Jan. 6, 2011
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With second-year interim head coach Mike Turk at the helm, the Fighting Illini are poised for success at the Big Ten and national level following a strong finish to the 2010 season. Illinois wrapped up the outdoor campaign just outside the top 25, tying for 27th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after Andrew Riley's national title in the 110m hurdles. After turning the corner a year ago, expectations remain high as the Illini look to make even more strides and compete against the top teams in the conference and country.
"Expectations are always high, and I expect us to do better than last year," Turk said. "We were happy to improve last season, but we don't want to stop there. Last year, we changed the culture of the program and turned the corner to move toward the upper-half of the Big Ten. We have some confidence to build on that tells us we will get the results we want if we do the right thing."
Despite losing All-American high jumper Greg Shroka, Illinois returns national champion Riley along with 11 Big Ten scorers from a squad that sat just outside the top five at the outdoor conference meet. The Illini boast a solid blend of youth and experience with a sprint and distance crew comprised mostly of upperclassmen and a field events group strengthened by several highly touted freshmen.
"As a team, we are just focused on what we need to do in order to do the best that we can," Turk said. "Even though we are still a pretty young team, we still have a number of returning guys who have that intrinsic motivation to exceed expectations. Each of them understands our team motto and are trying to `Live like a champion every day.'"
Sprints / Hurdles
Head women's track and field coach Tonja Buford-Bailey, a 25-time Big Ten champion, will again coach the sprinters and hurdlers while also remaining in charge of the women's program. Turk has already seen signs of good things to come from an older group, which is primed to carry the load for the Illini.
"This will be our workhorse crew again," Turk said. "They have had a great fall of training with much more continuity since coach Bailey has been with them from the beginning this time around. We have a very experienced group with several scorers back, so they are going to carry us. We will go as they go, and I am pretty confident they will do well."
Junior Andrew Riley, the reigning outdoor 110m hurdles national champion, will lead the pack as an upperclassman following an outstanding sophomore season. The Kingston, Jamaica, native clocked a personal-best and school-record time of 13.45 to earn the hurdles crown at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, giving Illinois its first NCAA champion since 1996. He also was the Big Ten Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning a pair of titles and an All-American in the 60m hurdles during the indoor season, where he broke his own school record in the event with a personal-best time of 7.61.
"Andrew has the goal to repeat as champion, but it will be even harder this year," Turk said. "Last season, no one really expected him to win since the focus was on other people. Andrew realizes he has work to do since he has a target on his back, so he tried to shore up some weaknesses over the summer as he works to another level in his training and maturity. He also is more vocal and becoming the leader of the sprint group which is a big thing for our team."
Riley, a four-time All-American, also leads off the 4x100m relay, which qualified for nationals in 2010 and was the runner-up at the Big Ten Championships for the second straight year. Senior Azeez Shogbuyi and junior Stanley Azie are also back on the relay while sophomore Boyea Lockett, a five-time Oklahoma state champion in high school, is expected to make an impact after being hampered by a quad injury that forced him to redshirt the outdoor season.
"Our relay has been knocking on the door the past couple years," Turk said. "They did outstanding last year to get second at Big Tens with a second alternate placed in there at the last minute. They have goals on the national stage now, so if we just stay healthy, we have the potential to score at nationals, which is a goal for our team."
Azie posted a breakout performance at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, scoring in both the 100m and 200m and on the relay. At the NCAA West Prelims, the Bolingbrook, Ill., native missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 200m by just one spot.
"Stanley is on the verge of reaching another level," Turk said. "He really stepped up last year and showed a glimpse of what he was capable of. He is ready to shave some more time off and make his mark on the national level."
The veteran Shogbuyi will provide stability on the team while Lockett will give the Illini more depth in the short sprints.
"Azeez is a rock for us," Turk said. "He goes to work every day at practice and gets things done. Boyea is very talented and capable of being a big-time player. We have to keep him healthy and prepare him mentally to make those strides."
In the 400m hurdles, senior Cody Wisslead will be among the top contenders in the Big Ten. The Sciota, Ill., native took third in the event at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships, nearly making the event final. After missing last year's indoor season due to an illness, Wisslead bounced back for a strong outdoor campaign, which ended with a solid showing at the USA Championships. He looks to carry that momentum into his final year.
"Cody is on track to make the next jump," Turk said. "I look for him to be a national finalist again and he should be the frontrunner in the Big Ten. He is a big contributor for us and should help provide some stability in the 4x400m."
Along with Wisslead in the 4x400m relay will be seniors Dan Jones and Shane Daniel, who also hope to make their mark individually in the 400m. Sophomore Malcolm Taylor, a member of last season's relay, is also back and will move into the middle distance area.
