BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Redshirt senior David Kendziera and junior Devin Quinn each qualified for an event final on day one of Big Ten Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Kendziera set the leading 400m hurdle time (49.69), while Quinn earned one of the automatic qualifying spots in the 200m. Competition continues tomorrow at 12:20 p.m. central time with the continuation of field events and track prelims.
Full Friday Results
The defending Big Ten Champion in the intermediate hurdles, Kendziera won his heat going away, beating out Iowa's Austin Lietz by 2.40 seconds. The second fastest time of the season for Kendziera, the 49.69 clip held up across all three heats as the top qualifying time, a quarter-second faster than Michigan's Taylor McLaughlin (49.93m).
Quinn punched his ticket to Sunday's round of finals with a 21.28 split in heat two of 200m qualifying. The second fastest time in his heat, Quinn placed sixth overall among qualifiers.
Both Kendziera and Quinn will return to the track on Saturday looking to qualifying for a second event, as Kendziera leads the Big Ten in the 110m hurdles (13.46) and Quinn holds the top conference time in the 100m (10.11).
In addition to the two qualifying performances on Friday, a trio of Illini set new personal record performances.
In the hammer throw, senior Matsen Dziedzic unloaded the best throw of his career, and second best in Illinois history, on his second attempt of the afternoon that marked 207'8" (63.31m). The performance placed him one centimeter shy of scoring in the event.
On the track, 1500m runner Denis O'Callaghan and 400m hurdler Isaiah Michl each set the best times of their careers. O'Callaghan shaved more than second off his previous top time, clocking 3:48.18, while Michl improved by eight tenths to clock 52.63.
Up next, the Fighting Illini continue field event finals and track prelims on Saturday, beginning at 12:20 p.m. central time. The meet can be streamed live on FloTrack and BTN Plus through a subscription to either platform.
Team Scores:
1.Michigan – 27
2.Penn State – 24
3.Rutgers – 18
4.Nebraska – 13
5.Michigan State – 11
6.Indiana – 10
7.Ohio State – 8
8.Wisconsin – 5
9.Iowa – 1
Illinois Friday Results:
400m Hurdles:
1. David Kendziera, 49.69 Q
12. Isaiah Michl, 52.63
200m Dash:
6. Devin Quinn, 21.28 Q
19. Joe Haight, 21.91
Hammer Throw:
9. Matsen Dziedzic, 207'8" (61.31m)
18. Michael Hyc, 190'7" (58.10m)
1500m:
10. Denis O'Callaghan, 3:48.18
25. Luke Brahm, 3:54.64
26. Garrett Lee, 3:54.65
10,000m:
DNF Billy Magnesen
Illinois Saturday Schedule
12:20pm – Women's Long Jump: Rogers (flight 1 #2), Hargrove (flight 1 #13), Driver (flight 2 #4)
12:20pm – Men's Long Jump: Maat (flight 2 #3), Wells (flight 2 #8)
1:15pm – Women's High Jump: Ayoola (flight 1 #14)
3:00pm – Women's 400m (Trials): Nwoko (heat 2), Phillips (heat 3)
3:15pm – Men's 400m (Trials): Allen (heat 2), Haight (heat 2), Harris (heat 4)
3:30pm – Men's Shot Put: Dziedzic (flight 1 #7), Hyc (flight 1 #9)
3:40pm – Women's 100m (Trials): Driver (heat 1), Davis (heat 2)
3:55pm – Men's 100m (Trials): Henderson (heat 1), Quinn (heat 2), Shannon (heat 3)
4:10pm – Women's 100m Hurdles (Trials): Jones (heat 1), Seay (heat 2)
4:25pm – Men's 110m Hurdles (Trials): Kendziera (heat 1), Wells (heat 2)
4:40pm – Women's 800m (Trials): Choquette (heat 3)
5:05pm – Men's 800m (Trials): Zea (heat 2), Eiring (heat 4)
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.
