CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the fourth straight week the Big Ten conference has named an Illinois men's track athlete its Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week, as redshirt senior hurdler David Kendziera earns the honor for the second time in three weeks.
Alternating weeks with junior teammate Devin Quinn, Kendziera and Quinn have given the Illini a clean sweep of the award for the month of April. Devin Quinn opened the month with the honor on April 4, followed by Kendziera on April 11 and then Quinn, again, on April 18. It marks the first time in the award's history, first handed out in 2007, that a school has swept the award outright for an entire month. Penn State earned a share of four straight track weekly honors from April 10 to May 2 in 2013.
The seven-time All-American earned his second accolade of the season by beating 2012 Olympic Champion, and 110m hurdle world record holder, Aries Merritt in the 110m hurdle final at Mt. SAC Relays and placing second in the 400m hurdles. With both races comprised of top collegians and professionals, Kendziera timed 13.47, his second best time of the season, to edge Merritt by 0.02 seconds, and then timed a season-best 49.39 clip in the intermediate hurdles.
Leading the Big Ten in both events, Kendziera ranks second nationally in the 400m hurdles and third in the 110m hurdles. Kendziera earned First Team All-American honors in both disciplines last June at NCAA Outdoor Championships, placing third in the high hurdles and seventh in the intermediates.
The second weekly honor of the season for Kendziera is the fourth of his career, tying former Illini Andrew Riley for the most career weekly outdoor honors in program history. Riley also won two indoor weekly honors, giving him six total, while former Illini Gakologelwang Masheto won four times indoors and twice outdoors. Kendziera's other two weekly honors came last season on March 22 and April 19.
Kendziera and the Illini conclude its 2018 regular season this weekend at the 109th Drake Relays where the men's squad will seek to win its fifth Hy-Vee Cup trophy – given to the team with the most relay team points scored – since it was first awarded in 2013.
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