University of Illinois
NCAA West Prelims
Illini Men's 4x100m Relay Qualifies For NCAA Championships
May 25, 2019 | Women's Track & Field, Men's Track & Field
Devin Quinn advances to NCAA Championships in the 200m Dash.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Illinois men's 4x100m relay qualified for NCAA Championships Saturday on the final day of competition at NCAA West Prelims. The Illini relay team comprised of freshman Bret Dannis, sophomore Jason Shannon, and seniors Joe Haight and Devin Quinn secured Illinois a spot at nationals by finishing second in their quarterfinal heat with at time of 39.68. Additionally, after punching his ticket in the 100m Dash on Friday night, Devin Quinn also qualified for nationals in the 200m Saturday by placing second in his quarterfinal heat with a time of 20.47. Illinois men's track and field will contest three events at NCAA Championships, scheduled for June 5-8 at the University of Texas at Austin.
"Overall, we had a good meet," said head coach Mike Turk. "I'm very pleased with our focus, intensity and competitiveness this weekend."
This is the second consecutive year the Illini men will send a 4x100m relay to NCAA Championships. The 2018 Illini relay team, which included Haight, Quinn, Mo Maat and Cole Henderson, earned Second-Team All-America honors by placing 10th last season at nationals.
"We had to shuffle our lineup in the men's 4x100m without Declan Rustay," Turk said. "Bret Dannis filled in on the lead-off leg. Jason Shannon ran extremely well on the second leg and had a good exchange with Joe Haight. Haight ran a really nice turn and got the stick to Devin clean, and Devin laid down a terrific anchor leg."
After anchoring the men's 4x100m to nationals, Quinn qualified for NCAA Championships for the second-straight year in the 200m Dash. He achieved Second-Team All-America honors in the 200m at 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships with his 10th place finish.
With three All-America accolades already to his name, Quinn will look to close out his collegiate career by adding three more All-America honors when he competes in the 100m, 200m and with the 4x100m relay at 2019 NCAA Championships. Along with his two Second-Team All-America honors he earned at 2018 Outdoor Championships in the 200m and with the 4x100m, he most recently achieved Second-Team All-America Honors in the 200m in the 2019 Indoor Season.
"Devin has produced well throughout his career and especially this year," Turk said. "He has worked very hard to prepare himself to run with the best, and I'm going to enjoy watching him in Austin."
In a heartbreaker, the women's 4x100m came up just one spot shy of qualifying for Austin, placing 13th in the event quarterfinal Saturday night. The Illinois relay of freshman Nya Carr and seniors Sade' Hargrove, Briana Driver and Janile Rogers recorded a time of 44.70, the second-fastest time of the season for the Illini in the event. Wyoming took the 12th and final qualifying spot with their finish time of 44.69.
"It's a little bittersweet since we are thrilled with the people we have moving on to finals, but at the same time, we missed on a couple close ones," Turk said. "One of those bittersweet performances is the women's 4x100m relay. To miss advancing by one place and one one hundredth of a second is tough to swallow, but only because of the outstanding effort and how close we were. I'm so proud of those athletes, especially our 3 senior ladies (Briana Driver, Sade' Hargrove and Janile Rogers). They've performed well and have helped us establish a new culture in the program and lay the foundation for the future. I'm grateful for their effort and representing the Orange and Blue."
The Illini men's nationals qualifiers will use the next week to prepare for NCAA Championships, set to begin Wednesday, June 5, at the University of Texas at Austin. All men's semifinal events are scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, and men's final events are slated for Friday, June 7. All Illini event times for NCAA Championships are listed below.
Illinois Day Three Results at NCAA West Prelims
Men's 200: 5. Devin Quinn- 20.47, Q
Men's 1500m: 20. Denis O'Callaghan- 3:49.82
Men's 4x100m: 7. Bret Dannis, Jason Shannon, Joe Haight, Devin Quinn- 39.68, Q
Women's 4x100m: 13. Nya Carr, Sade' Hargrove, Briana Driver, Janile Rogers- 44.70
Men's High Jump: Noah Adams- NH
Illinois Men's Track & Field NCAA Finals Schedule (All Times Central):
Wednesday, June 5
6:32 p.m. – 4x100m Relay Semifinal
7:46 p.m. – 100m Semifinal
8:44 p.m. – 200m Semifinal
Friday, June 7
7:32 p.m. – 4x100m Relay Final
8:22 p.m. – 100m Final
9:07 p.m. – 200m Final
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