University of Illinois
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Bloch-Jones, Richartz Focused Heading into NCAA Championships
June 5, 2015 | Women's Track & Field
Action takes place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13
MEET PREVIEW
The Fighting Illini women's track and field team will take two student-athletes to Eugene, Oregon for the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships from June 10-13. Kandie Bloch-Jones and Stephanie Richartz will represent the Orange and Blue at the competition, which will take place at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon and features the nation's premier track & field student-athletes.
MEET FORMAT
Based on finishes at the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, the 24 top athletes in their respective event (12 from each region) earned berths into the NCAA Championships. Seeds for the NCAA Championships are based on performances at the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, not the season as a whole. The best 24 heptathlon athletes earned automatic bids into the NCAA Championships.
The first round of running events at the NCAA Championships, excluding the 5,000m and 10,000m, will be semifinal races. Most races will consist of three heats, from which the top two finishers from each heat plus the next two fastest times will advance to the event final. In the 1,5000m and 3,000m steeplechase, only two heats will be run with the top five from each heat and the next two fastest times advancing to the final. The 5,000m, 10,000m, field events and heptathlon will head straight into the finals.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniWTrackXC) for the latest updates on the team while they are in Eugene. Additionally, ESPN will be providing historic live coverage of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The Championships' first-ever ESPN and ESPN2 prime-time broadcasts on Friday and Saturday were announced as part of the network's 12-hour live television programming schedule for all four days of the meet. The men's finals on Friday will be broadcast live on ESPN, followed the next day by the women's finals on ESPN2. Wednesday and Thursday's competition will be carried live on ESPNU. Additionally, all field events and combined events (decathlon and heptathlon) throughout the four days will be covered live online via ESPN3.
Mark your calendars: When/how to watch the 2015 #NCAAD1 Outdoor Championships on @espn, ESPN2, @ESPNU & ESPN3! pic.twitter.com/ZVHG1tFQ4W
-- USTFCCCA (@USTFCCCA) April 23, 2015
Combining both the television and online broadcasts, more than 35 hours of live NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships coverage is scheduled to air.
ILLINI SCHEDULE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, June 11
4:45 p.m. PT Pole Vault (Final)
Saturday, June 13
1:30 p.m. PT High Jump (Final)
NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY ROUND RECAP
The Fighting Illini women's track and field team qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Kandie Bloch-Jones (high jump) and Stephanie Richartz (pole vault) will represent the Orange and Blue in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13. Nicole Choquette (800m), Breeana Coleman (100m hurdles), Jennifer DeBellis (pole vault), Amanda Duvendack (800m) Britten Petrey (steeplechase) and Alyssa Schneider (1,500m) also competed at the NCAA West Preliminary Round but did not advance to the NCAA Championships.
VAULTING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Stephanie Richartz has had a historic pole vaulting career and the 2015 season is her best Season yet. It all started during the indoor campaign in which Richartz established new Illinois (4.45m), Big Ten Conference (4.45m) and Big Ten Indoor Championships (4.39m) records. She won the Big Ten Indoor Championships crown and earned NCAA First-Team All-America honors after finishing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The momentum from the indoor season carried over to the outdoor campaign as Richartz has established new Illinois (4.37m) and Big Ten Outdoor Championships (4.37m) records. She won the Big Ten Outdoor Championships title to go along with her indoor crown, becoming the conference's first three-time outdoor champion. Between indoor and outdoor, Richartz has a combined five conference pole vault titles, the most combined titles in the event in conference history.
Tied for the No. 1 seed heading into this year's NCAA Outdoor Championships, Richartz is looking to claim the second NCAA First-Team All-America honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in her career. If she does, it would be the fourth NCAA First-Team All-America honor in her between indoor and outdoor.
ILLINI NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
Kandie Bloch-Jones
Sophomore // High Jump
Argenta-Oreana, Ill. // Argenta-Oreana HS
NCAA Outdoor Championships debut
No. 22 seed in the high jump (1.78m)
Tied for No. 14 on NCAA list in 2015 (1.84)
Tied for No. 2 on Illinois' all-time high jump list (1.84m)
Stephanie Richartz Senior // Pole Vault
Island Lake, Ill. // Carmel HS
Two-time NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier
2015 Big Ten Pole Vault Champion
2015 Drake Relays Champion (pole vault)
Tied for No. 1 seed in the pole vault (4.24m)
No. 7 on NCAA list in 2015 (4.37m)
Big Ten Championships pole vault record holder (4.37m)
Illinois school record holder (4.37m)
NCAA West Preliminary Round co-record holder (4.24m)
