University of Illinois
Illini Classic
@IlliniWTrack Ready for Illini Classic
January 14, 2016 | Women's Track & Field
Illini Look to Continue Growth After Sweeping Border Battle
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini Women's Track and Field team continues their slate of home meets with the annual Illini Classic this Friday night and Saturday, hosting eight schools from around the state and Midwest. The meet begins Friday evening with a 6 p.m. weight throw, while the rest of the meet continues Saturday at 11 a.m. with field events, followed by track finals at 3 p.m. Follow along with live stats: http://fightingillini.com/track/livestats/
Illini Classic Preview
Last Time Out:
After a month off from competition following the EIU Early Bird, Coach Garner's squad returned to action with a sweep of Iowa and Missouri in the Border Battle. NCAA Championships Qualifier Kandie Bloch-Jones led the Illini off with a high jump victory, posting a mark of 1.75m. The field event success continued in the pole vault and long jump. Senior Jennifer DeBellis vaulted to a mark of 3.90m to win the pole vault, while Briana Driver leaped 5.74m to win the event in her first home meet. On the track, 2015 Big Ten Indoor Champion Nicole Choquette and sophomore Pedrya Seymour added two more titles to give the Illini five on the day. Choquette bested the competition in the 800m run with a victorious time of 2:11.69, while Pedrya Seymour set a personal-record time of 8.41 in the 60m hurdles.
A Look at the Competition:
The Fighting Illini will welcome to the Armory Northern Illinois, St. Louis, Butler, Eastern Illinois, Northwestern, Bradley, Loyola, and Western Michigan for this weekend's meet. Northern Illinois' Kedisha Dallas enters tied for fifth in the 60m dash (7.43) and tied for 9th in the 200m (24.22). In the 600m, Rebecca Stearns (Loyola) owns the sixth-best time in the country after clocking a 1:33.97 time in the event at the GVSU Holiday Open, while Cheyenne Hoerr of NIU is 32nd (1:36.75). Hoerr's teammate Kayla Fallis and Eastern Illinois' Amy Yeoman both enter this weekend's meet in the top-40 in the 800m, providing good competition for Illinois' Nicole Choquette. A rematch is set in the high jump, as Haleigh Knapp (EIU) and Illinois' Kandie Bloch-Jones tied for first at the EIU Early Bird meet in December with a mark of 1.79m. In addition Knapp and Bloch-Jones, Chennal Palmer (NIU) joins the high jump group with her 15th-best mark in the nation (1.75m).
Illini on the National Scene:
After the first weekend of competition in the new year, several Illini are making their mark nationally, ranking in the top-30 in their respective events. In the high jump, junior Kandie Bloch-Jones is tied for sixth in the nation with her EIU Early Bird mark of 1.79m. Freshman Morgan Schulz had a 600m time of 1:34.02 at the Border Battle to put her eighth in the country. 2015 600m Big Ten Champion Nicole Choquette owns the eighth-best 800m mark in the country after a 2:11.69 time last weekend. Pedrya Seymour stakes claim to the 10th-best mark in the country for the 60m hurdles with a 8.41 time to win the event at the Border Battle, while teammate Jayla Stewart is 23rd in the nation (8.55) and NIU's Lestristan Pledger is 25th (8.56). At pole vault, Jennifer DeBellis moved into 19th in the country with her Border Battle victorious mark of 3.90m.
Next Week:
The Orange and Blue will return to competition away from Champaign, as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky for the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet January 22-23.
2015-16 Headlines
Orange and Blue Sweep Border Battle:
After splitting the Border Battle last year on the campus of the University of Iowa, the Orange and Blue were able to sweep the competition this afternoon at the UI Armory. The Fighting Illini beat Missouri by a score of 75-65, while edging out the Hawkeyes 68-67. The Illini were led by five event titles: Kandie Bloch-Jones (HJ), Jenn DeBellis (PV), Briana Driver (LJ), Nicole Choquette (800m), and Pedrya Seymour (60m H).
