CARBONDALE, Ill. – Making its 2018 outdoor season debut, the Illinois men's track and field team collected seven event titles, four on the track, on Saturday at the Southern Illinois Bill Cornell Spring Classic. Sprinters Devin Quinn and Joe Haight were both a part of two event titles, while David Kendziera swept the two hurdle races.
Results
"It was a solid weekend for the men's program," said assistant coach Adrian Wheatley. "We got to see a lot of guys toe the line and compete. One of the things we talked about this week is taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves, and the guys took and ran with it. It was nice to see some personal records from several guys as well."
Both a part of two event victories on Saturday, Illini juniors Devin Quinn and Joe Haight paced the Illini sprinters, each tallying an individual win after first anchoring the final two legs of the 4x100m relay title.
Quinn and Haight began their day by anchoring the Illini relay victory to start Saturday's track festivities, running the final 200 meters of the race as the Illini began their 2017 Big Ten title defense. Joined by senior Mo Maat in the lead leg and senior Cole Henderson on the second leg, the Illini quartet clocked 39.96.
"Being an outdoor event, you can simulate it as much as you want but it's always different when you toe the line and try to run at full-go," Wheatley said. "It was a good opener for us, and the guys are excited about the group we have this year. As we get more reps, it's going to continue to be a relay that we can rely on this year."
Leading a sweep of the 100m top three spots, Quinn clocked a 10.37 season-opening time in the event to cruise to his first individual win. Joining Quinn across the finish line was junior Joe Haight (10.72) and freshman Jason Shannon (10.74). For Shannon, the 10.74 performance set a new personal record.
"That was his best season opener and the second fastest time of his career," said Wheatley. "It was really exciting to see him get out and compete."
Haight added a 200-meter victory to the 100m open runner-up finish, clocking a lifetime best 20.95 time to beat Shannon who placed runner-up with a time of 21.53.
"Today is really encouraging to see how he responds to the training," said Wheatley. "The 200m is critical to the development of a 400-meter sprinter. It's exciting to see him use this weekend as an opportunity to better on that skill."
Seven-time All-American David Kendziera added in a fourth and fifth track event titles by timing 13.81 in the 110m hurdles and 51.53 in the 400m hurdles to win both races handedly.
"Dave had a really good showing in both hurdle events," said Wheatley. "He continues to work on some technical things that will allow him to reach the goals he's set for himself this season."
In the hammer throw, senior Matsen Dziedzic improved upon his mark in each of his first three throws of finals, saving his best throw for last, to win the competition. Dziedzic beat runner-up Nicky Hurley of Southern Illinois with a 199'6.25" (60.72m) personal record on his final attempt, surpassing 60 meters for the first time. Dziedzic's previous best of 196'9" (59.97m) came at the Illinois Twilight meet last season.
Illinois added a second event title in field events when redshirt sophomore Jacob LaRocca won the pole vault competition despite adverse vaulting weather on Saturday. LaRocca 14'11.5" (4.56m) on his third attempt to win the event, while freshman Curtis Gordon placed third.
A trio of Illini jumpers also placed in the top three of their events, as senior Parker Deloye placed runner-up in the high jump (6'6.25" // 1.99m), redshirt junior Jonathan Wells placed third in the long jump (23'3.5" // 7.10m) and freshman Thomas Saggau placed runner-up in the triple jump (47'3" // 14.40m).
"Thomas and Coach Cohen have been working on some technical components of his jumping," Wheatley said. "And, over the last several months, he's put in a lot of work and this being the first outdoor meet we're starting to see the fruits of the labor. Coach Cohen is really excited to see how he progresses throughout the season."
Up next, the Orange and Blue will split the final weekend of March between the Stanford Invite and the Ole Miss Classic. A handful of Illini distance runners will compete on Friday, March 30, at the prestigious distance meet, while the rest of the Illini squad will contest events in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday, March 31.
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Event Titles:
100m – Devin Quinn, 10.37
200m – Joe Haight, 20.95
110m Hurdles – David Kendziera, 13.81
400m Hurdles – David Kendziera, 51.53
Hammer Throw – Matsen Dziedzic, 199'2.75" (60.72m)
Pole Vault – Jacob LaRocca, 14'11.5" (4.56m)
4x100m Relay – Mo Maat, Cole Henderson, Joe Haight and Devin Quinn, 39.96
