@IlliniWTrack Win Illini Classic Behind Four Titles

Orange and Blue Score 142 points, Seymour Sets 60m Hurdles PR

Women's Track & Field January 16, 2016

@IlliniWTrack Win Illini Classic Behind Four Titles

Orange and Blue Score 142 points, Seymour Sets 60m Hurdles PR

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the second week in a row, the Orange and Blue rode veteran performances, combined with youthful progression, to a team victory. The Illini used four event titles, two in field events and two on the track, to pace the team to 142 points, besting second-place Western Michigan by 33 points.

"At this point, we're focused on competing," said Associate Head Coach Randy Gillon. "That's what we continue to ask for in these early meets. We know that they've gone through a lot of training, and a lot of them are not as fresh and polished but we ask them to come out here and compete really hard. As we begin to taper back on the training, then the results will come."

The Illini veteran athletes established themselves early during the opening hours of the meet, beginning with senior Jennifer DeBellis. DeBellis got the Illini going by matching her pole vault mark from last weekend's Border Battle to win this week's event. Tying for runner-up was Illinois' Sara McKeeman with a mark of 3.60m. The 3.90m clearance by DeBellis was her third pole vault title of the season, and second outright victory after sharing the honor with McKeeman in the season's opening weekend.

One of the team's best performances of the meet came in the long jump, as sophomore Janile Rogers and freshman Briana Driver combined for 18 points, placing one-two in the event. After Driver won the event last weekend at the Border Battle, Rogers regained her form with a 5.60m jump in her final attempt today. Driver's 5.40m still was more than a tenth of a meter better than the rest of the field, claiming second place.

"I was just looking to focus on things that I've been doing in practice, which was working on technique and running out of the runway," said Rogers.

The Orange and Blue wrapped up field events with eight points from Kandie Bloch-Jones in the high jump. After tying with Eastern Illinois' Haleigh Knapp at the Early Bird meet in December, Bloch-Jones bested the Panther sophomore with a 1.77m clearance. However, Northern Illinois' Chennel Palmer matched the 1.77m mark, doing so without missing to earn the tie-break.

In track events, the Fighting Illini added two more event titles, in the 60m hurdles and the 600m run.

In the 60m hurdles prelims, the Orange and Blue claimed the top-three qualifying spots with Pedrya Seymour leading the way with an 8.41 time, matching her personal-record time from the Border Battle. Joining her in the finals were Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones, after they followed Seymour across the finish line in the prelims. In the final, the Illini maintained their grip on the top-three spots, as Pedrya Seymour set a personal-best time of 8.38 to win the event while Stewart (8.45) and Smyers-Jones (8.55) claimed second and third, respectively.

"It goes back to last season. I told {Pedrya Seymour,} since I've been working with her last fall and indoor season, that she could be very special," said Coach Gillon. "She's really buying in and understanding what we're trying to accomplish, and we're seeing the results. Now, she's got to put herself amongst the Big Ten's elite and, if she does that, she'll have a good shot at qualifying for nationals. If she stays focused, stays the course, great things will follow."

The final event to crown an Illini came in the 600m run. In the event, junior Lindsey Rakosnik stretched to an early lead and hung on, despite a late push from Amina Jackson of Eastern Illinois, with a victorious time of 1:36.15. This is the second straight year that Rakosnik has won the 600m at the Illini Classic.

The most impressive track event for the Illini that didn't end in victory was the 200m dash. Competing against Dallas Kedisha of Northern Illinois, who owns the ninth-best time in the country, Kortni Smyers-Jones stayed with the Huskies' sophomore, but ultimately settled for second with a time of 25.28. The Orange and Blue continued to rack up points in the event when Sade Hargrove, Jasmine Berry and Briana Driver crossed in consecutive fashion, claiming fourth through sixth, respectively.

Similar to the 200m, the 60m dash featured an event title for Kedisha Dallas, but once again the Illini scooped up much of the remaining points. Senior Kymbriona Taylor improved upon her Border Battle mark with a 7.62 time to place second, while Sade Hargrove edged out Sarita Dotson of Western Michigan for third. Briana Driver (7.84) and Emone Davis (7.86) rounded out the point-scorers with sixth and seventh-place finishes.

In middle distance events, the Illini picked up 14 points with scoring performances in both the 400m and mile runs. Nicole Choquette and Jasmine Berry added 11 points to the team score in the 400m dash, Choquette placing third (57.55) and Berry following in fourth (58.44). Denise Branch (6^th/5:05.15) and Hanna Winter (8^th/5:05.54) added points of their own in the one-mile run.

The Orange and Blue concluded the meet with the 4x400m relay team finishing with a time of 3:59.56, placing third.

After spending the first three meets of the season within state lines, the Fighting Illini will travel to three meets within the Midwest, beginning next week in Lexington, Kentucky for the highly-competitive Rod McCravy Memorial Meet on January 22 and 23. Coach Garner's squad will return home on February 20 for the Orange and Blue Open.

Team Scores: