University of Illinois
NCAA Indoor Championships
@IlliniWTrack Preview: NCAA Indoor Championships
March 10, 2016 | Women's Track & Field
Seymour Competes on March 11, Bloch-Jones on March 12
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – With Big Ten Championships in the rearview mirror, two Fighting Illini women's track athletes will set their sights on performing against the best competition in the country. Junior All-American Kanide Bloch-Jones will seek to build upon her 14th-place finish at NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman in 2014, while sophomore 60m hurdler Pedrya Seymour will test the NCAA waters for the first time. The meet begins Friday, March 11 and concludes the following day on March 12.
| NCAA Championships | |
|---|---|
| When | March 11-12 // 60m Hurdles Prelims: 6:25 p.m. Friday // High Jump: 2:00 p.m. Saturday |
| Where | Birmingham, Alabama // Birmingham CrossPlex |
| Live Links | Live Stats | Day 1 Video Stream | Day 2 Video Stream |
| Meet Information | Illinois Record Book | Illinois Meet Notes |
WATCH LIVE ON ESPN3.com and ESPN2
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
Five-time Big Ten Champion Stephanie Richartz scored points for the Illini at the indoor meet when she placed third in the pole vault last season. Her clearance of 14'7.25" (4.45m) is the best in Illinois-school history and the best in Big Ten history.
COMPETITIONS TO WATCH
60m Hurdles: Pedrya Seymour makes her NCAA Championships debut after a remarkable regular season and Big Ten Championships that saw her shave almost half a second off of her personal-best mark time. Her 8.16 time in the event two weeks ago at Big Ten Championships placed her third in the event and moved her into seventh on the Illinois all-time list. Prior to Big Ten Championships, the sophomore from Nassau, Bahamas was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week after she won the 60m hurdles at the Illini Open the previous Saturday. Sasha Wallace of Oregon enters the meet with the top time in the NCAA, a 7.96 time she set at the Don Kirby Open & Elite on February 12. Cindy Ofili (Michigan) holds the top Big Ten time of 7.97, ranking second nationally.
High Jump: Making her second NCAA Indoor Championships appearance is Kanide Bloch-Jones. The junior has placed in the top-20 at NCAA Championships in both the indoor and outdoor meets over her first two seasons. At this season's Big Ten Championships, the Agenta, Illinois native finished runner-up in the event with a mark of 5'11.25" (1.81m). Earlier in the season, Bloch-Jones set a new personal-record in the event at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in Lexington, Kentucky with a clearance of 6'0" (1.83m), fourth-best in Illinois indoor history. Akela Jones of Kansas State currently ranks tops in the nation with a mark of 6'4" (1.93m). Leading the Big Ten is Reka Czuth (Nebraska), clearing 6'1.5" (1.87m) on February 5 at the Husker Invit. Bloch-Jones bested Czuth two weekends ago at Big Ten Championships.
NEXT UP
The Orange & Blue will move into the outdoor portion of their season, beginning with the Baldy Castilo Invite in Tempe, Arizona on March 18 and 19.
ILLINI NOTES
Bloch-Jones, Seymour, & Choquette Podium Finishes at B1G Championships
The 2016 edition of Big Ten Indoor Championships concluded with a trio of Illini marking podium finishes in their event final. Kandie Bloch-Jones started things off in the morning in the high jump, followed by Nicole Choquette in the 800m, and concluded by Pedrya Seymour in the 60m hurdles.
ILLINI EARN FOUR EVENT TITLES AT ORANGE & BLUE OPEN
The Fighting Illini Women's Track and Field team concluded their final preparations for the Big Ten Indoor Championships meet next weekend with today's Orange and Blue Open. Three Fighting Illini came away with event titles, with Pedrya Seymour taking home 60m hurdle honors, Kandie Bloch-Jones in the high jump, and Hanna Winter in the mile run.
TRIO OF HURDLERS CONTINUE GROWTH, SHOW CONSISTENCY
At both the Meyo Invite and Iowa State Classic, the Fighting Illini have had three of the eight 60m hurdle finalists donning the Orange and Blue singlet. Sophomore Pedrya Seymour, freshman Jayla Stewart, and junior transfer Kortni Smyers-Jones have created a trio that has created a model of consistency for the team in recent weeks.
CHOQUETTE SHINES AT MEYO INVITE
Nicole Choquette highlighted the weekend for the Illini with a personal-record time in the 800m, while finishing second in both the 600m and 800m. The 600m time was just shy of her Big Ten Championship time last February, moving her into fifth place in the NCAA.
B1G FACES - KANDIE BLOCH-JONES REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
During the offseason, Kandie Bloch-Jones was chosen as one of the Big Ten Network's Faces of Illinois, making a commercial spot that will air throughout the spring on the conference network. The junior has started off 2016 with reason to believe she can compete with the nation's elite. After winning the high jump back-to-back times to begin the season, Bloch-Jones cleared 6-0 (1.83m), besting a three-time national champion, at the Rod McCravy meet to finish second. Her mark currently sits in a tie for 12th nationally.
Bloch-Jones is coming off of a top-20 finish at NCAA Championships in 2015 and holds the third-best high jump mark in school history. As a freshman, the Argenta, Illinois native won the high jump title at Big Ten Indoor Championships and earned Second Team All-America honors at the NCAA meet. Last season, Bloch-Jones placed fourth at Big Ten Indoor Championships and had her best jump of her career (1.84m) at the Rankin Invite. Bloch-Jones was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week on December 16, and shortly after was named the University of Illinois Scholar Athlete of the Week.
ORANGE AND BLUE SEE MORE OUT OF SEYMOUR
Early returns from Pedrya Seymour have already to shown significant growth from last season. The Nassau, Bahamas sophomore moved into 10th-place all-time on the Illinois indoor 60m hurdles list, an 8.27 time at the Iowa State Classic. Earlier in the season, Seymour won the 60m hurdles in each of the first two home meets this season, setting then personal-record times at both meets.
ORANGE AND BLUE WIN ILLINI CLASSIC
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. Pedrya Seymour was the top performer again for the Illini with another personal-record in the 60m hurdles, this time with a 6.38 time. Lindsey Rakosnik (600m), Jenn DeBellis (pole vault) and Janile Rogers (long jump) each earned event wins to round out the team's four on the day.
