University of Illinois
Mt. SAC Relays / Bryan Clay / Beach Invite
Illini WTrack Sets Seven PRs to Open California Trip
April 20, 2018 | Women's Track & Field
Craddock sets sixth fastest 1500m in Illini history
TORRANCE, Calif. – The Illinois women's track and field team tallied seven personal record performances on Friday to open competition across three meets out in southern California. The Illini are competing at the Mt. SAC Relays, Bryan Clay Invite and Beach Invite. Leading the list of personal records was freshman Rebecca Craddock in the Bryan Clay 1500m with the sixth-fastest time (4:21.04) in Illinois history.
Results: Mt. SAC | Bryan Clay | Beach Invite
The best performance of the day was saved for last, as freshman Rebecca Craddock lowered her personal record 1500-meter time by four seconds, down to 4:21.04, which ranks sixth in Illinois history. Sitting in fifth place, Craddock passed two runners as she came into the straight away to take third place in her section.
Craddock's classmate Mikaela Lucki added a personal record of her own, lowering her time from the Jim Click Shootout by three seconds, with a performance of 4:30.08 in section seven of the 1500m.
Over at the Beach Invite on Friday afternoon, sophomore Chisom Nwoko set a personal record in the Big Ten that ranks seventh in the conference entering the weekend while at the Beach Invit. The Illini second-year vaulter cleared 12'9.5" (3.90m) to take fourth place in the competition. Nwoko's redshirt junior teammate Sara McKeeman matched the performance, but did so in fewer misses, pushing McKeeman into a tie for second place.
Also setting a season-best performance was first-year Illini high jumper Ololade Ayoola. The Lincoln-Way East product cleared five feet, six inches (1.68m) to take fourth place at Mt. SAC.
On the track, the Orange and Blue had four Illini set personal-best times at the Bryan Clay Invite and a 400-meter hurdle personal record at Mt. SAC.
Illinois' middle distance crew was led off by seniors Nicole Choquette and Kristina Kladar, both of whom set season bests in the 800m. Nicole Choquette timed 2:07.22, dropping half a second off her Twilight performance last Saturday, while Kladar shaved more than two seconds off her 2:15.03 event record this past indoor season by finishing in 2:12.90.
Freshman Amira Aduma added another personal record for the Illini by dropping her intermediate hurdle time by more than a second. After timing 1:02.55 at home a week ago, Aduma made it two straight time drops with a 1:00.89 time on Friday afternoon. The time ranked ninth in the event.
On Thursday night at Bryan Clay, a pair of Illini freshman distance runners started the weekend off on a positive note, as both set new 5,000-meter personal records. Caroline Fix lowered her best time to 17:23.93, while Allison McGrath timed 17:28.34.
Illinois will conclude its weekend on Saturday with action at both Mt. SAC Relays and Beach Invite. Competition for the Orange and Blue will begin shortly before 1 p.m. central time, 11 a.m. pacific.
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