EUGENE, Ore. - The Fighting Illini men's track and field team finished in a tie for 10th place at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With competitors in five events on Friday evening, the Orange and Blue earned 11 first-team All-America honors en route to 17 points. The 10th-place finish marks the first top-10 finish for the Illinois program since 1988 and gives the Illini three, top-12 finishes in the last five years.
"We use a lot of words like great and tremendous and I think those all become understatements in a time like this," said head coach Mike Turk. "This is just a really special group of guys. They have stuck with the plan, been very coachable and they have just done a tremendous job. This was our top-end goal this year, a top-10 finish, and these guys brought it home."
The 4x100m relay team of Mo Maat, Brandon Stryganek, Cole Henderson and DJ Zahn scored Illinois' first points of the day with a seventh-place finish. The quartet moved the baton around the track in a season-best time of 39.36, the fourth-fastest time by Orange and Blue team in program history. The finish was the first top-eight finish for an Illinois 400m relay team since 2011.
Shortly after the conclusion of the 4x100m relay, Dylan Lafond competed in the 3,000m steeplechase and also found his way onto the podium. Lafond suffered a fall over the water jump early on in the race but responded nicely as he worked his way back into the pack. Lafond finished seventh with a time of 8:42.96, becoming the first Illini to finish in the top-eight of the NCAA in the steeplechase since Jon Thanos in 1987.
Zahn added a podium finish in the 400m to his 4x100m relay appearance. Similar to Wednesday, Zahn finished strong down the homestretch of Hayward Field and came away with a third-place time of 45.97. He is the first Orange and Blue 400m runner to finish among the top eight in the NCAA since Gakologelwang Masheto finished fifth in 2007. He is also the first Illini in the top three of the event since Tim Simon finished third in 1988.
David Kendziera also added a third-place showing to Illinois' effort in the team race. Kendziera earned bronze in the 400m hurdles, clocking a personal-best performance of 49.56, just two days after setting a career-best in the semifinals. Kendziera is the first Illini to score in the 400m hurdles since Adrian Walker and Abe Jones finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in 2004. He is also the first Orange and Blue 400m runner to finish third or better since Sherman Armstrongalso grabbed third in 2000.
The final podium finish of the day for Illinois came in the weekend's final event. The 4x400m relay team of Cam Viney, Kendziera, Joe McAsey and Zahn finished eighth in 3:07.10, securing the Orange and Blue's top-10 finish.
"We went to the well [this weekend] and it showed," Turk explained. "In the 4x4 we ran out of gas. The guys laid it on the line and they are resilient. I think that's a product of what we've gone through in the last couple of years. We talk about the process a lot. Sometimes that process is about failing, learning from failures, becoming stronger and becoming better and I think they showed that."
With podium finishes in five events, the 2015 Fighting Illini are the first Illinois team to accomplish the feat since the 1988 team did so 27 years ago. Zahn and Kendziera became the first Orange and Blue competitors to win two first-team All-America honors in the same NCAA Championships since Andrew Riley accomplished the feat in 2012. They are also the first pair of teammates to win two first-team All-America honors in the same NCAA Championships since Riley andStanley Azie did so in 2011. Zahn also becomes the first Illini since 1971 to win three first-team All-America honors in one NCAA Championships.
"We will just keep moving forward," Turk stated when asked to look ahead to next year. "We have young guys and lot coming back. The complexity of our team might change a little bit and we might have different events represented [next year]. We've got guys like Jonathan Wells who will come into his own and move up the ladder. Maybe we won't have another DJ. He's a one-of-a-kind but there will be another guy who will come in and fill that role."
Team Results
1. Oregon - 85
2. Florida - 56
3. Arkansas - 53
4. LSU - 45
5. USC - 40.5
6. Texas A&M - 27
7. Texas - 26
8. Miss State - 20
9. Texas Tech - 18
T-10. Illinois - 17
T-10. Penn State - 17
Illini Results
Friday, June 12
400m (Final)
3. DJ Zahn - 45.97 - 6 team points
400m Hurdles (Final)
3. David Kendziera - 49.56 - 6 team points
3,000m Steeplechase (Final)
7. Dylan Lafond - 8:42.96 - 2 team points
4x100m Relay (Final)
7. Mo Maat, Brandon Stryganek, Cole Henderson, DJ Zahn - 39.36 - 2 team points
4x400m Relay (Final)
8. Cam Viney, David Kendziera, Joe McAsey, DJ Zahn - 3:07.10 - 1 team point
Wednesday, June 10
Q/q = qualified for finals
400m (Semifinals)
7. DJ Zahn - 45.87 Q
110m Hurdles (Semifinals)
10. Cam Viney - 13.64
12. David Kendziera - 13.67
400m Hurdles (Semifinals)
T-3. David Kendziera - 49.64 Q
11. Cam Viney - 50.31
3,000m Steeplechase (Semifinals)
2. Dylan Lafond - 8:41.11 Q
4x100m Relay (Semifinals)
8. Mo Maat, Brandon Stryganek, Cole Henderson, DJ Zahn - 39.39 Q
4x400m Relay (Semifinals)
7. Cam Viney, David Kendziera, Joe McAsey, DJ Zahn - 3:05.63 Q
Hammer (Final)
11. Davis Fraker - 65.30m (214' 3")
