CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Fighting Illini Women's Track & Field Head Coach Ron Garner and staff have announced the signing of six high school seniors that will don the Orange & Blue next season. Of the six signees, five from the state of Illinois, four are ranked in the top-10 in their state in at least one event. In total, the class features three sprinters, one of whom also competes in the pole vault, and three distance runners.
"I think this recruiting class was a solid recruiting class," said Head Coach Ron Garner. "It's one where we had to fill some gaps that we've had this past year. The three sprinters will help us with both of the relays. It's also important that we are bringing in girls, like Kayla Hylton, who have been on championship teams, already know how to win and have that championship attitude. In distance, I know Coach Jones is excited about dynamic runners that can help on both the track and in cross-country. The last couple year's we've focused on recruiting versatile athletes that can cover multiple bases for us in the program."
Kayla Hylton // Frankfort, Illinois // Lincoln-Way East HS
Hylton recorded Lincoln-Way East season-best times in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and in the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m relays. This season, Hylton placed runner-up in the 100m and 200m dashes, while anchoring the 4x100m relay and 4x200m relay to state titles. As a team, she assisted Frankfort Lincoln-Way East to its fourth-straight state title. Earlier this season, Hylton won the 2016 Illinois Top Times 200m dash. Also at this year's Top Times meet, Hylton placed runner-up in the 60m, setting a new personal-record time of 7.63. Across all three classes, Hylton finished the indoor season ranked second in the 60m, third in the 200m and is currently tied for the seventh-fastest 200m outdoor time.
"Kayla has a history of success," said Associate Head Coach Randy Gillon. "She had a rough stretch with injuries, but, now in her senior year, I noticed her indoor season drop a pretty impressive time early on. I was really impressed by the way she carried herself off the track and on the track, especially how she was executing various skills in drills. I saw this lady with quite a bit of talent, quite a bit of ability, and a significant amount of upside. I feel she is going to be an outstanding Big Ten sprinter and contributor to our program."
Felicia Phillips // Germantown, Tennessee // Houston HS
The lone signee from outside Illinois, Phillips ranks among the best in the Volunteer state in three sprint events. Phillips holds Houston High School records in both the 200m (24.43) and 400m (55.27). In the 200m, Phillips ranked third in the state during the indoor season, and then placed second at the TSSAA State Track & Field Championships. In the 400m, Phillips won the state title with a time of 55.27. Phillips also timed 55.89 indoors, ranking second in the state of Tennessee.
"Through her hard work, she ran a 56-high time [in the 400m] early in the season, and that's when I looked and discovered her background," said Gillon. "As I followed her, her times continued to steadily drop, and she finished the indoor season with a 55.80 [400m] and 25.00 [200m]. It means a lot considering where she was a year ago, a five-second improvement in the 400m and two or three second improvement in the 200m. She has a tremendous passion for the sport and work ethic, and as a result her times continue to improve. The 400m isn't an area we're very strong in right now, but we're confident she's going to come in, lay that foundation and be a strong leader for that group."
Chisom Nwoko // Oak Park, Illinois // Oak Park-River Forest HS
A versatile athlete, Nwoko holds Oak Park-River Forest school records in the pole vault, 300m and 400m. At IHSA State Championships this season, Nwoko placed eighth in the pole vault with a clearance of 11'3" (3.42m). During the indoor season, Nwoko ranked third in the state with a mark of 12'4" after placing 13th at state in 2015. On the track, Nwoko was crowned 2016 West Suburban Silver Girls Conference champion in both the 300m and 400m. Her 300m time of 40.83 was tops in the state of Illinois.
"She's a young lady with a really bright future," said Gillon. "She's a former dancer, so she's a very coordinated, powerful individual. She's going to be able to do a lot of things for us. We don't know exactly what that is just yet, but we're not going to pigeonhole anybody. We're going to train them, and see how they help us. Also being a pole vault that can sprint, the sky is the limit. With what Coach Carrel has been able to do with our pole vaulters, there's no doubt in my mind she's going to be well over 13 feet in short order. Overall, she's going to bring that versatility and strength to our program that we need to chase Big Ten Championships."
Vanessa Flaherty // LaGrange, Illinois // Lyons Township HS
Running both track and cross-country, Flaherty has exceled primarily in the 800m run where she broke the Lyons Township school record earlier this year. Outdoors, Flaherty placed eighth at IHSA State Championships, timing 2:15.71. Indoors, the senior ranked seventh in the state in the 800m. Flaherty followed that up in the outdoor season by lowering her personal-record time to 2:14.41, while placing eighth at the state meet. In cross-country, Flaherty added a top-50 finish at IHSA Championships to her resume this past fall.
"Vanessa has demonstrated she is capable of becoming a Big Ten-level runner both in cross-country and in track and field," said Assistant Coach Scott Jones. "She's demonstrated certain speed capabilities that we like to see, but she isn't afraid to race the longer distances either. I think she has a bright future ahead of her."
Grace Rogers // Glen Ellyn, Illinois // Glenbard West HS
Primarily a distance runner, Rogers competed this past fall at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional, running a 5K time of 19:06.50. At IHSA State Championships, Rogers placed has placed as high as 21st overall, finishing in the top-50 each of the last three seasons. On the track, Rogers ran the lead leg of the 4x800m relay to lead Glenbard West to a fourth-place finish IHSA State Championships. Indoors, Rogers was the West Suburban Silver Girls Conference Champion in the 3,200m as a junior placed in the top-10 at the sectional meet.
"Grace is someone who has solid marks on the track," said Jones. "She focused primarily on middle distance and relay events this outdoor season, but I think her real capabilities are in longer distances. Having that exposure to running faster events is going to prove beneficial, but, when you combine that with having run 11 minutes in the 3200m and her cross-country success, I think she's someone that can come in and make an immediate impact on our program."
Charlotte Nawor // Highland Park, Illinois // Highland Park
A five-time CSL North Girls Conference Champion, Nawor has had her most success in the 1600m. This spring, Nawor placed 19th overall at state, but has placed as high as seventh in the event at IHSA Championships during her high school career. Nawor has also won the 800m at the conference meet each of the past two years. In 2014, Nawor qualified for IHSA cross-country championships, placing 21st overall with a three-mile personal-record time of 17:18.00.
"Any time that you have a high school female coming in having ran the 1600m in under five minutes, that's a positive thing," explained Jones. "Charlotte has run 4:58, and she was also in the top-25 at the state meet as a junior. She had a broken ankle last fall, so that hindered her during the cross-country season. However, she's someone that has demonstrated being successful on the track and in cross-country. And, she's someone, along with Grace and Vanessa, that has the combination of talent, character, discipline and commitment to be successful."