Bloch-Jones Garners Early Season Awards:
After qualifying for 2015 NCAA Championships last season, placing 20th, Kandie Bloch-Jones has jumped out to a fast start in 2015-16 with a high jump mark that broke the Early Bird meet record. The performance earned her accolades from the Big Ten office and the University of Illinois. Bloch-Jones was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week on December 16, and shortly after was named the Univesity of Illinois Scholar Athlete of the Week.
Illini Earn Six Event Titles at Early Bird:
The Illini earned six event crowns over the course of the season's opening evening as the team scored 108 points to place second. In the field, Bloch-Jones (high jump) and Rogers (long jump) won titles outright, while Jenn DeBellis and Sara McKeeman shared the pole vault crown. On the track, Jasmine Berry (400m), Smyers-Jones (60m Hurdles), and the 4x400m relay team of Berry, Choquette, Marry, and Schulz took home titles.
Sizing Up the Illini:
Returning Big Ten Champion Paces Distance Team:
The distance group is coming off a cross-country season that saw the program's best finish at Big Ten Championships in over five years. Distance Coach Scott Jones will look to Britten Petrey and Nicole Choquette to lead the group during the indoor season. Last season, Petrey placed eighth at Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Prelims in the 3,000m steeplechase, while Nicole Choquette won the 600m Big Ten title at indoors last February, and then qualified for NCAA prelims in the 800m. Joining the duo will be Denise Branch, steeplechase champion at the Illinois Twilight, Amanda Fox, who holds the ninth-fastest 10K time in school history, and two-time IHSA All-State selections Kristina Kladar and Katie Escobar.
Young Sprints and Hurdles Group Looks to Add Instant Impact:
In sprints, the Illini will lean on the experience of Kym Taylor to lead a talented group of freshman this season. Taylor comes in after competing at Big Ten Championships last season in the 100m, 200m. Sprints coach Randy Gillon will be in charge of training a host of freshmen that have attained national recognition during their high school careers. Freshmen Emone' Davis, Morgan Shulz and Briana Driver will all look to make their mark on the track during their first season. Hailing from Danville, Illinois, Davis touts All-American honors in the 4x100m and school records in the 60m, 4x100m and 4x400m events. Shulz won the indoor state championship in the 800m, while breaking Cary-Grove school records in the 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, and 800m. Driver comes to the University of Illinois after breaking the Mother McAuley school record in the 400m.
In hurdles, Jasmine Berry and Pedrya Seymour bring the most experience back from last season with her eighth-place finish in the 400m hurdles at Big Ten Championships, including a personal-record time during prelims, while Seymour placed ninth overall in the 400m hurdles and had a season-best time in the 200m (:24.96). Joining the duo will be freshman Jayla Stewart and junior-college transfer Kortni Smyers-Jones. Hailing from Olympia Fields, Stewart comes in as a five-time All-American, while also racking up titles at Hershey Nationals and Illinois Prep Top Times in the 100m hurdles. Junior-college transfer, Kortni Smyers-Jones, comes to Illinois after being a two-time state champion in the 100m hurdles at Laney Community College.
Kandie Bloch-Jones Setting Bar High for Field Events:
Kandie Bloch-Jones begins her junior season on campus after being one of the team's most consistent competitors during her first two seasons. Currently third on the school's all-time list with a leap of (6'-0 ½"), Bloch-Jones scored points for the Illini at Big Ten Championships, placing fourth at indoors and fifth at outdoor before placing 20th at NCAA Championships in June. Along with Bloch-Jones, Janile Rogers returns after competing at Big Ten Championships last season in the long jump. Newcomers Kortni Smyers-Jones, a state champion at Laney College as a freshman, and freshman Sarah Hargrove, 2014 Virginia State Champion in the long jump, will look to add depth to the group.
Jennifer DeBellis Prepares to Lead Pole Vault Group:
Although the team loses five-time Big Ten Champion and school record holder Stephanie Richartz, Jennifer DeBellis returns for her senior season, holding the second-best pole vault mark (13'-7") in Fighting Illini history. The Vancouver, Washington native placed fourth at Big Ten Indoor Championships in 2015 and has twice qualified for NCAA West Prelims. Sara McKeeman, Liz Livingston, and freshman Carolyn Nye will provide depth at the position.
