University of Illinois
Drake Relays
Illinois Concludes Regular Season at Drake Relays
April 26, 2017 | Women's Track & Field
Shuttle hurdle relay to defend title
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –The Orange and Blue conclude their 2017 regular season with the annual Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet begins the evening of Thursday, April 27 and continues through Saturday, April 29.
| Drake Relays | |
|---|---|
| When | Thursday, April 27 - Saturday, April 29 |
| Where | Drake Stadium // Des Moines, Iowa |
| Live Link | Results | Stream |
| Meet Information | Meet Home | Schedule | Start List |
| Team Information | Meet Notes | Performance List | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Social Media | @IlliniWTrack  | #Illini | @Illiniwtrack  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Illini Hurdlers To Defend Shuttle Hurdle Title
The Orange and Blue return all four legs of the shuttle hurdle relay victory at last year's Drake Relays. Pedrya Seymour, Jayla Stewart, Kortni Smyers-Jones and Jasmine Berry combined for a time of 54.76, just shying of the top-five in Illinois history. It was the first time the Illini had won the event at Drake since 2001.
Follow the Meet
Live results will be provided through godrakebulldogs.com/drake/track. Fans can also follow @IlliniMTrack on Twitter for updates throughout the competition. A full recap will be provided on fightingillini.com following the conclusion of competition.
Last Time Out
Five Illini won events, as the Illini won the Illinois Twilight with 127 points. Pedrya Seymour led the way with victories in the 110m hurdles (13.14) and 200m dash (24.32). Also winning events were Kandie Bloch-Jones (high jump), Sade Hargrove (100m) and Chisom Nwoko (400m). Briana Driver moved into the top-48 in the NCAA West qualifying list with a wind-legal jump of 19'10.25" (6.05m).
Illini to Watch
Shuttle Hurdle Relay // Pedrya Seymour, Jayla Stewart, Kortni Smyers-Jones, Jasmine Berry
Prelims: Saturday @ 10:50am // Final: Saturday @ 12:20pm
The defending shuttle hurdle relay champs return the full foursome that won the event last year, as All-American Pedrya Seymour leads the group along with NCAA West Prelims qualifiers Jayla Stewart and Kortni Smyers-Jones. The Illini swept the top-three spots in the 100m hurdles at the Illinois Twilight last weekend and will look to continue their success at Drake this weekend.
4x100m Relay
Prelims: Friday @ 11:55am // Final: Saturday @ 3:13pm
Ranked 24th in the West region coming into the weekend, the 4x100m relay team will again try to drop below the 45-second threshold. Using a variety of combinations this season, the Illini found their best performance to-date at the Houston Alumni Invite earlier this month where Briana Driver, Janile Rogers, Jayla Stewart and Pedrya Seymour clocked 45.01.
3K Steeplechase // Valerie Bobart
Final: Saturday @ 9:35am
After setting a personal-best time (10:27.46) in the event out in California two weeks ago, Bobart returns to the meet where she set her best time last season. Currently ranked 37th in the NCAA West region, the Illini senior will look to further secure her spot at the NCAA meet in Austin by dropping her time further on Saturday.
Triple Jump // Kortni Smyers-Jones
Final: Saturday @ 9:30am
Sitting on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA Prelims meet, senior Kortni Smyers-Jones will look to move into the field with a big performance on Saturday in the triple jump. Two weeks ago at Ball State, Smyers-Jones marked an outdoor personal-best jump of 40'2.25" (12.25m), which currently ranks 51st in the region. The Illini senior proved indoors she's capable of jumping further, as she marked 40'4.25" (12.30m) at Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Up Next
The Illini will have a week off from competition as they begin preparation for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, May 12-14, in State College, Pennsylvania. The finals on Sunday, May 14 will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
ILLINI NOTES
Seven Illini Performances Rank in West Region
With only a month to go until the NCAA West Prelims in Austin, Texas, and the Illini currently have eight performances that rank within the top-48 needed to qualify for the meet. Pedrya Seymour leads all Illini with the fifth-best 100m hurdles time in the West, a 13.06 showing at the EIU Big Blue Classic. Fellow hurdler Jayla Stewart (12th) will also join her in Austin. After big performances two weeks ago in California, Nicole Choquette and Valerie Bobart both rank inside the top-40 in their events, while Kandie Bloch-Jones (15th/high jump) and the 4x100m relay team (24th) are also among the top-48. Just outside the qualifying list is Kortni Smyers-Jones in both the 100m hurdles and triple jump.
| Rk. | Athlete | Event | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Pedrya Seymour | 100m Hurdles | 13.06 seconds |
| 12 | Jayla Stewart | 100m Hurdles | 13.28 seconds |
| 15 | Kandie Bloch-Jones | High Jump | 5'10" (1.78m) |
| 19 | Nicole Choquette | 800m | 2:06.56 |
| 24 | 4x100m Relay | 4x100m Relay | 45.01 |
| 37 | Valerie Bobart | 3K Steeplechase | 10:27.46 |
| 37 | Briana Driver | Long Jump | 6.05m |
Illini in the Big Ten
Six Illini performances rank among the best in the Big Ten conference with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. Pedrya Seymour ranks second in the 100m hurdles, while Jayla Stewart (100m hurdles) Nicole Choquette (800m) own the fourth-best times in their events and Valerie Bobart (Steeplechase) ranks fifth. The 4x100m relay team and Kandie Bloch-Jones (high jump) round out the ranked Illini in sixth and eighth place, respectively.
Seymour Sets PR And Takes 3rd at NCAA indoor Championships
Illinois 60m hurdler Pedrya Seymour placed third in the final at NCAA Championships with a personal-best time of 7.97 on Saturday evening at the Rhonda and Frosty Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium. The All-America honor is the third of Seymour's career, while the third-place finish in the 60m hurdles is the best by an Illini since 2003 when Perdita Felicien took third as well.
Seymour Places Runner-up, Bloch-Jones and Stewart Score at Big Tens
The Fighting Illini women's track and field team received point-scoring performances in the 60m hurdles, high jump and 4x400m relay as Big Ten Indoor Championships concluded on Saturday afternoon inside the Spire Institute. Seymour led the trio of Illini with a runner-up finish in the 60m hurdles, tying her 7.98 personal-record, while Bloch-Jones (fourth), Stewart (sixth) and the 4x400m relay team (seventh) also placed on day two of the meet.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Women's Track and Field, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniWTrack) and Instagram (@IlliniWTrack) and like Fighting Illini Women's Track and Field on Facebook.
