CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –Following a sweep of the Border Battle last weekend in Iowa City, the Orange and Blue host their home opener on Saturday, January 14 with the annual Illini Classic. Hosting 11 teams, the meet will begin at 9 a.m. central time. The top athletes in the meet will compete during the orange session, which begins at 3 p.m.
Meet Notes
Orange (Session) is the New Blue
With two sessions of track events scheduled for the meet, the top athletes from each event will square off in the orange session, beginning with the 60m dash finals at 3 p.m. In addition to the top track events, the high jump and men's weight throw will also be contested during the orange session.
New Year, New Video Board
During the month of December, the UI Armory received an upgrade with the addition of a video board, located on the west wall of the track. Measuring 14 1/2 feet tall and 26 feet wide, the board will enhance the Illini fan experience during home meets this season.
Last Year at the Illini Classic
The Fighting Illini wrapped up the Illini Classic title with 185 points to win the team competition. Anchored by Jonathan Wells' two event titles, the Orange and Blue racked up 11 individual crowns on the day, including three freshman winning their first collegiate events: Devin Quinn (200m), Konrad Eiring (600m) and Jared Christiansen (800m).
A Look at the Competition
The Fighting Illini welcome in 11 teams from around the state and Midwest region, as Bradley, Butler, DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Southern Illinois, Saint Louis, Western Michigan and Tennessee Tech will each have athletes competing.
Events To Watch
High Jump: Two-time All-American in the event, Jonathan Wells will be making his season debut on Saturday. Challenging the Illini junior will be Notre Dame's Matthew Birzer who placed runner-up at ACC Championships last season with a height of 7'1" (2.16m). Birzer is off to a similar start in 2017, marking 7'0.5" (2.15m) at the Blue & Gold Invitational last month. Wells' indoor personal-record is 7'2.5" (2.20m) set at the Illini Classic two years ago, just shy of the Illinois indoor school record of 7'3" (2.21m), set by Gail Olson in 1979 and 1980.
Weight Throw: Illinois throwers Michael Hyc and Matsen Dziedzic are coming off of an impressive 1-2 finish at the Border Battle, highlighted by Hyc's personal-best throw of 63'9.75" (19.45m) that ranked third on Illinois' all-time list. The Illini duo will be throwing along side some of the best early season marks in the country. DePaul's Trevor Kintyhtt enters the meet with the 10th-best throw this season, marking 66'2.25" (20.17m) at the Blue & Gold Invite, while Southern Illinois' Isaac Ingram marked 64'5.25" (19.64m) at the Saluki Fast Start, ranking 23rd in the country. Hyc's mark of 63'9.75" (19.45m) is close behind in 27th place, while Dziedzic's runner-up throw of 61'0.75" (18.61m) at the Border Battle sits 44th in the country.
60m Hurdles: In his first 60m hurdles race since 2015, David Kendziera shook off the rust quickly to defeat 2016 Big Ten 60m hurdle champion Aaron Mallet in the Border Battle final with a time of 7.80m that currently ranks third in Division I. Kendziera will be joined by Big Ten point scorer Jonathan Wells in the event. Wells owns a personal-best time of 7.96, set in the Big Ten prelims last February.
200m: Illini fans will get their first look at true freshman Josh Eiker in person on Saturday, as the IHSA 200m state record holder begins his Illini career. In his collegiate debut last weekend, Eiker posted a meet record time of 21.38 that fell 0.02 seconds shy of Illinois' top-10 list. Joining the freshman is a pair of sophomores in Devin Quinn and Joe Haight. Quinn's time of 21.20 at Big Ten Indoor Championships last February is tied for seventh all-time in school history. Notre Dame's Alex Groesch will be the top challenger as the senior enteres with a time of 21.91 after being Second Team All-ACC as a junior.
Pole Vault: One of the under-the-radar performances by an Illini at the Border Battle was Jacob LaRocca in the pole vault. The second-year Illini didn't compete last season, but cleared 16'6.75" (5.05m) in his debut last Saturday. Competing against the Illini vaulter will be Nate Richartz of Notre Dame who enters with a 16'4.75" (5.00m) mark to begin the season.
Illini Notes
Illini In the Rankings
Coach Turk's squad enters the second week of their season with five individuals and the 4x400m relay team with a mark that ranks in the top-25 in the country. Kendziera leads the five individuals with his 7.80 time in the 60m hurdles that ranks third-best in the nation, followed by Josh Eiker's 21.38 time in the 200m dash, ranking sixth in the country. Luke Brahm ranks 11th in the 1,000m, Jacob LaRocca 18th in the pole vault and Devin Quinn 22nd in the 60m. The 4x400m relay clocked the 10th-best time in the country at the Border Battle with a 3:13.46 performance to open the season.
Illini Sweep Border Battle
Nine Fighting Illini won event titles at the third annual Border Battle, as the Orange and Blue swept the rivalry meet against Missouri (106-28) and Iowa (85-74) on Saturday afternoon. David Kendziera, Devin Quinn, Michael Hyc, Parker Deloye, Cole Henderson, Jacob LaRocca, Josh Eiker, Luke Brahm and Alex Gold each won events, while five freshmen made their Illini debut.
Illini Return Veteran Squad
Head Coach Mike Turk and staff return 26 letterwinners from last year's squad, including All-Americans David Kendziera, Jonathan Wells, Dylan Lafond, Cole Henderson, Kenneth Allen and Mo Maat. Kendziera earned four All-America honors as a sophomore in 2015 and qualified for Olympic Trials in the 400m hurdles last summer. Jonathan Wells earned First Team All-America honors in the high jump last winter for the first time in his career, while 2015 steeplechase All-American Dylan Lafond returns for his senior season after competing at Olympic Trials in July. Henderson, Allen and Maat return with experience on Illinois' All-American 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams two seasons ago.
Going the Distance
Distance coach Jake Stewart has restored the Illinois men's distance program to one of the best in the Big Ten and a competitor on the national stage. During the 2016 cross country season, Coach Stewart guided the Illini to the program's first NCAA Championships appearance in 30 years. On the track, Stewart has coached nine All-America performances, including Dylan Lafond who returns in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Illini Welcome 11 Freshmen
In addition to the talent returning to campus for the 2017 season, Coach Turk will welcome in 11 freshmen after the group impressed in their final season in high school. In total, the 11 new Illini combined for 17 IHSA state championships between cross country and track and field. At the 2016 IHSA state meet, the signees hauled in seven state titles, three runner-up finishes and tallied 107 team points.
Turk Tabs Talented Trio to Class of 2017
Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field Head Coach Mike Turk announced the signing of three student-athletes to the 2017 class on November 22. All hailing from the state of Illinois, the trio has combined for two individual IHSA state championships and six other top-eight finishes. Thrower Bill Matzek scored in the shot put and discus at 2016 IHSA Championships, while Curtis Gordon (pole vault) and Brayden Hamblen (cross country) both won state titles during their junior seasons.
Next Up
The Fighting Illini will travel to Lexington, Kentucky for the two-day Rod McCravy Memorial meet. Competition begins on Friday, Janauary 20 and concludes the following afternoon. Teams currently expected to participate include Baylor, Clemson, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Mississippi, Penn State, Purdue, Texas and USC.
