University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
Women’s Track Primed for Big Ten Championships
May 10, 2017 | Women's Track & Field
Meet held May 12-14 in University Park, Pennsylvania
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois women's track and field begins postseason competition with Big Ten Outdoor Championships on the campus of Penn State University. Held at the Nittany Lion Outdoor Track, the meet begins on Friday, May 12 and continues through finals on Sunday, May 14. Fans can stream the meet live on BTN2Go beginning at 12:30 p.m. central time on Saturday and continuing through the conclusion of the meet on Sunday.
| 2017 Outdoor Big Ten Championships | |
|---|---|
| When | Friday, May 12 - Sunday, May 14 |
| Where | Nittany Lion Outdoor Track // University Park, PA |
| Live Link | Results | Saturday Stream | Sunday Stream |
| Meet Information | Championship Central | Meet Schedule | Tickets | Credentials | Heat Sheets |
| Team Information | Meet Notes | Performance List | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Social Media | @IlliniWTrack  | #Illini | @Illiniwtrack  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Meet Notes
Follow the Meet
A live stream of the meet will be provided through BTN2Go, beginning on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. central time and continuing through the conclusion of finals on Sunday. Saturday's stream will cover all infield finals, while Sunday will feature the conclusion of field event finals and all track finals.
In addition to the stream, fans can access live results through Prime Time Timing by going to live.pttiming.com/?mid=1177. Updates throughout the weekend will be posted via @IlliniWTrack on Twitter, while a full recap will be provided on fightingillini.com following the conclusion of each day's competition.
Last Time Out
Illinois' hurdlers were on full display at Drake Relays, as Jayla Stewart set a personal-best time to win the 100m hurdles final, and the shuttle hurdle relay clocked the fifth-fastest time in school history to place second in the final. In addition to the hurdle success, Illinois scored in three relay events on the weekend.
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) sits behind Seymour in third. Nicole Choquette (800m) owns the sixth-best time in the 800m, while Valerie Bobart (3K steeplechase) ranks sixth. The 4x100m relay team and Kandie Bloch-Jones (high jump) round out the ranked Illini in seventh and tenth place, respectively.
Illini to Watch
100m Hurdles // Pedrya Seymour, Jayla Stewart
Prelims: Saturday @ 4:15pm CT // Final: Sunday @ 1:35pm CT
After Pedrya Seymour earned silver in the event at last year's Big Ten meet, the group is showing the potential to put multiple Illini on the podium in 2017. Holding the second-best time in the conference this season (13.06), Seymour will again battle fellow Bahamian Devynne Charlton of Purdue to supremacy in the Big Ten after Charlton won the 60m hurdles title at indoors earlier this season. Also vying for a spot on the podium will be Jayla Stewart after the Illini sophomore won the event at Drake Relays with a time of 13.14 that ranks third in the Big Ten.
4x100m Relay // Pedrya Seymour, Jayla Stewart, Briana Driver, Kymbriona Taylor
Final: Sunday @ 12:45pm CT
Ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 24th in the West region coming into conference championships, 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 @ 5:30pm CT
After nearly scoring at least year's Big Ten meet, the Illini senior enters this year's competition with the sixth-best mark in the conference. Having contested the event three times this season, Bobart had her best finish at the Bryan Clay Invite in April when she clocked a 10:27.46 personal record. The time was a three second improvement over her best mark from last year and puts Bobart in position to score for the Illini and qualify for the NCAA West Prelims meet for the second straight season.
High Jump // Kandie Bloch-Jones
Final: Saturday @ 1:15pm CT
Although she ranks 10th in the conference so far this season, the three-time All-American and Olympic Trails qualifier is more than capable of winning the Big Ten title in her final conference meet of her Illini career. Bloch-Jones cleared six feet twice during the indoor season and placed fourth at Big Ten Indoor Championships on her way to advancing to NCAA Championships. Outdoors, Bloch-Jones best mark came at South Carolina where she cleared 5'10" (1.78m) to win the event.
800m // Nicole Choquette
Prelims: Saturday @ 4:55pm CT // Finals: Sunday @ 2:08pm CT
Illinois' top middle distance runner, Choquette enters Big Ten Championships with the fifth-fastest mark in conference, a 2:06.56 time at Bryan Clay back in April. With the Big Ten rankings tight between No. 2 and No. 5 heading into the weekend, the Illini redshirt junior will have a good chancing at racking up a handful of points and contending for one of the top spots on the podium.
Up Next
For Illinois athletes that finish in the top-48 in the NCAA West region, NCAA West Prelims will be contested over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, in Austin, Texas.
ILLINI NOTES
Six 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 (10th) will also join her in Austin after her 13.14 PR to win the event at Drake Relays. After big performances last month in California, Nicole Choquette (27th) and Valerie Bobart (41st) both rank inside the top-48 in their events, while Kandie Bloch-Jones (20th/high jump) and the 4x100m relay team (25th) are also on pace to qualify.
| Rk. | Athlete | Event | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Pedrya Seymour | 100m Hurdles | 13.06 seconds |
| 10 | Jayla Stewart | 100m Hurdles | 13.28 seconds |
| 20 | Kandie Bloch-Jones | High Jump | 5'10" (1.78m) |
| 25 | 4x100m Relay | 4x100m Relay | 45.01 |
| 27 | Nicole Choquette | 800m | 2:05.56 |
| 41 | Valerie Bobart | 3K Steeplechase | 10:27.46 |
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 Indoor 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.
