The Fighting Illini won nine events at the Illinois State Redbird Invite, five on the track and four in field events. Head Coach Mike Turk honored five Illini following the performances last weekend: Aaron Wilks (field), Josh Eiker (sprints), Tony Zea (distance), Noah Adams (rookie) and Joe Haight (special). 

Field Athletes of the Week: Aaron Wilks

For the second week in a row, an Illini thrower set a personal-record by 10 feet. Wilks marked the third best javelin throw in Illinois history, a heave of 220'4.25" (67.17m). The mark improves upon his 210'1" (64.04m) performance at the Illini Open last season. 

Sprints Athlete of the Week: Josh Eiker

Freshman Josh Eiker set the fastest time in the Big Ten so far this season, clocking 20.45 to win the 200m on Saturday. Edging out teammate Devin Quinn by 0.04 seconds, Eiker also defeated Derrius Rodgers (Illinois State) who entered the meet ranked 12th in the nation in the event. 

Distance Athlete of the Week: Tony Zea

Zea led the Illini in distance events at the Redbird Invite, as he was the first on the team to finish the 1500m race, taking fourth overall. 

Rookie Athlete of the Week: Noah Adams

The Illini freshman high jumper had his best performance of the outdoor season last Saturday. Adams cleared 6'7" (2.01m) in the competition, placing fourth. 

Special Athlete of the Week: Joe Haight

Haight had a trio of strong performances in Normal last weekend, helping the Illini win two relays and score in the open 100m. In 100m dash, Haight twice clocked a personal-record time, first in prelims and then in the final, as he took third with a time of 10.57. Haight also ran legs in both the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay, helping the Illini win both events.