University of Illinois
Illini Classic
@IlliniMTrack Hosts Illini Classic Friday-Saturday
January 14, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
Weight Throw Begins at 6 p.m. Friday; Meet Resumes at 11 a.m. on Saturday
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After earning a split of the Border Battle last Saturday to open the 2016 regular season, the men's track and field team continues its home schedule with the Illini Classic on Friday night and Saturday. The competition will kickoff Friday night with the weight throw at 6 p.m. inside the UI Armory, and will resume Saturday morning with field events at 11 a.m. and track finals at 3 p.m. Follow along with live stats: http://fightingillini.com/track/livestats/
Illini Classic Preview
Last Time Out:
The Orange and Blue commenced their season against Iowa and Missouri as they the UI Armory hosted the Border Battle for the first time. In field events, Michael Hyc and Jonathan Wells both began their season with event titles. Hyc opened the meet with a personal-record weight throw of 17.95m, while Wells won the high jump with a mark of 2.16m. Wells made multiple attempts at breaking the school record mark of 2.21, but fell just shy in the season's opening weekend. On the track, Mo Maat led the way with a 60m dash time (6.76) that moved him into seventh on the school's indoor top-10 list. Junior Kenneth Allen grabbed the first Illini title on the track when he clocked a 49.47 time in the 400m. The Fighting Illini concluded their success on the track with two wins in distance events: Garrett Lee in the mile (4:13.54) and Alex Gold in the 3,000m (8:23.39).
A Look at the Competition:
The Orange and Blue will welcome in-state competitors Bradley, Loyola, and Eastern Illinois in addition to St. Louis and Butler from outside state lines. Eastern Illinois features two sprinters with top-70 times in the 60m dash: Jamal Robinson and Christian Ilunga-Matthiesen. In the 800m run, St. Louis' Wes Schoenthal enters the meet after clocking a time of 1:55.80 at the Saluki Fast Start, 59th-best in the nation. In relays, Loyola's 4x400m team comes into the weekend with the 24th-best 4x400m relay time after posting a 3:17.58 mark at the GVSU Holiday Open back in December.
Illini on the National Scene:
Jonathan Wells currently ranks third in the nation in the hump jump after he cleared 2.16m on Saturday in the Border Battle. On the track, Mo Maat and Devin Quinn both timed 6.76 in the 60m dash, which put them tied for 20th in the nation after 2016's opening weekend. Maat also ranks 30th in the country in the 200m dash with a time of 21.80. In the 600m, freshman Konrad Eiring posted the 25th-best mark in the NCAA when he crossed the finish line in 1:21.63. In distance events, Garrett Lee is 25th in the 1 mile, while Alex Gold and Dylan Lafond are 10th and 11th in the 3,000m run, respectively.
Next Week:
The Orange and Blue will take their first excursion of the season when they travel to Lexington, Kentucky for the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet on January 22-23.
2015-16 Headlines
Illini Open Season with Border Battle Split
The Fighting Illini, hampered by a few early season injuries, split the opening meet of the season, besting Missouri 82-65 and falling to Iowa 81-73. Five event winners led the Illini today, including a performance from Jonathan Wells that came close to breaking a school record. In addition to Wells, Michael Hyce (weight throw), Kenneth Allen (400m), Garrett Lee (mile), and Alex Gold (3,000m) each won event crowns. While Maat placed second in the 60m dash, his time of 6.76 was the seventh-best indoor time in school history.
Coach Turk Inks Four to Class of 2016
On November 20, the team welcomed four new faces into the Illini family with the 2016 recruiting class. Noah Adams (Blue Mound, Ill.) posted the 25th-best high jump mark in the nation last spring at IHSA State Championships, while Cooper Jazo (Lake Villa, Ill.). On the track, sprints coach Adrian Wheatley will add Josh Eiker (Galseburg, Ill.) to the group next fall. Eiker set a new IHSA state record in the 200m in 2015 with a mark of 21.20. Finally, distance coach Jake Stewart welcomes four-time defending IHSA 1A Cross-Country State Champion Jon Davis (Fithian, Ill.) to the team, adding on a group that placed second at Big Ten Championships.