Middle Distance
The middle distance group lost a pair of veteran leaders in Brian Beaird and Scott Phelps, but will look for contributions from Taylor, fifth-year senior Mike Murray, who only has indoor eligibility left, junior Graham Farnsworth and sophomore Ryan Lynn.
"We need our middle distance crew to step up," Turk said. "It will be important to receive contributions from them."
Turk is anxious to see what Lynn can do following a good fall of training and expects Taylor to run the 600m indoor and 800m outdoor. He also looks for consistency from Farnsworth after seeing glimpses of where can be last season and for stability from Murray in his final season.
Distance
Assistant coach Wendel McRaven saw his distance crew take another step forward during the cross country season with a roster loaded with experienced juniors. The Illini will look for that momentum to carry over into the track season.
"Our distance crew had a nice fall in cross country," Turk said. "They need to continue that progress and focus on improving throughout the track season."
Juniors Dan Kremske and Jim Riddle, who both earned All-Region honors for finishing in the top 25 at the NCAA Midwest Regional, will work to follow up a strong cross country season with a successful year on the track. Junior Colin Mickow had a breakthrough performance with a third-place showing in the 10,000m at the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships while his brother, Hunter Mickow, just missed scoring in the event. Junior steeplechasers Chris DeSilva and Kyle Engnell, who scored for the second-straight year in the event, are also back in the mix.
"We have numerous guys who are upperclassmen and have been through it before," Turk said. "They have continued to improve and are ready to go, so they need to stick their noses in there and get after it this season."
Pole Vault / Jumps
Following successful high school careers, three talented freshmen, Matthew Bane, Cody Klein and Lukas Looby, join the pole vault corps along with juniors Alex Baldwin and Will Schaeffer and sophomores Greg Haugh and Josh Hodur. Bane, the 2010 Class A Illinois state champion, finished just in front of the runner-up Klein, while Looby came in fourth at the Class 3A state meet.
"We focused some attention on the pole vault in our recruiting, so our pole vault crew is really young, but there is absolutely some talent there," Turk said. "The history of the pole vault here is incredible, so we need to bring that back and add to the great tradition."
With All-American Greg Shroka lost to graduation, look for sophomore Ryan Michel to take over the main duties in the high jump. Michel competed in the high jump at four meets during the 2010 indoor season and recorded a personal-best height of 6-9 (2.06m) at the Meyo Invitational.
"Ryan Michel will solidify the high jump," Turk said. "There are some real similarities between he and Greg's (Shroka) ability, so if he remains healthy, he is poised to score for us."
In the horizontal jumps, senior Oz Lifshitz, who qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship in the triple jump and scored in the event at both Big Ten meets, will lead the way while freshmen Shujaa Benson and Justin Boone are expected to make contributions in the long jump.
"Oz has been solid for us," Turk said. "He is way ahead of where he was last year after a great fall of training."
Throws
Fifth-year senior Matt McHugh, who broke two school records a year ago, will bolster the squad in the field events area and mentor a very talented recruiting class, which includes freshmen Davis Fraker, the 2010 New Balance national champion in the shot put and runner-up in the discus and hammer throw, along with local athlete Brandon Noe, who was named the Track and Field Athlete of the Year by the News-Gazette in 2010 but could be redshirted.
"We have a couple throwers who will do some real damage both indoor and outdoor," Turk said. "Matt is a school record holder and has scored every year for us at Big Tens. He has done a great job providing leadership for us. We also have Davis Fraker who is ready to break onto the scene after being one of the top throwers in the nation last year in high school."
Last year, McHugh twice broke his own school record in the hammer throw, setting the top mark in UI history of 202-10 (61.83m), and broke the school record in the weight throw with a mark of 63-2 3/4 (19.27m) at the Carle/Health Alliance Classic. Fraker was a back-to-back Georgia state champion in the shot put and discus, a member of the 2009 World Youth Team and recorded the No. 1 all-time mark in the weight throw (65-8) by a high school athlete. Noe finished second in the discus and fourth in the shot put at the 2010 Illinois Class 1A state meet, helping his squad to a fourth-place finish.
Junior Brett Einbecker and sophomore Brett Ramirez are also back to provide depth to the throws squad.
Multi-Events
Sophomore Steve Monte will lead the multi-event duties while junior Tim Gaumer should also see some action as well. Monte competed in the heptathlon at the Big Ten Championships and also took third in the heptathlon at the Carle/Health Alliance Classic with a personal-best 4,604 points.
Big Ten Indoor Championships
The University of Illinois will host the 2011 Big Ten Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday and Sunday, February 26 and 27 at the University of Illinois Armory. The Illini, who host the championships for the first time since 2003, will compete for the conference crown against several of the nation's top-ranked squads. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion at the indoor conference meet. Check out the meet central page for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on the championship as it becomes available.
