CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – The Orange & Blue are coming off their Illinois Twilight team title and now turn their attention to the annual Drake Relays. The Illini will feature their three best hurdlers in both the 100m hurdles competition on Friday, while also competing in the shuttle hurdle relay on Saturday. The Fighting Illini contest the distance events to kick off the meet before transitioning to relays and hurdles on Friday and Saturday. The Illini will also sprinkle in field events on Friday morning with the high jump and long jump.
COMPETITIONS TO WATCH
100m Hurdles: For the first time during the outdoor season, Pedrya Seymour, Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones competed in the hurdles race at the same meet. The 'Hurdle Gang' promptly swept the top three spots, led by All-American Pedrya Seymour's 13.40 winning mark. With sights set on putting three Illini in the event final at Big Ten Championships, the three will look to make their final adjustments with the conference meet just two weeks away.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay: Throughout the mid 1990's and early 2000's the Fighting Illini sported some of the best shuttle hurdle relay teams in the country. With quartets of Kallur-Williams-Kallur-Felicien and Riley-Harrison-Tyus-Williams ranking among the best in school history, the Orange & Blue will look to this weekend as a stepping stone to getting back to the accolades that the Illinois program grew accustomed to. Illinois Twilight 400m hurdle champion Jasmine Berry will combine with the three 100m hurdlers in the event.
4x100m: The Orange & Blue continue to show their depth in the event with seven different Illini taking their turn in the sprint relay. This past weekend, the combination of Seymour-Driver-Rogers-Taylor proved to be their best yet. The foursome won the Twilight meet with a 45.08 clip. For a group that features three underclassmen, the 4x100m continues to be a growing strength for the Illini.
3,000m Steeplechase: After competing at the NCAA West Regional last season in the event, senior Britten Petrey will make her 2016 debut in the event after missing much of the season to injury. Petrey ran the 800m in recent meets and will look to rev up the intensity this weekend as postseason competition approaches. Joining the senior will be sophomore Valerie Bobart. Bobart already has two event victories on her resume this season, her last coming at the UCF Dual where she clocked a personal-best time of 10:42.42.
800m: After finishing runner-up in the event at the Illinois Twilight, Nicole Choquette returns again at Drake Relays as she prepares to make another run at winning a conference title in the event. Choquette was the indoor Big Ten 800m champion in the 2015.
NEXT UP
Coach Garner's squad will make their final tune ups for Big Ten Championships when they host the Illinois Open on Wednesday, May 4 at the Illinois Track Stadium. Field events will begin at 2 p.m. and track events will follow at 5:30 p.m.
ILLINI NOTES
Orange & Blue Notch Five Titles, Win Twilight
Pedrya Seymour took home three event titles, two individual and one relay, as the Illini totaled five event crowns over the course of the meet to top the 13-team field with 146 points. Seymour's victories in the 100m hurdles and 200m dash combined with a 4x1 victory (Seymour, Driver, Rogers, Taylor) and individual titles by Briana Driver in the long jump and Jasmine Berry in the 400m hurdles.
Five Individual Titles Highlight UCF Dual
In a rare dual format, the Fighting Illini took home event crowns in the 100m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, 3,000m steeplechase and triple jump. In addition to the five event victories, the Illini also set multiple personal-records with Sara McKeeman (pole vault), Janile Rogers (200m) and Valerie Bobart each recording their best outdoor marks of their careers.
Three Illini Blow Away the Field at EIU Big Blue Classic
On a weekend that saw wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour, three Illini overcame the conditions to earn victories in their respective events. The top Illini performance came in the 100m hurdles where Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones finished 1-2 in the prelims and finals, each clocking new personal-best times in the process. In addition to their success, Kandie Bloch-Jones won the high jump and the 4x100m realy team picked up their first victory of the season.
Seven Top-5 Finishes at Vandy for Illini
In the second meet of the outdoor season, the Orange & Blue were led on the track by Kymbriona Taylor and hurdlers Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones. Taylor posted the top collegiate time in the 100m dash (11.95), while Stewart and Smyers-Jones both improved upon their times from the previous weekend to placed third and fourth overall. Coach Garner's squad also improved upon their 4x100m relay time, edging out their Baldy Castillo time with a 45.62 mark. Jennifer DeBellis had the top field performance, marking 12'7.5" (3.95m) in the pole vault.
Bobart and Rogers Lead Illini in Outdoor Opener
Sophomore Valerie Bobart cut the tape on the outdoor season with style as she won the team's first event of the campaign with a 10:48.2 time in the 3,000m steeplechase on Friday night. The next day, Janile Rogers led the way with personal-record times in the 100m and 200m. Joining her were strong hurdle performances from Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones, placing second and fourth in the 100m hurdles respectively.
Seymour Posts Personal-Record time at Indoor Worlds, Places 11th
A week after competing at NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, Pedrya Seymour flew across the country to compete in the IAAF Indoor World Championships in Portland, Oregon. Once there, the Illini red-shirt sophomore set a new personal-record time in the 60m hurdles with a 8.15 clip that placed her 11th overall in the field.
Bloch-Jones & Seymour Compete at NCAA Championships
Pedrya Seymour started the weekend off with an 8.19 time in the 60m hurdles semifinals, but failed to qualify for the final with her 13th-place finish overall. On Saturday, Kandie Bloch-Jones finished tied for 12th in the high jump with a mark of 5'11.25" (1.76m).
Pedrya Seymour Selected for Indoor World Championships
Nassau, Bahamas native Pedrya Seymour was chosen to represent her country in the upcoming Indoor World Championships in Portland, Oregon on March 18 & 19. The Illini red-shirt sophomore has significantly improved her time in the 60m hurdles this season, posting a career-best time at Big Ten Championships (8.16) to finish third. She is set to race in the 60m hurdles on March 18.
