AMES, Iowa – Five Fighting Illini women's track and field athletes set personal record performances on day one of the Iowa State Classic inside the Lied Recreation Center. Freshman Rebecca Craddock led the way with the seventh-fastest 3,000m race in school history, clocking 9:33.76. For complete results from day one, click here.
"We're a little thin on people, and we're really young, but we've got some fighters out there," head coach Mike Turk said of the Illini women's team. "We've got some kids that'll really battle."
In Illinois' final competition of day one, freshmen Rebecca Craddock and Allison McGrath clocked big improvements on their personal-best 3,000m times to end the day on a high note.
For Craddock, the 9:33.76 time marked a 12 second improvement from her collegiate debut three weeks ago at Nebraska as the freshman distance runner won her section of the 3,000 meters. Craddock has now set a personal record in each of her first four races this season.
"Rebecca ran absolutely incredible," coach Turk said of Craddock's race. "We seeded her into a race that we thought would pull around and be a little more competitive than it was. So, by the time she hit halfway through the race she was running by herself. I think she kept her composure, kept pounding away and laid it all out there. It was a great performance for her."
Not to be outdone, fellow freshman Allison McGrath clocked a big personal record of her own, finishing the 3K in less than 10 minutes for the first time in her career. The 9:56.41 showing is 21 seconds faster than her previous time.
"And," coach Turk continued, "Allison ran a 20-second personal record, just a great, great run for her to get under 10 minutes."
Leading the way for the Illini in the first session of day one was a trio of Illinois long jumpers who scored for the Orange and Blue in the horizontal jumps, led by junior Sade Hargrove in second place.
Hargrove earned the runner-up finish when she set a new personal record on her final jump of competition. Ranking sixth through five turns, the third-year Illini unleashed a 18'10" (5.74m) personal record performance, surpassing her previous best (18'1.75") by more than eight inches, to move into second place.
Junior Janile Rogers took third with a mark of 18'8" (5.69m) on her fifth jump of the day, while junior Briana Driver also used her fifth jump, traveling 18'6" (5.64m), to finish fourth.
Joining Hargrove in setting a personal record this afternoon was freshman Amira Aduma in the 200m dash. In lane six of heat three, the first-year Illini lowered her time under 25 seconds for the first time this season, clocking 24.69 to win her heat. Aduma's time was good for fourth overall, which was joined by teammate Janile Rogers' sixth-best time of 25.05 in the top-10. Junior Emone' Davis also set a personal-best time in the event, finishing in 25.93.
"She's a fighter," Turk said of Aduma. "She just goes out there and battles. I just love her attitude when she steps on the track. She doesn't back down, she just goes out there and bangs away at it. It's fun to watch her."
The Fighting Illini conclude the Iowa State Classic on Saturday, February 10, at 12 p.m. central time. The meet can be streamed live on FloTrack with a subscription to the platform. Live results can be accessed at https://results.flotrack.org/mid_1347.
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