June 28, 2009
USA Track & Field Championships Results
EUGENE, Ore. - Ryisha Boyd highlighted action for the Illinois women's track and field team on the final day of the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as the freshmen placed fifth in the junior 400m at Hayward Field.
Boyd timed 55.15 in Sunday's final, improving on her performance of 55.56 in preliminaries. Florida freshman Alishea Usery was crowned junior national 400m champion with a winning time of 53.91.
Freshman Alexandria Smith also competed on Sunday for the Orange and Blue, placing 16th in the triple jump with a leap of 38-11.
In total, Illinois had six current and former women's track and field athletes competing at the USA Championships with four top-six finishes. Below is a recap of the results:
Current & Former Fighting Illini at the USA Championships
5,000m
3. Angela Bizzarri............15:33.02
400m Hurdles
6. Deserea Brown............57.33
Discus
6. Gia Lewis-Smallwood............192-08 (58.74m)
Shot Put
14. Aja Evans............50-6 1/4 (15.40m)
Junior 400m
5. Ryisha Boyd............55.15
Junior Triple Jump
16. Alexandria Smith............38-11 (11.86m)
