CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In his second year, Ron Garner's Fighting Illini women's track and field team ended the 2014-15 season with two individual Big Ten titles, three NCAA Championships qualifiers, a pair of first-team All-America honors, and numerous additions to the program's all-time top-10 lists.

Stephanie Richartz starred for the Illini in 2014-15 by winning the Big Ten pole vault indoor and outdoor titles, taking third at the NCAA Championships, being named a first-team All-American, and being honored with the Dike Eddleman Award. Over the course of her career at Illinois, she set the Big Ten Indoor Championships record at indoor conference, set Big Ten indoor conference record at NCAA Indoor Championships, and had five combined indoor and outdoor Big Ten pole vault titles, which is also a conference record.

Indoor Season

Illinois began the 2015 campaign at the EIU Early Bird on December 5, where the team collected five individual event titles. Kandie Bloch-Jones' 1.71m high jump was good enough to garner Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors.

To begin 2015, the Fighting Illini split the inaugural Border Battle Duals, beating the No. 24 Missouri Tigers and taking the loss against Iowa. Breeana Coleman led the way for the Illini as she collected titles in the 200m and 60m hurdles.

A week later, the Fighting Illini cruised to an Illini Classic victory with Stephanie Richartz and Jennifer DeBellis leading the way in the pole vault, finishing first and second respectively. Coleman continued her success in the 60m hurdles by grabbing her third consecutive title to start the season.

At the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet, Richartz broke her own school record by clearing 4.33m, .08m better than her previous best, finishing third among collegiate competitors.

The Notre Dame Meyo Invite saw the Illini record 11 season-bests. The most impressive performance came from Nicole Choquette who finished first among collegiate competitors in the 600m with a time of 1:30.47, and moved from 10th to third on the Illinois event performance list.

The Iowa State Classic saw the Fighting Illini finish in the top-10 in seven events. Additionally, Schneider topped her second-fastest 5,000m time in school history with a time of 16:29.43. 

A week later, the team took home the Orange and Blue Open title, winning 12 individual events. Richartz continued her dominance in the pole vault this season by breaking her own school record of 4.33m by clearing 4.38m. The standout performance on the track came from Coleman who took home two event titles, winning the 60m and marking her season-best time of 8.30 in the 60m hurdles.

At the end of February, the Fighting Illini took 10th at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio. The Illini were led by Richartz's who won her second indoor pole vault title with a mark of 4.39, which broke her own school record of 4.38m. DeBellis topped her personal best in the pole vault as well, clearing 4.09m and taking fourth place. On the track, Choquette won the 600m with a time of 1:29.48. The mark was good for third on the school's all-time list.  

Two weeks later, Richartz represented the Fighting Illini at the NCAA Indoor Championships and, once again, topped her school record pole vault mark by clearing 4.45m, taking home a third-place finish.

Outdoor Season

Illinois traveled to Arizona to begin their outdoor season at the Baldy Castillo Invitational. The Illini nabbed 14 top-10 finishes and took sixth place. Richartz (pole vault) and Choquette (800m) earned second-place finishes and each took home Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors.

In Nashville, the Illini competed in the Vanderbilt Black & Gold Invitational. The Illini finished the weekend with 28 top-10 performances, including event titles from Bloch-Jones (high jump), DeBellis (pole vault), Jazjuan Wallace-Sipp (discus), and Amanda Duvendack (800m).

Next, the Illini took fourth place in the EIU Big Blue Classic. The best performance came from the 4x800m relay team as it set the EIU Big Blue Classic meet record with a time of 8:52.06. Britten Petrey had the strongest individual performance as she finished first in the 3,000m steeplechase with a personal-best time of 10:33.08.

In the Jim Click Shootout, which included No. 7 USC and No. 15 LSU, the Fighting Illini finished fifth overall with three event winners: Petrey (3,000m steeplechase), Kandie Block-Jones (high jump), and Richartz (pole vault).

The Illini returned home to take second-place in the Illini Twilight meet, earning five event victories. Richartz led the team by establishing a new school and Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium record with a clearance of 4.36m. DeBellis shined in the pole vault as well as she moved into second place all-time in the Illinois record book with a clearance of 4.03m.

The Fighting Illini traveled to Des Moines, Iowa for the annual Drake Relays where the team finished 11th in the 20 team field. Richartz earned the lone Illini event title as she cleared 4.30m in the pole vault.

The Orange and Blue finished out the regular season at Purdue where the team grabbed seven event titles and 23 top-10 finishes. Choquette broke the tape in the 800m at 2:06.70, setting a new lifetime-best. Bloch-Jones won the high jump with a mark of 1.84m, second best in Illini history, and earned Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors. 

After a week off, the Illini competed in the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships in East Lansing, finishing 11th. Richartz came away with the pole vault title as she cleared 4.37m, a new Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships meet record. This was Richartz third Big Ten Outdoor Championship pole vault crown, the most in conference history. 

After Big Tens, eight Illini qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas. Bloch-Jones and Richatz both earned NCAA Championships qualification with Bloch-Jones finishing eighth in the high jump and Richartz tying for fourth in the pole vault. 

To conclude the 2015 track campaign, the Fighting Illini sent Richartz and Bloch-Jones to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13. Once there, Richartz cleared 4.45m to finish third and break the Illinois and Big Ten pole vault record one final time. Bloch-Jones concluded her season by finishing 20th in the high jump with a clearance of 1.72m.

After NCAAs, Richartz competed for the final time in Orange and Blue at the United States Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing tied for 14th with a clearance of 4.25m.