Full Results

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – The Fighting Illini sprints and hurdles group posted multiple event titles and season-best times to lead the Orange & Blue in their final regular season meet. In total, the Fighting Illini won six events.

"I was happy with the way the meet went," said Head Coach Ron Garner. "This was a good execution before Big Ten Championships. I think it showed our team, and gave them the confidence, that they're ready for the Big Ten meet."

In her final tune up for Big Ten Championships, Pedrya Seymour won the 100m hurdles, finishing with a 13.18 clip that fell just shy of her personal-best.

"She replicated her 13.17 performance that she had last weekend at Drake," said Garner. Remember [Seymour's] patterns indoors in the 60m hurdles?. It was when she started replicating performances in the 8.30s that she had her next breakthrough, dropping down to 8.16 at the conference meet. When you start engraining that pattern a couple times like she has, another breakthrough is going to happen."

After recent weeks of working through technical adjustments, Kortni Smyers-Jones clocked a season-best time of 13.69 to finish runner-up in the 100m hurdles behind Seymour.

"That was an important race, and it's her birthday," said Garner. "That was a nice run, and it moves her forward."

Also setting a new personal-record to conclude the regular season slate was Kymrbiona Taylor in the 100m dash. Entering the meet with a top time of 11.85, the senior lowered the mark to 11.65 to place second overall.

"That kid has been working for that opportunity to have a breakthrough for two years," explained Garner. "So, the value of this meet is to express that going into the conference championship."

In the 200m, Janile Rogers bested the field with a time of 24.20. The time was over a half a second better than runner-up Asia Thomas of Northern Illinois.

"She's just like Pedrya, having run 24.20 and below three times now, in that she's ready for another breakthrough."

After showing improvement at Drake Relays last weekend, Illinois won won the 4x100m relay tonight with a time of 45.75. However, it was the reinsertion of Jayla Stewart into the group that gives Coach Garner confidence entering the conference meet.

"For us to get another execution today and put Jayla Stewart back in was huge," said Garner. "With the hurdle group, there are seven individuals that have contributed this year and we have to understand that Illinois is first. So, putting Jayla [Stewart] in there was seeing if we could stretch things out and get ready for the Big Ten meet. At Drake, without Stewart, we were beating Iowa and Purdue, the top two teams in the conference."

Rounding out the meet for the Illini were three individuals who finished with the top mark in their respective field event. In the long jump, Briana Driver led the field with a leap of 18'6.75". Pole vaulter Sara McKeeman followed suit with a winning mark of 12'8", while Kandie Bloch-Jones cleared 5'5" to win the high jump.

With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Fighting Illini will turn their attention to the conference meet next weekend, May 13-15. At the indoor meet, Seymour (60m hurdles), Bloch-Jones (high jump) and Nicole Choquette (800m) each earned spots on the podium.