University of Illinois
Bill Cornell Spring Classic
McKeeman's PV Title Leads Women's T&F in Outdoor Opener
March 24, 2018 | Women's Track & Field
Illini redshirt junior clears 12'5.5" (3.80m)
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Redshirt junior pole vaulter Sara McKeeman cleared 12'5.5" (3.80m) to win the pole vault competition, as the Illini women's track and field team opened the 2018 outdoor season at the SIU Bill Cornell Spring Classic on Saturday afternoon. Four other Illini earned runner-up finishes: freshman Mikaela Lucki (1500m), sophomore Chisom Nwoko (pole vault), freshman Amira Aduma (400m hurdles) and redshirt junior Janile Rogers (200m).
"It was exciting to see the women compete with a high level of energy and unity to start the season," said assistant coach Adrian Wheatley. "It's not a surprise that we're seeing it out on the track because we're seeing it every day in training."
Clearing three bars on the afternoon, McKeeman clinched the victory on her first attempt at 11'11.75" (3.65m), and then added another clearance on her third try at 12'5.5" (3.80m). Missing the 2017 outdoor season due to injury, Saturday's competition was McKeeman's first outdoors since the 2016 Big Ten Championships.
"It was a good day in the vault, especially with the weather conditions less than ideal," Wheatley said. "The elements become an obstacle on a day like today, but the group did a really good job of that. Coach Carrel and the vaulters worked together to allow themselves an opportunity to be competitive and working through the elements."
The Illini swept the top three spots of the pole vault competition, as sophomore Chisom Nwoko took second place with a height of 11'5.75" (3.50m) and sophomore Carolyn Nye cleared 10'11.75" (3.35m).
In sprints, Janile Rogers clocked 24.87 in her first outdoor 200m race of the season, taking second place by 0.03 seconds behind Southern Illinois' Shafiqua Maloney.
Joining Rogers with runner-up finishes on the track were a pair of freshman making their collegiate outdoor debuts.
Making her collegiate debut indoor or outdoor, freshman Mikaela Lucki timed 4:40.87 to take second place in the 1500m in her Illini debut. Freshmen Allison McGrath and (4:45.17) and Caroline Fix (4:46.72) each placed in the top-10 while Delaney Appino also made her collegiate debut in the event.
Like Lucki, Aduma finished second in her 400m hurdles debut. Racing along with classmate Alexis Jones (1:05.58) who placed fifth, Aduma timed 1:03.60. Both highly touted in the event coming out of high school, Aduma ranked seventh nationally coming out of Phoebus High School in Hampton, Virginia, while Jones ranked ninth from Campbell High School in Smyrna, Georgia.
"It was exciting to see the ladies in the 400m hurdles in their college debuts," said Wheatley of the Illini freshmen duo. "Coach Gillon has been working with those young ladies and preparing them. It's one of those outdoor events that you just have to get out there and do because you can only simulate it so much. It was a great learning experience and they'll continue to improve on their performances."
Illinois sprinters added a third-place finish in the 4x100m relay with a time of 46.74. Comprised of a quartet that featured three of the four legs from last season's fourth-place finish at Big Ten Championships, juniors Briana Driver and Sade anchoring the Illini, while freshman Amira Aduma and redshirt junior Janile Rogers ran the opening two legs.
"It was a really good opener for the sprint relay group," Wheatley said of the Illini foursome. "Three of the girls return from last year's team, and we've added Amira [Aduma] on the leadoff leg, so it was good to see a freshman come in and set that up for the veterans to finish off."
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:
Pole Vault – Sara McKeeman, 12'5.5" (3.80m)
