Final Results

AMES, Iowa - The Illinois men's track and field team concluded its most successful weekend of competition of the season on Saturday at the Iowa State Classic. Over the course of the weekend, the Illini recorded 15 top-10 finishes, double-digit performances that matched or exceeded career bests and five marks that cracked the school's all-time lists.

"Overall, we had an outstanding meet," stated head coach Mike Turk. "This is the kind of meet we want to have at this point in the season with just two weeks until the Big Ten Championships. It was our best overall meet of the year as a team. We really started to click on all cylinders and in all event groups."

Arguably the top performance of a very Saturday for the Illini came from Joe McAsey in the 800m. McAsey finished fifth in a loaded field with a career-best time of 1:47.29. His performance moves him into second on Illinois' all-time top-10 list.

"Joe got into a really good 800m and ran an incredibly strong race," Turk exclaimed. "The guys he ran with were all top-shelf guys, many of whom have been All-Americans, and he was right in there battling it out with them. Joe gave a tremendous effort and ran a phenomenal race."

Another Illini with a career day that moved him further up on the all-time list in his event was DJ Zahn. He won the 400m in personal best 46.32, moving up from seventh on the event top-10 list into fourth.

"DJ was once again outstanding," noted Turk. "He beat a pair of national-level guys, each of whom was ahead of DJ on the national list heading into this week. DJ just dominated today, much like he has all year."

After qualifying for the finals of the 60m hurdles with strong performances in the preliminary round on Friday, Cam Viney and David Kendziera were the first two competitors to cross the finish line Saturday. Viney, who qualified with the fastest time in prelims, won the event in 7.89, while Kendziera finished second in 7.97 after qualifying in fifth.

"Cam and David ran great again," Turk explained. "Cam is more consistent than he has ever been, and David keeps getting better with every race. Today was another good showing for those two."

The 4x400m relay team of Kendziera, Kenneth Allen, McAsey and Zahn finished second in a season-best time of 3:08.01, the fifth-fastest time in school history.

"The 4x400m relay group gave another great effort today," continued Turk. "That time puts them right in the mix to qualify for the NCAA Championships. It was just another outstanding race by those guys."

The distance events produced a number of strong showings for Illinois. In the mile, Liam Markham ran 4:02.47, just off his personal best, while Bryce Basting had his best performance for the Illini with a 4:03.45. In the 3,000m, Paul Zeman had a career-best day, finishing in 8:11.41. That time moves him into 10th on Illinois' all-time event list.

"We had some great performances from our distance guys today," Turk exclaimed. "They are really starting to show the depth and quality that we have in those events. Their effort has always been there and the times are starting to show."

In the field events, Jonathan Wells cleared 2.14m (7' 0.25") to finish third in the high jump. The triple jump saw Branden Tanthavong grab second with a leap of 15.01m (49' 3").

"Jonathan got back on track today," said Turk. "He may not have cleared the height that he was capable of today, but he put together a really solid performance. I think there are still big jumps coming for him."

Illinois will be back in action when they host the Orange and Blue Open at the UI Armory on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Illini will also send a small contingent to the Alex Wilson Invite at Notre Dame.

Illini Top Performers at Iowa State Classic (Day Two)

High Jump
3. Jonathan Wells, 2.14m (7' 0.25")

Triple Jump
2. Branden Tanthavong, 15.01m (49' 3")

60m Hurdles - Finals
1. Cam Viney, 7.89
2. David Kendziera, 7.97

Mile
13. Liam Markham, 4:02.47
15. Bryce Basting, 4:03.45

400m
1. DJ Zahn, 46.32
8. Kenneth Allen, 48.23

800m
5. Joe McAsey, 1:47.38

3,000m
19. Paul Zeman, 8:11.41

4x400m Relay
2. David Kendziera, Kenneth Allen, Joe McAsey, DJ Zahn, 3:11.12