Full Results
AUSTIN, TX – David Kendziera advanced to NCAA quarterfinals in the 400m hurdles on day one of NCAA West Prelims at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Kendziera ran the fourth-fastest time, 51.02 to win his heat and finish with the fourth-best time in qualifying. Illinois' other big performance of the day came in the field where Michael Hyc set a new lifetime-best hammer throw of 204'5" (62.32m).
"It's the best he's looked in awhile," said Head Coach Mike Turk. "This was what I was waiting to see from him the last several weeks. We've backed off the training a bit, and he ran a really smart race today."
David Kendziera cruised into the quarterfinal round in the 400m hurdles with a heat-five victory to earn an automatic bid into the final. Kendziera crossed the finish line in 51.02, 0.43 seconds faster than A.J. Boully (Utah State) in second place. Overall, the Illini hurdler's ranked fourth in the 48-hurdler field.
"He got out in a good position," Turk said of Kendziera. "Much different to Big Tens where he still didn't get out as well, he got out well today and manage his effort. He also achieved something with his stride pattern through the race that he wasn't able to do before. He was able to run 13 strides through seven hurdles tonight."
Along with advancing in the 400m hurdles, Kendziera was named one of 11 District 5 winners of the College Sports Information Director Association All-District award. A four-time All-American on the track, Kendziera also holds a 3.75 GPA in anthropology.
"He's a guy that's worked really hard. I think this is a really gratifying thing to see him get rewarded for the excellence he's shown in the classroom because I know how hard he's worked to get to that level."
It was a big day in the hammer throw for Michael Hyc, as the Illini thrower twice set a personal-best mark in his first NCAA Prelims. Hyc started competition by adding four inches to his career best with a heave of 197'11" (60.32m) on his first attempt. Hyc muscled up again on his second attempt, this time surpassing his first throw by six-and-a-half feet. Seeded 47th in the West region, the 204'5" (62.32m) mark placed him second in flight one and 26th overall.
"This was a real breakthrough performance for Mike, and it's one he's been looking for quite awhile," Turk said. "After a great indoor season, the outdoor season got off to a rough start for him. The thing I'm really happy about is that midseason things weren't going real well for him, and we decided to rework his technique a little bit. We did that, and we saw the result of that today. I thought he executed really well. I feel like if the season was a couple weeks long, I think he'd be poised to put out another big performance. I think this will be another springboard performance for him going into next year."
After his big personal-record jump (24'11") at Big Ten Championships, Jonathan Wells nearly equaled the jump twice on Thursday in NCAA Prelims. Wells leaped 24'9" (7.54m) to start competition, and then improved his mark on his second attempt with jump of 24'10.5" (7.58m). Seeded 28th in the region, Wells bettered his seed by seven spots to finish 21st in the field.
Two Illini seniors concluded their careers at Illinois today, as Aaron Wilks marked 196'10" (59.99m) in the javelin and Sean Pengelly clocked 31:30.50 in the 10,000m.
"I'm really going to miss Aaron and Sean," Turk said of the two seniors. "I thought Aaron took the kind of chances that he needed to do to give himself a chance today. Sean didn't get a lot of pats on the back, but he did a lot for us in a short time at Illinois, especially in cross country this year. It's bittersweet to see their careers come to an end, but we'll have fond memories of both of those guys."
The Illini are back in action tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. as they continue competition at NCAA Prelims. Day two begins with Michael Hyc in the shot put, followed by four Illini in track events. The 110m hurdles and 200m dash will contest first round heats, while the 400m hurdles and 3,000m steeplechase will hold its quarterfinal rounds. The meet can be streamed throughout the weekend for free here, while live results can be accessed here.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniMTrack) and Instagram (@IlliniMTrack) and like Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field on Facebook.
Illinois Individual Results (Full Results)
400m Hurdles:
4. David Kendziera, 51.02Q
Hammer Throw:
26. Michael Hyc, 204'5" (62.32m)
Long Jump:
21. Jonathan Wells, 24'10.5" (7.58m)
Javelin:
32. Aaron Wilks, 196'10" (59.99m)
10,000m:
36. Sean Pengelly, 31:30.50
100m:
40. Devin Quinn, 10.49
1500m:
42. Jesse Reiser, 4:02.87
800m:
47. Konrad Eiring, 1:56.27
