110m Hurdle Results | 400m Hurdle Results | NCAA Championships Schedule and Results
Eugene, Ore. - Illinois hurdler David Kendziera proved why he's the best dual hurdler in NCAA Division I on Wednesday night, as the Illini redshirt junior set personal-best times in both events to advance to the NCAA Final in both events. Kendziera registered the top time in the 110m hurdles with a 13.39 time that ranks second in Illinois history. He returned an hour later to post a 49.00 time in the 400m hurdles, advancing with the fifth-fastest time among qualifiers.
"The last couple of weeks for him have been fantastic," said Head Coach Mike Turk. "I wasn't really surprised to see a performance like that out of him. I could see that one coming, and I'm just happy for him. The big part of it is just being able to get inside your own competition and doing your thing, especially in a volatile event like the hurdles. It's also a credit to Coach Wheatley who's prepared him for that. [Kendziera} has been here and done this before."
The finals appearance in the 400m hurdles will be the second of Kendziera's career after taking third in 2015, while the Illini redshirt junior has made it to his first 110m hurdles final after just missing the cut two years ago with an 11th place finish.
"I think both of them work on top of each other," Kendziera explained. "In the 110m [hurdles] it's about getting the foot speed down and the 400m hurdles is about having that strength for the entire race. I think it's helped me become a better hurdler. I think I'm finally getting the foot speed that I need.
Racing out of lane five in the high hurdles, Kendziera posted the fastest qualifying time with a 13.39 finish. A 0.17 improvement over his 13.56 personal-best time at 2015 NCAA Championships, Kendziera edged Grant Halloway (13.41) of Florida and Alabama's Ruebin Walters (13.43).
"Competition is great, but what we've done in practice has really helped," said Kendziera. "We've started cutting in the hurdles a little bit more and that's really helped me get quick steps and more rhythym between each hurdle."
Not since Andrew Riley had an Illinois 110m hurdler ran as fast as Kendziera did on Wednesday night. Racing out of lane five, Kendziera moved past Vanier Joseph (13.41) and Cam Viney (13.52) to take over second place on the all-time list. Kendziera will look to become the first Illini since Riley to win an NCAA title. A four-time NCAA Champion, Riley won the 110m hurdles in 2012 while also winning the 100m dash crown.
Less than an hour after crossing the finish line in the 110m hurdles, Kendziera returned to the track to punch a second ticket to finals on Friday. Racing in the fastest section of the 400m hurdles semifinals, Kendziera clocked a 49.00 time that shaved 0.56 seconds off of his previous personal-best, which also came at NCAA Championships back in 2015. While the time did not earn him one the heat's two automatic qualifying spots, Kendziera earned the second at-large bid to the finals.
The only other event of the day for the Illini came in the 3,000m steeplechase semifinal, as Dylan Lafond concluded his Illinois career with a 9:17.29 time in section one. A three-time All-American between cross country and track, Lafond leaves Illinois with three school records and the 2017 Big Ten title in the steeplechase.
Up next, David Kendziera will look to become the first Illini to win an NCAA title since 2012 as he contests the 110m hurdles (8:12 p.m. CT) and 400m hurdles finals (8:57 p.m.) on Friday evening. Also competing for the Illini will be Jonathan Wells in the high jump (7 p.m.) and Jon Davis in the 5,000m (9:25 p.m.).
