Full Results

ANN ARBOR Mich. - Junior Chisom Nwoko reached the podium for the second consecutive year at Big Ten Championships with a fifth-place finish in the 400m final Saturday afternoon, scoring four points for the Illini in the event. In the last event of the meet, the 4x400 relay team of junior Felicia Phillips, Seniors Briana Driver and Sade' Hargrove, and Chisom Nwoko placed sixth with a time of 3:44.17, scoring three points. The Illini women's DMR group of sophomore Mikaela Lucki, Felicia Phillips, freshman Madison Marasco and sophomore Rebecca Craddock placed third to tally six points for UI on Friday night. Illinois finished with 13 points to place 11th at the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Championships.  

Nwoko placed fifth in Saturday's 400m final with a time of 54.22. This is Nwoko's second time on the podium at Big Tens and the best finish of her career at the conference meet after placing seventh last year. 

In the last event of the Championships, the women's 4x400m team comprised of junior Felicia Phillips, seniors Briana Driver and Sade' Hargrove and junior Chisom Nwoko placed sixth with a time of 3:44.17 to give Illinois its final three points of the meet. The Illini also placed sixth in the event at last year's Big Ten Indoor Championships, with Nwoko being part of that group.  

The women's DMR group of Mikaela Lucki, Felicia Phillips, Madison Marasco and Rebecca Craddock received their bronze medals today for their Friday night performance in the distance medley relay, as the group placed third with a time of 11:21.85. The finish scored the Illini six points and is the fourth fastest women's DMR time in Illini program history. 

"The women's DMR was obviously a highlight of the day for us," said head coach Mike Turk Friday night. "We got off to a great start with Mikaela Lucki. She just laid everything out there and put us in a great position. Then, Felicia Phillips with her fastest split ever in her life. Maddie Marasco just really gutted out a tough race, and then Rebecca Craddock was a star, and they got a podium finish. Top-five all-time. Just an outstanding job by coaches Haveman and Fife putting that relay together and having them ready to go."    

NCAA Indoor Championships are up next for qualifiers. The Championships will be held in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9. The Illini will begin the Outdoor season on Saturday, March 23 at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic hosted by Southern Illinois-Carbondale.   

Illini Finishes and Scorers (times/marks in parentheses):

Distance Medley Relay 
3. Mikaela Lucki, Felicia Phillips, Madison Marasco, Rebecca Craddock (11:21.85)- 6 points

400m
5. Chisom Nwoko (54.22)- 4 points

4x400m 
6. Felicia Phillips, Briana Driver, Sade' Hargrove, Chisom Nwoko (3:44.17)- 3 points

Team Result: 11th Place (13 Points)

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