Final
Saturday, June 14
1:30 p.m. Women's Shot Put Final
3:53 p.m. Women's 100m Hurdles Final
Illinois NCAA Championships Competitors 2008 Bios
Angela Bizzarri, 5,000m (So., Mason, Ohio)
NCAA Mideast Regional Champion in the 5,000m with a winning time of 16:24.38...Seeded 10th in the NCAA Championships field with a personal-best time of 16:16.43 ran at the Brutus Hamilton Invite...Placed second in the 5,000m and fifth in the 1,500m at the 2008 Big Ten Championships...Seeking her third All-America accolade this year after finishing 14th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and running the final leg of the distance medley relay that took sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships...Making her second appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, competing in the 1,500m last season.
Briana Cunningham, 400m Hurdles (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.)
An at-large selection to the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles where she is seeded 17th ...Big Ten champion in the 400m hurdles...Making her first NCAA Championships appearance...Ran personal-best time of 57.90 in the 400m hurdles in prelims of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships...Placed sixth in the event in finals at the NCAA Mideast Regional...Won 400m hurdles title at the Kansas Relays.
Aja Evans, Shot Put (So., Chicago, Ill.)
Seeded eighth in the NCAA Championships shot put field with her Illinois school record mark of 55'10.5" (17.03m)...Big Ten champion in the shot put...Indoor All-American in the shot put this season, placing ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships...Holds Illinois indoor and outdoor shot put school records...Earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships after placing sixth at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships... Won four shot put titles in the outdoor season...Transfered to Illinois this season from UNLV.
Chantelle Groenewoud, 3,000m Steeplechase (Fr., N. Vancouver, B.C.)
Automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing second in the 3,000m steeplechase at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships with a personal-best time of 10:35.88...Ranks third on the Illinois all-time performance list in the steeplechase...Took ninth in the event at the Big Ten Championships...Earned a NCAA Regional Championships qualifying time for the first time in 2008 by placing second at the Brutus Hamilton Invite (10:40.06)...Major contributor on the cross country team, helping the Illini to a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championships.
LaNeisha Waller, 100m Hurdles (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Seeded eighth in the NCAA Championships 100m hurdles field with a career-best time of 12.94...Advanced automatically to NCAAs by placing fifth in the hurdles at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships...Ran the top two 100m hurdles races of her career in prelims and finals at the NCAA Mideast Regional this year...Making her second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships in the 100m hurdles...Placed fourth in the 100m hurdles at the 2008 Big Ten Championships...Two-time Big Ten champion (2007 outdoor - 4x100m relay; 2006 indoor - 60m hurdles)...Also competes in the long jump for the Illini.
Danelle Woods, 3,000m Steeplechase (Fr., Ottawa, Ontario)
Took the 3,000m steeplechase title at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships (10:32.83)...Placed third in the steeplechase at the Big Ten Championships (10:23.46)...Ran season-best time of 10:22.36 in placing first at the Sun Angel Track Classic...Ranks second on the Illinois all-time performance list in the steeplechase...Was an All-American in the indoor track & field season, running the first leg of the Illini distance medley relay that took sixth at the NCAA Championships...Named cross country Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was the third scorer for the Illini at the NCAA Cross Country Championships...Recorded a personal-best time of 10:13.98 in the steeplechase at the Pan Am Junior Championships in July 2007.
