University of Illinois
NCAA Indoor Championships
@IlliniMTrack Preview: NCAA Championships
March 10, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
Wells & Lafond Compete Friday Night
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Fighting Illini High Jumper Jonathan Wells and 5,000m runner Dylan Lafond will represent the University of Illinois this weekend at NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Both athletes will compete during the evening on Friday, March 11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. ESPN3.com will provide a live stream of the event on both Friday and Saturday.
| NCAA Indoor Championships | |
|---|---|
| When | March 11-12 // Men's High Jump: 7:55 p.m. // 5K: 8:05 p.m. |
| Where | Geneva, Ohio // Spire Institute |
| Live Links | |
| 2015-16 Information | Illinois Record Book | Illinois Meet Notes |
WATCH LIVE ON ESPN3.com and ESPN
A live stream of NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be available on ESPN3.com beginning Friday, March 11 evening at 6:25 p.m. eastern time and will continue on Saturday, March 12 at 4:55 p.m. eastern time. ESPN2 will air the championships on tape delay at 7 p.m. eastern time on Sunday March 13, while ESPNU will re-air the tape delayed broadcast on Wednesday, March 16 at 10 p.m. eastern time.
Live Stream March 11: http://es.pn/1p7DXbS
Live Stream March 12: http://es.pn/1RuxBtr
Re-air on March 13: http://es.pn/1QtyLI9
Last Year at Indoor NCAA Championships
Last season, Head Coach Mike Turk qualified two individuals for the indoor meet along with the 4x400m relay team. The relay quartet of David Kendziera, Kenneth Allen, Joe McAsey, and DJ Zahn set a new Illinois school record in the event with a 3:06.58 time that placed them fourth overall. Individually, DJ Zahn earned first-team All-American honors in the 400m race with a seventh-place finish and time of 46.69. Finally, Jonathan Wells made his NCAA debut as a freshman, placing 13th with a clearance of 7'0.5" (2.15m). With eight team points scored, the Orange & Blue finished 23rd.
Competitions to Watch
High Jump: After placing fourth at the Big Ten meet two weeks prior, Jonathan Wells enters this weekend's national meet with a season-best mark of 7'2.25" (2.19m), tied for best in the conference. The sophomore from Fox Lake, Illinois cleared the 2.19m mark at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on February 6. This weekend's competitors are led by Texas Tech's Bradley Adkins and Jeron Robinson of TAMU-Kingsville, both of whom have cleared 7'6" (2.29m). Wells placed 13th at last year's indoor NCAA Championships.
5,000m: Dylan Lafond's 13:46.72 school record sits 14th in the NCAA and best in the Big Ten. The top time entering the meet comes from Edward Cheserek of Oregon, a 13:35.86 time set at the Husky Classic on February 12. Lafond was an All-American in the 3,000m steeplechase last spring after transferring from Mount Olive in the fall of 2014. He currently holds three Illinois school records, the indoor 3,000m and 5,000m and the 8,000m in cross-country.
Next Up
The Orange & Blue will turn their attention to the outdoor season where they will prepare for their opening meet in two weeks at the SIU Invite on March 26 in Carbondale, Illinois.
Illini Notes
Quinn, Viney, & Wells Score for Illini on Day 2 of B1G Championships
The Orange and Blue Track and Field team wrapped up the 2016 Indoor Big Ten Championships at the Spire Institute. In day two, freshman Devin Quinn led the team with seven points, totaled with top-eight finishes in both the 60m and 200m dashes. Joining him, Jonathan Wells placed in both the high jump and 60m hurdles, while senior Cam Viney finished fourth in the hurdles. As a team, the Illini placed 10th out of 13 teams.
Lafond & DMR Score ON DAy 1 of B1G Championships
After four Illini qualified for five finals spots tomorrow, the Orange and Blue surged in the day's final events to finish the opening day third in the team score. Dylan Lafond and the distance medley relay team each scored for the Illini, a momentum they hope to carry over into day two of the meet.
Lafond Rewrites Indoor Record Book
After setting a school record and earning All-America honors during cross-country season, Lafond has continued his success during the indoor track season. During the past three meets, the Manchester, New Hampshire native set the Illinois school record for the 3,000m (8:00.48) at the Rod McCravy meet, and then followed it up by breaking the Illini 5,000m record at the Iowa State Classic (13:46.72).
