University of Illinois
Bill Cornell Spring Classic
Illini Track Opens Outdoor Season Saturday at SIU
March 22, 2018 | Women's Track & Field, Men's Track & Field
Saturday's competition begins at 11 a.m. central time
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini track and field resumes their 2018 season with the start of the outdoor portion of their schedule as they head to Southern Illinois for the SIU Bill Cornell Classic. The discus will be contested on Friday, March 23, while the rest of the meet will be held on Saturday, March 24.
| Bill Cornell Spring Classic | |
|---|---|
| When | Friday, March 23 - Saturday, March 24 |
| Where | Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex // Carbondale, Ill. |
| Meet Information | Schedule | Live Results |
| Men's Team Information | Meet Notes | Performance List | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Women's Team Information | Meet Notes | Performance List | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Social Media |
@IlliniMTrack @IlliniWTrack |
| 
| 
| 
Meet Information
Held at the Lew Hartzog Track and Field Complex, the two-day meet begins Friday with the discus throw at 3:30 p.m. with all other on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. All running events will be multiple heat finals against time, while the top-nine marks of field events will advance to finals. There will not be team scoring for the meet.
Illini to Watch
100m // Cole Henderson
It'd be hard to find an Illini who finished their indoor season on a higher note than Cole Henderson. Not only placing for the first time at Big Ten Championships, Henderson unleashed a personal-best 60m dash time of 6.70 in prelims that was nearly a tenth better than his previous personal record, ranking fourth all-time. Proving it was no fluke, Henderson followed it up with a 6.73 time to place fourth in the final. Turning to the outdoor season, Henderson is coming off a junior season that saw his first individual Big Ten final (100m) and a Big Ten Championship as the lead leg of Illinois' 4x100m relay.
400m // Chisom Nwoko
Much the same as Henderson, Chisom Nwoko will be looking to build off an exemplary finish to her sophomore indoor season. Shaving multiple seconds off her personal record heading into the season, the Illini sprinter moved into second place all-time on the program's indoor 400m list with a 53.26 time in the Big Ten semifinal in route to her first scoring performance at the conference meet. Nwoko will look to carry that confidence into the outdoor season in hopes of making her first NCAA Prelims meet.
Hammer Throw // Michael Hyc
The last time the Illini senior thrower competed in a hammer throw competition, it resulted in a two-meter improvement at NCAA Prelims last May. Moving into second place on the all-time list, Hyc marked 204'5" (62.32m) and will look to build off of that performance in Austin, Texas in 2018.
Pole Vault // Sara McKeeman
Entering her final season with the Orange and Blue, McKeeman is carrying the confidence of her first Big Ten place finish and a big personal record to go with it. Placing fifth, McKeeman cleared two bars that surpassed her previous career best, concluding with a 13;4.5" (4.08m) mark, just shy of second place Jen DeBellis (13'5.5") on Illinois' all-time list.
Illini Notes
David Kendziera Pre-Season Ranked Top Five in Hurdles by Flo
A dual threat in the outdoor hurdle events, redshirt senior David Kendziera ranks in the top-five of both the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles after earning First-Team All-America honors in both events in 2017. Flo ranks Kendziera third in the high hurdles and fourth in the intermediate hurdles, both tops in the Big Ten to begin the season.
Freshman Phenom Begins Sophomore Season
Racking up awards from Big Ten Freshman of the Year to NCAA Midwest Regional Athlete of the Year this past indoor season, Jon Davis begins his sophomore outdoor season after earning All-America honors in the 5K last season and 3K this indoor season. Setting the second-best 5K mark in school history at the Mt. SAC Relays, Davis set program indoor records in the mile and 3K. Davis earned his second career All-America honor at NCAA Indoors in the 3K.
Illini Sprint Relay Eyes Eugene
After falling a couple spots shy of qualifying for NCAA Finals last spring, the Orange and Blue return their entire unit from last year's Big Ten title. Featuring three upperclassmen, including two seniors, the Illini return a top time of 39.42 from last season that ranks fifth in program history. Senior Cole Henderson primarily held down the lead off leg last season, followed by senior Mo Maat and sophomore Josh Eiker, and anchored by junior Devin Quinn.
Illini Women Return Prelims Qualifiers Choquette and Stewart
A women's squad that features 22 newcomers to the team in its first season under head coach Mike Turk, the Illini will be led by 2017 NCAA West Prelims qualifiers Nicole Choquette and Jayla Stewart. A two-time qualifier in the 800m, Choquette clocked 2:06.25 at Big Ten Championships last season, seventh fastest in Illini history, to place sixth. Like Choquette, Stewart moved up the Illini all-time list with a 13.14 victorious 100m hurdle time at Drake Relays and placed seventh at Big Ten Championships. Both Illini took bronze in their respective events at last month's indoor conference meet.
Lightning Quick
Illinois short sprinter Devin Quinn is quickly putting himself into the ranks of all-time great sprinters in Illini history, and will look to continue his ascent outdoors. After a 6.69 performance in the 60m dash at Nebraska on January 20, Quinn ranks third behind former Illini Andrew Riley (6.57) and Dominique Worsley (6.62). The junior from Punta Gorda, Florida also stakes claim to the second fastest indoor 200m mark in program history, a 20.87 mark at 2018 Big Ten Indoor Championships. Last spring, Quinn timed 10.20, breaking the Illinois Track Stadium facility record and leading the Big Ten regular season list.
Chisom Nwoko Breaks Out
Lowering her time in all-but-one 400m race this season, the Illini sophomore sprinter quickly climbed the Big Ten and NCAA lists all the way through Big Ten Championships. Nwoko ended the indoor season with the second-fastest time in Illinois history, 53.26, to score at the conference meet for the first time. Ranking 31st nationally, Nwoko is primed to carry the success onto the outdoor track.
Craddock, Aduma Make Waves in First Indoor Season
A pair of Illinois freshman showed the potential the Illini coaching staff recruited them for with impressive starts to their collegiate careers. Moving into the top-10 all-time list in both the mile and 3K, Rebecca Craddock set a personal record in five of the six races she contested and scored in the mile at Big Tens. Nearly making the 100m final in her debut season, Aduma also showed promise with impressive final two races. The Hampton, Virginia native shaved five hundredths off her PR in each of her final two meets, down to 7.52, and nearly made the Big Ten final. Aduma also clocked a 24.68 PR in the 200m at the conference meet.
Up Next
The Illini will split the final weekend of March between the Stanford Invite and the Ole Miss Classic. The Stanford Invite begins on Friday, March 30, while the Ole Miss Classic will take place on Saturday, March 31.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Track and Field, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniMTrack and @IlliniWTrack) and Instagram (@IlliniMTrack and @IlliniWTrack) and like Fighting Illini Men's Track and Field and Fighting Illini Women's Track on Facebook.
