University of Illinois
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Illini Women's 4x100m Relay Takes Bronze Medal At B1G Championships
May 12, 2019 | Women's Track & Field
Chisom Nwoko places fourth in the 400m.
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Illinois women's track & field 4x100m relay earned a third-place finish to lead the Illini on the final day of Big Ten Outdoor Championships at the University of Iowa on Sunday. The relay team, comprised of freshman Nya Carr and seniors Sade' Hargrove, Briana Driver and Janile Rogers recorded a finish time of 44.81 to take the bronze medal. The third-place finish is a three spot jump from the women's 4x100m relay finish at the 2018 outdoor conference meet.
"I'm really pleased with both (men's and women's) 4x100m relay squads," said head coach Mike Turk. "We've been preaching confidence through belief in process, repetition and experience. That's coming together and we have developed elite 4x100m relays squads. They performed at a very high level in a pressure situation. Postseason will be fun with them. I'm especially excited to watch Sade', Bri (Driver) and Janile, the 3 seniors, finish out the year together."
In the women's 400m, junior Chisom Nwoko placed fourth to score five points for the Illini. Running out of lane one, Nwoko clocked a time of 54.44 to earn the fourth spot on the podium. It is the highest place-finish of Nwoko's career at Big Ten Championships.
"Chi (Nwoko) had a remarkable performance and set a good example with her approach," Turk said. "Last year she was 10th and missed the final. This year, she was the last qualifier for the final, barely making it. We talked about 'Hey, you've got a lane on the track in the final, use it.' She ran her best race ever to finish fourth out of lane one against an outstanding field. She got out well and took advantage of being able to see the whole field in front of her. She was picking people off from about the 250m mark to the wire."
In the final event of the championships, the women's 4x400m relay team earned a spot on the podium with their eighth place finish in the event. The relay, consisting of Nwoko, Driver, Hargrove and junior Felicia Phillips recorded a season-best finish time of 3:41.61 to score for the Illini.
Illinois women's track & field finished 13th at Big Ten Outdoor Championships with 18.5 points.
"The results for the team aren't where we want them," Turk said. "However, we performed well, showed growth in many areas and had some real shining moments. We have a young squad and the program has a good culture. The team did a great job of being focused, taking care of details and competing to the best of their ability. We are progressing and will continue to progress as long as we focus on the things we can control. Now, its just a matter of remaining committed to the development process."
Up next, Illini athletes that finish in the top-48 of the West qualifying rankings will advance to NCAA West Prelims in Sacramento, California. The preliminary meet for nationals will be held May 23-25.
2019 Illinois Women's Track & Field Big Ten Championships Place-Finishes and Scores
4x100m: Nya Carr, Sade' Hargrove, Briana Driver, Janile Rogers (44.81)- 3rd Place, 6 points
400m: Chisom Nwoko (54.44)- 4th Place, 5 points
Long Jump: Janile Rogers (6.13 meters)- 5th Place, 4 points
Long Jump: Briana Driver (5.94 meters)- 7th Place, 2 points
4x400m: Chisom Nwoko, Briana Driver, Sade' Hargrove, Felicia Phillips (3:41.61)- 8th Place, 1 point
Pole Vault: Kristin Slaughter (3.87 meters)- T-8th Place, 0.5 points
Final Standings
1) Ohio State 126
2) Indiana 95
3) Iowa 93
4) Nebraska 92.5
5) Minnesota 90
6) Penn State 68
7) Wisconsin 60
8) Michigan State 49
9) Purdue 39
10) Maryland 35
11) Michigan 31
12) Rutgers 20
13) Illinois 18.5
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