Cam Viney Times third-best 60m Hurdles Mark in Illinois History
The Fighting Illini got Cam Viney back from an early season injury at the Rod McCravy meet three weeks ago. Last weekend, Viney marked the third-best 60m hurdle time in Illinois history, clocking a 7.78 time in the Orange & Blue event final. The time beat out his personal-record time (7.82) set earlier this season at the Husker Invite (2/6).
Wells Provides Stability
With numerous Illini beginning the season with injuries, Coach Mike Turk has leaned on sophomore Jonathan Wells to be the backbone of early season competitions. During the indoor season, Wells has won three events (60m hurdles, long jump and high jump), while competing in his first heptathlon at the Rod McCravy meet three weekends ago. Last week, Wells marked his second-best high jump (7-2 1/4) at the Husker Invite, the seventh-best mark in the nation.
Quinn Shines Early
Freshman Devin Quinn has already made an impact on the track with impressive times in both the 60m and the 200m dashes. Like teammate Mo Maat, Quinn entered the program's top-10 list with an Illini debut time of 6.76 in the 60m. Quinn won his first career victory in the 200m at the Illini Classic, and then followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet on January 22. After missing the Rod McCravy Memorial and the Husker Invite, Quinn returned for the Iowa State Classic where he placed in the top-five in both the 60m and 200m, setting a new PR in the latter event.
Six Event Titles Pace Illini at Orange & Blue Open
The Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field team wrapped up indoor regular season competition with the annual Orange & Blue meet at the UI Armory. Cam Viney showed he is in top form with a 60m hurdle personal-record time of 7.78. Joining him with event titles were Mo Maat (60m), Michael Hyc (Weight Throw), Konrad Eiring (800m), Blaze Galardy (Pole Vault) and unattached Illini Jesse Reiser (3,000m).
Dylan Lafond Breaks school record at Iowa State
The Orange and Blue concluded the road portion of their indoor season with the Iowa State Classic. In addition to Lafond's record-setting 5K time, the Illini were led by Cam Viney, winning the 60m hurdles and Devin Quinn's top-five finishes in both the 60m and 200m. Overall, Turk applauded his team for "passing the eye test" and believes they're making the progress needed to perform at their best next weekend against the best of the Big Ten.
Wells, Viney, & Lafond Lead Illini at Husker Invite
The Fighting Illini competed at the 41st Annual Frank Sevigne Invite against some of the nation's top competition to begin the month of February. On Friday, Cam Viney highlighted the opening session with a new personal-record time in the 60m hurdles prelims. His 7.82 time moved him into third-place on Illinois' all-time record list. On Saturday, Viney came back to run a 7.83 time in the 60m hurdles final to place third. Elsewhere on the track, Dylan Lafond won the men's one-mile special with a time of 4:04.87. In field events, sophomore Jonathan Wells capped off the meet Saturday evening with a 7-2 1/4 (2.19m) clearance in the high jump, the best among collegiate competitors.
Lafond Sets School Record at McCravy Invite
The highlight of the two-day event came in the 3,000m run when All-American Dylan Lafond broke the Illinois school record with a time of 8:00.48. In addition to Lafond's performance, Alex Gold and Dan Lathrop continued the distance success with a 1-2 finish in the 5,000m on Friday evening. In the multi-events, Jonathan Wells got his first taste of the heptathlon, placing second in the event. On the track, freshman Devin Quinn continued his impressive start to the season with a runner-up finish in the 200m, while Cam Viney made his season debut with a third-place finish in the 60m hurdles.
11 Event Titles Propel Orange and Blue at Illini Classic
The Fighting Illini finished up their back-to-back home meets to begin the season with a dominating team 185 points to win the team score. Anchored by Jonathan Wells' two event titles, the Orange and Blue racked up 11 individual crowns on the day, including three freshman winning their first collegiate events: Devin Quinn (200m), Konrad Eiring (600m) and Jared Christiansen (800m).
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 to a group that placed second at Big Ten Championships.