North Central to Honor Former Illini Al Carius - 50 Years of Coaching
As part of North Central College's annual Track & Field Alumni Meet this Friday, former Illini cross-country and track Big Ten Champion Al Carius will be recognized for his 50th year of coaching. Prior to coaching Carius amassed five Big Ten championships, two in cross country and another three in the mile run on the track while at the University of Illinois. As North Central's head coach, Carius has led the school to 16 NCAA Division III National Championships (a NCAA all-division record) and have claimed 42 straight conference titles, the longest active streak in the nation.
Sizing Up the Illini
Mix of Veterans and Young Blood Lead Sprints/Hurdles Group:
In sprints, the Fighting Illini will seek to replace All-Americans DJ Zahn and Brandon Styganek on the track. Sprints coach Adrian Wheatley will look to Mo Maat to lead the group after he placed fourth in the 60m (indoor) and sixth in the 100m (outdoor) at Big Ten Championships as a freshman. In addition to Maat, junior Kenneth Allen returns for his third season with the team. Allen competed in the 100m and 200m during the outdoor season and was a member of the 4x400m relay team that placed fourth at NCAA Indoor Championships, breaking the school record with a mark of 3:06.58. Matt Burns and freshmen Devin Quinn, Florida State Champion in the 100m dash, and Keveion Akins will look to provide depth and make an impact as underclassmen.
In hurdles, the Orange and Blue return their one-two punch of senior Cam Viney and sophomore David Kendziera that scored 28 points at Big Ten Outdoor Championships last May. Cam Viney enters his final season at Illinois after winning the 400m hurdles at Big Ten Championships and finishing runner-up in the 110m hurdles, marking the third-fastest time in school history (13.52). As a freshman, Kendizera scored points for the Illini with a runner-up finish in the 400m hurdles and a seventh-place finish in the 110m hurdles.
Five of Seven Relay Members Return from Championship Team:
After dominating the relays in 2015, the Orange and Blue return five of the seven men who made up the Big Ten Championship 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams that went on to score points at the NCAA meet. Mo Maat and Cole Henderson return for the 4x100m relay, while All-Americans Cam Viney, David Kendziera, and Joe McAsey return in the 4x400m. With the graduation of All-Americans DJ Zahn, the Illini will need to replace their anchor in both relays.
Lafond Leads Distance Group:
The distance team enters the indoor track season with as much momentum as the program has had in recent memory. The group is fresh off a second-place finish at Big Ten Championships this past November, finishing with their best team score in over 25 years (81). Coach Jake Stewart's squad is led by track and cross-country All-American Dylan Lafond. The Mount Olive transfer placed seventh last spring at NCAA Championships in the steeplechase after finishing runner-up at Big Ten Championships in the event. This past fall, Lafond broke the Illinois 8K school record, with a blazing time of 23:22.4, on his way to finishing third at the Big Ten meet. Later that month, Lafond became the program's first All-American since Trent Hoerr in 2007 when he placed 29th at NCAA Championships.
Joining Lafond will be Big Ten Cross-Country Freshman of the Year Jesse Reiser and track All-American Joe McAsey. In his first semester on campus, Reiser came on strong to end the season with an 11th place finish at Big Ten Championships and a top-25 finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Joe McAsey returns for his final collegiate season after finishing runner-up at Big Ten Championships in the 800m. Cross-Country Big Ten Championship point-scorers Ian Barnett, Dan Lathrop, Liam Markham, Billy Magnesen and Zack Smith will provide depth in the distance events.
Jonathan Wells Highlights Field Events:
Jonathan Wells returns after a successful freshman season in the high jump and long jump. Wells qualified for NCAA Championships in the high jump during the indoor campaign, placing 13th. In the spring, the Fox Lake, Illinois native followed his indoor performance up by placing second in the high jump and fifth in the long jump at Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Coach Turk will look to him to be one of the leaders in the field events in 2016.
The Orange and Blue return their top-two pole vaulters from last season, Mitch Mammoser and Blaze Galardy. Mammoser led the vault group with a personal-best mark of 17-1 (5.21m) at Big Ten Championships to finish fifth and qualify for NCAA Championships, while Galardy placed 14th. The two seniors will be joined by freshmen Jacob LaRocca and Eddie Smoliak.
In throws, Matsen Dziedzic (shot put), Michal Hyc (weight throw) Ben Dodds, Aaron Wilks (Javelin), and George Wayda (Javelin and Decathlon) all return for Head Coach Mike Turk after each gained experience at last year's Big Ten meet. With Dodds and Wilks each finishing just shy of the top-10 in the javelin last year at the Big Ten meet, the Illini will look to score points in 2016.
