CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –Illinois men's track and field heads to Normal, Illinois for the 2017 Illinois State Redbird Invite, held April 7-8 at the Redbird Track Complex. The hammer throw will be contested on Friday at 3:30 p.m., while the remaining events will follow on Saturday.
Meet Notes
Follow the Meet
Fans and media can follow the action with live results available at goredbirds.com and through enduranceracetiming.com. A full recap will be provided on fightingillini.com after the conclusion of the meet.
Last Time Out
Split across three meets, the Illini recorded five event titles, as David Kendziera won the 110m hurdles competition at the Texas Relays, while Matsen Dziedzic (hammer throw), Jacob LaRocca (pole vault, Kenneth Allen (400m) and Dylan Lafond (1500m) won events at the EIU Big Blue Classic. Kendziera's 110m hurdles time ranks second in NCAA Division I, while Matsen Dziedzic won the event with a personal-record throw of 195'0" (59.44m) that ranks second in Illinois history.
Illini Competitions to Watch
400m Hurdles // David Kendziera
Final - Saturday @ 4:30pm
David Kendziera further made his claim for one of the top hurdlers in the country last weekend, as the redshirt junior set top-10 times in NCAA Division I at Texas Relays last weekend. Kendziera won the 110m hurdles with the second-best time in the country, 13.60, and took fourth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 50.35 that ranks eighth in the country. A 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 400m hurdles, Kendziera was a First Team All-American in the event as a sophomore in 2015.
4x100m Relay // Mo Maat, Josh Eiker, Devin Quinn and Joe Haight
Final - Saturday @ 1:30pm
The sprint relay team opened the season with their fastest time to date, a 39.68 performance at the UNLV Invite, which ranks 20th in NCAA Division I so far this season. Last weekend, the four Illini took sixth at the 90th Texas Relay, again clocking a sub-40 time in prelims (39.91) and coming just shy in the final (40.02). Comprised of a junior, two sophomores and a freshman, the young group has the potential for continued growth throughout the season.
Hammer Throw // Matsen Dziedzic
Final // Friday @ 3:00 p.m. (30 minutes following women's hammer throw)
Matsen Dziedzic is coming off a lifetime best throw of 195'0" (59.44m) to win the event last weekend at the Eastern Illinois Big Blue Classic. The mark moved the junior thrower from eighth to fourth on the program's all-time list. However, it's his competitiveness that has impressed Coach Turk the most in recent weeks, as he sees Dziedzic putting together good series and ending with his best throw of the competition. Dziedzic has won both hammer throws on his last attempt this outdoor season.
Up Next
Illinois will again compete across three meets, as the team heads to California next week for the Mt. SAC Relays, Beach Invite and Bryan Clay Invite. The Illini will compete at Mt. SAC Relays April 13-15, while contesting events at the Beach and Bryan Clay Invites on Friday, April 14.
Illini Notes
David Kendziera Leads Big Ten Hurdlers
Fighting Illini redshirt junior David Kendziera holds the fastest conference times in both the 110m hurdles (13.60) and 400m hurdles (50.35) after lowering his time in both events at the Texas Relays. Also ranked amongst the Big Ten's best, Jon Davis set the second-fastest 1500m time in the Big Ten (3:45.64) at Stanford last weekend, while Devin Quinn (100m/10.43), 4x100m relay (39.68) each rank third. In total, the Illini claim 16 performances that rank in the Big Ten's top-10.
Four Illini Nationally Ranked in Top-25
After spending the first three weeks of the outdoor season holding the fastest 110m hurdles time in the country, David Kendziera currently ranks second in the country behind Kentucky's Nick Anderson who timed 13.59 at the Florida Relays. The Illini hurdler also ranks in the top-10 of the 400m hurdles, staking claim to the eighth fastest time in the nation with a 50.35 performance at the Texas Relays. The 4x100m relay ranks 17th with a time of 39.68, while Devin Quinn owns the 20th-fastest 100m dash with a time of 10.43.
Kendziera Wins at Texas Relays, Dziedzic Impresses at EIU
David Kendziera clocked the second-fastest 110m hurdles time in NCAA Division thus far, a 13.60 showing in the final, to win the event at the 90th running of the Texas Relays. Kendziera edged USC's Marquis Morris at the line by 0.01 seconds to win the event, while also taking fourth in the 400m hurdles. Back in the state of Illinois, Matsen Dziedzic set a 10-foot personal-record heave in the hammer throw to win the event. The throw of 195'0" (59.44m) moves him into fourth place on Illinois' all-time list.
Kendziera Named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week
Fighting Illini hurdler David Kendziera was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week by the Big Ten office following the opening week of the outdoor season. The redshirt junior won both the 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles at the UNLV Invite on March 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kendziera's time of 13.73 in the 110m hurdles leads NCAA Division I through the first week of the season.
Sprints and Hurdles Dominate at UNLV Invite
The Fighting Illini men's track and field team began outdoor competition with nine event titles at the UNLV Invite on March 18, including a sweep of the sprints and hurdles events. David Kendziera and Devin Quinn both contributed two event titles to lead the Illini and the 4x100m relay team clocked a sub-40 time in their season debut. The Illini placed first in the eight-team competition, scoring 174 points.
Kendziera, Wells Earn First Team All-America Honors at NCAA Championships
David Kendziera placed fourth in the 60m hurdles and Jonathan Wells broke his own Illinois school record in the heptathlon, as both Illini earned First Team All-America honors at 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships. It's Kendziera's fourth All-America honor, while Wells' takes home his third All-America accolade. The Illini placed 30th overall in the 62-team field.
USTFCCCA Tabs Illini 14th Best Program in the Country
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranked the Illinois men's cross country and track and field program best in the Big Ten and No. 14 overall through the end of the indoor season. The Illini placed 23rd at the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships and tied for 30th at last weekend's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Jonathan Wells Wins High Jump Big Ten Title
Illinois junior Jonathan Wells cleared five bars, including his final height of 7'1.5" (2.17m), to win the Big Ten indoor high jump title on Saturday afternoon at the Spire Institute. Wells defeated Indiana contestants Treyton Harris and Paul Galas after Wells cleared the final height on two attempts as opposed to Harris and Galas on three tries. Overall, the Illini recorded 51.5 points across 13 scoring performances and placed ninth in the team competition. 60m hurdler David Kendziera set the second fastest time in school history, 7.69, to place runner-up in the event.
Jonathan Wells Breaks Heptathlon School Record
After redshirting last spring to focus on the multievents, Jonathan Wells broke the Illinois heptathlon school record in his first competition of the season, and then did so again at NCAA Championships. The Illini junior, a redshirt sophomore for the 2017 outdoor season, scored 5,685 points to pass Steve Monte's 5,577 points scored four years ago in 2013. Already a two-time All-American in the high jump, Wells brings versatility to Coach Turk's squad.
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.
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