University of Illinois
Illini Open
@IlliniMTrack Hosts Illini Open in Season Finale
May 3, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
Meet Begins at 2pm at Illinois Track Stadium
CHAMPAIGN, IL – For the fourth consecutive season Mike Turk's squad brought home the Hy-Vee Cup trophy after tallying 24 points to edge out Texas. With the postseason on the horizon for the Orange & Blue, the Illini will make their final preparations for Big Ten Championships that begin in 10 days. Wednesday's matinee begins at 2 p.m. with throwing events and continues at 4 p.m. with jumps before concluding with track events at 5:30 p.m.
| Illini Open | |
|---|---|
| When | May 4 // Field Events: 2pm // Track Events: 5:30pm |
| Where | Illinois Track Stadium // Urbana, Ill. |
| Live Results Links | Live Results |
| 2015-16 Information | Illinois Record Book | Illinois Meet Notes | Heat Sheets |
Competitions to Watch
110m Hurdles: All-American Cam Viney will make his final preparations for Big Ten Championships. Viney had his best outing of the outdoor season with a 13.75 time at the Stanford Invite a month ago. Last weekend at Drake Relays, Viney helped lead a pair of Illini relay teams to runner-up finishes.
100m: The sprints group will return their focus this week to individual events after running legs of relay events to help the Illini secure their fourth straight Hy-Vee Cup title at Drake over the weekend. Sophomore Mo Maat owns the team's second-best time in the event this season, while Joe Haight has added depth to the position after walking on to the team earlier this season.
800m: With a mix of veterans and youth, the middle distance event is quickly becoming a strength for the Illini. Konrad Eiring will look to set another personal-record in the event, something that's become a regularity for the freshman after clocking 1:50.95 at the Illinois Twilight less than two weeks ago. Also running in the event will be fellow freshman Jared Christiansen, senior Liam Markham and sophomore Tony Zea.
4x400m: After placing in the top-eight at NCAA Championships last year, the 4x400m relay has been a work in progress this season. However, the combination of Burns-Akins-Allen-Viney proved successful at Drake Relays as the Illini set a season-best time. After the meet, Coach Turk spoke highly of the group and sees a breakthrough coming as the group begins to gain traction.
200m: Of the six competitors scheduled to compete in the event, five will be donning the Orange & Blue. Mo Maat and Cole Henderson lead the young group with Maat owning the team's best time of the year (21.24) that he set back at the Beach Invite on April 16. Freshmen Joe Haight and Keveion Akins will also compete in the event.
Hammer Throw: Two of the top times posted this season by Michael Hyc and Matsen Dziedzic came at home during the Illinois Twilight on April 23, a 181-2 (55.21m) mark by Dziedzic leading the way. With both Illini in the event after a week off last weekend, the final home meet offers a prime chance for the two to build upon those marks heading into postseason meets.
Next Up
Postseason play begins with the Fighting Illini competing at Big Ten Championships, May 13-15 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Orange & Blue won their first Big Ten title since 1994 at last year's outdoor meet in East Lansing.
Illini Notes
Illini Relays win Fourth Straight Hy-Vee Cup Trophy
Mike Turk's squad secured the the Hy-Vee Cup title for the fourth straight year after their 4x800m, sprint medley and distance medley relays each finished runner-up in their respective events. Illinois' 24 wins bested second-place Texas' 20.
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 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).
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. Quinn concluded his indoor season with two top-eight finishes at Big Ten Championships in the 60m and 200m dashes. In the 200m, Quinn moved into seventh on the Illini top-10 list with a 21.20 time in his qualifying heat.
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).
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.
