CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -The Fighting Illini men's track and field team built upon its 2014 campaign with another historic season that saw the team go undefeated in individual meets, win the Big Ten Outdoor Championship for the first time in 21 years, finish as the runner-up at Big Ten Indoor Championships, have 11 first-team All-America honors and five athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships under Head Coach Mike Turk. The Fighting Illini finished the indoor season ranked No. 21 in the USTFCCCA. The Orange and Blue were climbed as high as fifth nationally in the Track & Field News' dual ranking during the outdoor season and finished No. 11 in the USTFCCCA. The team's biggest star, DJ Zahn, was named Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, while Mike Turk and Adrian Wheatley were named Midwest Region Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year.

Indoor Season

The Fighting Illini kicked off their 2015 campaign at the Border Battle in Iowa City with the Orange and Blue rolling to consecutive wins over the Hawkeyes and Tigers. In his first collegiate meet, Jonathan Wells won titles in the long jump and high jump. His high jump of 2.13m was the fourth-best mark in school history.

Next up for the Illini was the Illini Classic where they, again, won convincingly. Wells built upon his success in the Border Battle by clearing 2.20m in the high jump, pushing up to number two on the Illinois top-10 list.

The Orange and Blue continued their strong start to the season at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet. Ian Barnett highlighted the weekend by setting a new school record in the 3,000m with a time of 8:02.40. McAsey cracked also the top-10 when he finished the 800m in 1:8.71, the ninth-fastest time in Illinois history.

The Fighting Illini next traveled to Lincoln to compete at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite. The weekend was highlighted by an impressive performance by Davis Fraker. His weight throw toss exceeded the school recorded of 20.99m, hitting 21.80m. Zahn followed up his personal-best performance in the 60m by finishing third in the 200m with a time of 20.96, pushing him to second in Illinois history.

At the Iowa State Classic, the Illini had one of their most successful meets of the year. McAsey's performance in the 800m, with a time of 1:47.29, was good enough for second on Illinois' all-time top-10 list and earned him Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week. DJ Zahn won the 400m in a personal best time of 46.32, which moved him into fourth on Illinois' all-time list.

The No. 23 Fighting Illini concluded their indoor regular season by wining six events and taking the title at the Orange and Blue Open. The Orange and Blue took four titles on the track: Garrett Lee (800m), Brewster (3,000m), Corey Hammon (60m) and the 4x400 relay team. In the field, Dziedzic and Wells took home titles in the shot put and high jump.

At the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio the Illini had a strong showing, taking home second place. Fraker scored a third-place finish when his weight throw traveled 22.50m, beating his own school record of 21.80m. DJ Zahn led the way for the Orange and Blue with an afternoon that saw him finish first in the 400m and 200m, both Illinois records, and anchored the team's 4x400 relay victory. For his performance in indoors and at Big Ten Championships, DJ Zahn was honored with Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and Track Athlete of the Indoor Championships.

The Fighting Illini qualified for six events at NCAA Indoor Championships: DJ Zahn (400m, 4x400m relay), David Kendziera (4x400m relay), Kenneth Allen (4x400m relay), Jonathan Wells (high jump), and Davis Fraker (weight throw). The Illini finished 23rd at NCAA Indoor Championships with Zahn's time of 46.69 good for 7th in the 400m. The 4x400m relay team crossed the finish line in 3:06.58, but fell just short of the podium in fourth place.

Outdoor Season

On March 22, the Fighting Illini began the outdoor portion of their schedule with a trip to the UNLV Spring Invitational. The team's long throws led the charge as Fraker won the hammer throw with a toss of 63.15m, Brandon Noe won the discus with a heave of 52.94m, and Ben Dodds registered a mark of 65.03 in the javelin to move up to third on Illinois' all-time list.

To continue the 2015 outdoor campaign, the team traveled to the EIU Big Blue Classic. After finishing day one in third place, the Orange and Blue took control in day two to win the meet. Wells had another strong day, winning both the long jump and high jump. Wells' high jump of 2.17m mark tied him with Greg Shroka for the second-best clearance in school history.

After the comeback victory at Eastern Illinois, the team beat out No.4 LSU and No.5 USC to win the Jim Click Shootout. Once again Fraker had an outstanding performance in the hammer throw, breaking his own school record with a throw of 65.36m, finishing second. The 3,000m saw the Illini dominate the field by having five athletes finish in the top six, including Ian Barnett's winning time of 8:26.09. Toepfer added a victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, far outpacing his opponents with a time of 9:15.83.  The lone victory in sprints on the weekend came from Cam Viney in the 400m where his career-best time of 49.92 won gold and moved him into third on Illinois' all-time list.

After their trip out west, the Illini returned home to host the Illinois Twilight where they cruised to their fourth win of the outdoor season. The 4x100m relay team of Maat, Stryganek, Watkins, and Zahn broke the tape with a time of 39.60, breaking the facility record. Like the 4x100 relay, Fraker broke the facility record with a hammer throw of 65.12m in route to victory. DJ Zahn won two events and set a new Illinois record in the 200m on his way to being named Co-Track Athlete of the Week.

The Orange and Blue next competed at the Drake Relays where they crowned five champions on their way to winning their third consecutive Hy-Vee Cup. In a field with seven other top-25 teams, the Illini were able to get victories from Barnett (5,000m), Viney (400m hurdles), Lafond (steeplechase), the 4x400m relay and the sprint medley relay. DJ Zahn's performance at the meet earned him Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week honors for the second week in a row. 

The 2015 regular season concluded with a meet at Iowa where two Illinois records were broken at the Musco Twilight. First, DJ Zahn sprinted to a crisp 20.53 time in the 200m to break Anthony Jones' record of 20.62, set in 1994. The second record-breaking performance came on the field in the hammer throw. Davis Fraker unleashed a heave of 68.41m to obliterate the previous record of 65.36 that he set himself earlier in the season.

The Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Michigan saw the Fighting Illini take home the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor crown for the first time since 1994, scoring 145 points. Individually, the Illini had five event winners and 18 others place in their events. Stryganek won the 100m dash with a career-best time of 10.27. Zahn became the third consecutive Illini to win the 400m dash at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 45.81. Finally, Cam Viney secured the 400m hurdles title by finishing with a time of 50.30. The other two event victories came via the relays with the 4x100m relay taking gold with a time of 39.80 and the 4x400m quartet taking the title with a time of 3:06.57.

After one of the most successful seasons in Ilinois Track history, DJ Zahn and Head Coach Mike Turk were awarded three of the Big Ten outdoor track postseason awards. Zahn took home Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year honors, as well as Track Athlete of the Championships, while Turk was unanimously voted Coach of the Year.

At NCAA Prelims, Zahn, Fraker, Kendziera, Viney, and Lafond each qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 

In Eugene, Oregon in June the Fighting Illini notched a top-10 finish for the first time since 1988, tying Penn State for 10th place. The team earned 11 first-team All-America honors on their way to 17 points for the meet. DJ Zahn took the silver in the 400m with a time of 45.97, marking the first top-three finish by an Illini since Tim Simon finished third in 1988. Dylan Lafond took seventh in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 8:42.96. The final individual event for the Illini saw David Kendziera take the bronze in the 400m hurdles, clocking a personal-best time of 49.56. The 4x100m relay team crossed with a season-best time of 39.36, taking home seventh place. Finally, the Illini's 4x400m relay team finished eighth with a time of 3:07.10 to secure the top-10 finish for the team. The five podium finishes was the best by an Illinois team since 1988.