University of Illinois
Drake Relays
Defending Hy-Vee Cup Champs @IlliniMTrack Set for Drake
April 27, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
#Illini Contest Five Hy-Vee Cup Events
CHAMPAIGN, ILL – After taking the team title at the Illinois Twilight last Saturday, the Orange & Blue turn their focus to the prestigious Drake Relays this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. The Illini return to the event after scoring 33 points in 2015 to win the team title. Jake Stewart's distance crew will headline Thursday's action before the sprint relays get underway on Friday. The Illini will also feature their javelin and pole vault competitors on Friday morning.
| Drake Relays | |
|---|---|
| When | April 28-30 // Thurs: 5:05 p.m. // Fri: 10 a.m. // Sat: 10:20 a.m. |
| Where | Drake Track Stadium // Des Moines, Ill. |
| Live Results Links | Live Results |
| 2015-16 Information | Illinois Record Book | Illinois Meet Notes |
Last Year at Drake Relays
For the third consecutive season, the Fighting Illini stood atop the podium as the Hy-Vee Cup champion. The Orange & Blue used relay titles in the 4x100m, 4x400m and sprint medley relay to lead the way, while Cam Viney (400m hurdles) and Dylan Lafond (3,000m steeplechase) added in individual titles.
Competitions to Watch
4x100m Relay: Two weeks ago in California the 4x100m group set a season-best time in the event, clocking 40.50 at the Beach Invite. However, their unofficial top time came the day prior at the Bryan Clay Invite where their 39.63 clip was erased due to a timing mishap. Devin Quinn and Mo Maat will compete together in the event for the first time this season, and will be joined by Joe Haight and Keveion Akins.
4x800m Relay: After missing the indoor season due to injury, All-American Joe McAsey is back to lead the middle distance relay team that features two seniors and two underclassmen. Joining McAsey, senior Bryce Basting will run one of the legs after competing in the 1500m in his three previous meets. Joining the two seniors will be freshman Konrad Eiring and sophomore Trevor Kuehr. Both Eiring and Kuehr dropped their 800m personal-best time at the Illinois Twilight last weekend, with Eiring clocking 1:50.95 and Kuehr 1:51.95.
Sprint Medley Relay: Freshmen Devin Quinn and Konrad Eiring will join Mo Maat and Cam Viney in the relay. Quinn, a two-event Big Ten-point scorer indoors, will run the 200m along with Maat. All-American Cam Viney will take the 400m leg of the race with Konrad Eiring rounding out the race in the 800m.
Distance Medley Relay: Big Ten Cross-Country Freshman of the Year Jesse Reiser will run the first 1200m of the relay after his runner-up finish in the 1500m last weekend. Kenneth Allen (400m) and Bryce Basting (800m) will take the two middle legs of the race. Two weeks ago, Allen clocked his season-best mark in the event with a 47.40 showing at the Beach Invite. The Illini will look to senior Liam Markham, owner of the best 1500m mark on the team this season, to close out the final 1600m of the relay.
5K: Ian Barnett leads the trio of Illini entered in the event with a career-best time of 13:56.16 that ranks third-best in Illinois history. Second-year Illini Alex Gold and Billy Magnesen will join Barnett in the race on Thursday evening. Gold holds the team's second-best 5K mark of the outdoor season, while Magnesen is coming off a runner-up finish in the 3K at the Illinois Twilight.
Next Up
The Fighting Illini have their final home meet of the season with the Illinois Open on May 4. The meet commences at 2 p.m. with field events and continues with track events at 5:30 p.m.
Illini Notes
Fighting Illini Win Twilight; Viney takes Two Titles
The Orange & Blue cruised to a team title with a 172 points over the course of the day to best the 10-team competition. Cam Viney led the Illini with titles in the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles, setting a new PR in the latter. In addition to Viney, Devin Quinn clocked a 200m winning time of 21.44, while the Illini notched a season-best 4x400m relay time to win the event.
Sprints Group Leads Illini in California
Kenneth Allen and Mo Maat led the Illini on Friday and Saturday at the Clay and Beach Invites with season-best performances. Allen topped his season-best 400m mark on back-to-back days, first with a 47.66 performances on Friday, and then followed it up with a 47.40 time on Saturday. For Maat, the Memphis native set a personal-best time of 21.24 in the 200m to finish as the top collegian at the Beach Invite. Joining the two sprinters was the 4x100m group. Although discounted due to a timing issue, the 4x1 ran a 39.63 mark. The next day, the team of Akins, Henderson, Maat and Haight followed it up with an official season-best mark of 40.50 in the elite section at Mt. SAC.
Young Illini Shine at Gibson Invite
the Orange & Blue were led by underclassmen, totaling four of the team's five individual titles. Sophomores Mo Maat (100m), Cole Henderson (200m) and Trevor Kuehr (800m) each chipped in an event title for the Illini, while freshman Isaiah Michl (400m hurdles) added the fourth crown. In addition to the individual titles, the Illini used two sophomores and two freshmen to win the 4x100m relay competition.
Viney & Barnett Top Performances at Stanford Invite
Cam Viney and Ian Barnett combined for three individual titles to open the season at the Stanford Invite. Viney took titles in both hurdles events, the 110m and 400m. Although neither times for Viney were personal-bests, he won each event with ease. In the 10,000m, Barnett set the seventh-best time in school history with a 29:10.83 time.
Barnett in Elite Company
With Barnett's 29:10.83 time at Stanford, the senior is now on five top-10 lists, tied for the current best among past and present Illini. He currently ranks in the top-10 in the indoor 3K and 5K and the outdoor 1,500m, 5K and 10K. The other Illini to have the same honor: Dorian Green, Babatunde Ridley, Sherman Armstrong and Jannis Toepfer.
Wells, Kendziera, Lafond & Lee to Red-Shirt This Spring
With the rash of injuries during the indoor season and long-term planning for the defending champs, Coach Turk will red-shirt four Illini during the outdoor season. Although he stayed healthy throughout the indoor slate, 2016 indoor high jump All-American Jonathan Wells will use the spring to focus on multi events as he seeks to increase his versatility in the second half of his Illini career.
Jonathan Wells Earns First Team All-America Honors
Sophomore high jumper Jonathan Wells posted his second highest mark of the indoor season at NCAA Championships with a clearance of 7'1.75" (2.18m) to place eighth in the field. The First Team All-America honor is the first of Wells career after he competed at indoor championships last season, but finished 13th.
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.
