University of Illinois
Beach Invite
@IlliniMTrack Sprint Group Impresses at Beach Invite
April 16, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
#Illini Place Three in 200m Top-20
LONG BEACH, CA – After spending Friday at the Bryan Clay Invite, most of the Illini moved north to the Beach Invite today on the campus of Long Beach State. The sprinters led the way on Saturday with three Illini in the top-20 in the 200m and a couple personal bests in the 400m.
"Today was a day mostly geared towards getting a few more races for our sprint crew and I think they took advantage of the opportunity," explained Head Coach Mike Turk. "Collectively as a group, they are really coming around."
The Illini shined the brightest in the final individual event of the weekend. In the 200m dash, three Illini placed in the top-20 overall. The leader of the pack was sophomore Mo Maat who shredded over a third of a second off his season-best time, clocking a 21.24 clip to place tops among collegiate athletes. Joining Maat were teammates Cole Henderson and Joe Haight. Henderson won his section of the 200m with a time of 21.83, while Haight finished a shade behind Henderson at 21.84.
"The 200 was really good for us," said Turk. "Mo Maat was outstanding with a big personal best. The guy that nipped him at he line was on the US world team in the 4 x 4 last year. Cole Henderson had another heat win today so it was very positive for him and he continues to gain confidence. Joe Haight had another solid run and is a tough competitor."
Coming off a season-best performance by Kenneth Allen yesterday in the 400m, the junior lowered his time further with a 47.40 time today, inching closer to his personal-record of 47.33. Like Allen, Matt Burns made strides in the event for the second day in a row. The sophomore ran his 400m in 48.29, trimming more time off of the personal-record he had set the day before.
"Great day for Kenneth Allen and Matt Burns, especially Matt," said Coach Turk. "Kenneth is progressing and ran a season best today, topping his time from yesterday but Matt ran a big lifetime personal best for a heat win. That is huge for him after basically 2.5 years of injury. I think it was his best race since he won the state title as a junior."
After having their 4x100m race discounted due to a timing malfunction yesterday, the Haight-Henderson-Akins-Maat relay team took a second crack at the event on Saturday in the Mt. SAC elite division. Though the time was not quite as fast as the unofficial 39.63 mark set yesterday, Coach Turk was pleased with the 40.50 performance today.
"It was another solid race with good exchanges," said Turk. "I am amazed at how quickly and how well this group has gelled together. We may have to shuffle things around a bit when Quinn returns but we are very pleased with the four we have out there. Today, technically, was a season's best time for us."
The Illini concluded their California trip with their first 4x400m competition of the weekend. Running with a new group, Keveion Akins, Matt Burns, Isaiah Michl and Konrad Eiring clocked the team's top time of the season, a 3:14.30 mark.
The lone field event entry for the Illini today was Matsen Dziedzic in the hammer throw. The Illinois sophomore finished the competition with a top mark of 177'9" (54.17m).
The Fighting Illini return home to host their first outdoor meet of the season. The annual Illini Twilight on April 23 will be held at the Illinois Track Stadium, with field events commencing at noon and track events at 5 p.m. For more information on the meet, visit fightingillini.com
