CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini track & field travels to compete at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Nebraska this weekend. The Illini will begin competition at the two-day meet on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. CT. The meet will resume on Saturday, February 8 at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Meet Information
Follow The Action
Fans can follow live results throughout the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at http://results.deltatiming.com/nebraska as well as by following @IlliniTrackXC on Twitter. A recap will be posted at the conclusion of the meet on Saturday on fightingillini.com.
Know The Field
38 teams are set to compete at the Husker Invite this weekend. USTFCCCA nationally-ranked programs competing along with No. 23 Illinois include No. 10 Iowa State and No. 19 Kansas. No. 23 Iowa is the lone nationally-ranked opponent in the women's field.
Illini To Watch
Jonathan Wells
High Jump Final: Saturday, February 8, 2:15 p.m.
Long Jump Final: Friday, February 7, 6:00 p.m.
60m Hurdles Prelims: Friday, February 7, 6:20 p.m
60m Hurdles Finals*: Saturday, February 8, 2:15 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Won the High Jump title at the Illini Invitational, clearing 2.17 meters ... Ranks 4th in the Big Ten, 24th nationally ... Finished third in the Long Jump at the Larry Wieczorek Invite with a mark of 7.49 meters ... Long Jump mark ranks fifth in the Big Ten ... Timed 8.03 in the 60m Hurdles at the Larry Wieczorek Invite to finish fifth.
Career Accomplishments: 6x All-American (high jump, long jump and heptathlon) ... 2019 U.S. Championships High Jump 3rd Place ... 2018 Big Ten Outdoor High Jump Champion ... 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Championships ... 2017 Big Ten Indoor High Jump Champion ... Holds heptathlon school record (5,786 points) ... Illinois High Jump School Record (7'5"/2.26m).
Chisom Nwoko
Pole Vault Finals: Friday, February 7, 6:00 p.m.
400m Finals: Friday, February 7, 7:45 p.m.
200m Finals: Saturday, February 8, 3:10 p.m.
4x400m Finals: Saturday, February 8, 4:15 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Timed 54.81 to win the Illini Invitational 400m Dash ... Converted Illini Invitational time of 54.10 ranks her first in the 400m in the Big Ten ... Clocked 54.46 in the 400m at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational ... Set new PR in the 200m at the Larry Wieczorek Invite, timing 24.57.
2019 Indoor Season: Placed fifth at Big Ten Championships in the 400m, clocking 54.22 ... Tied her PR of 24.74 in the 200m at the Illini Open ... Cleared a season-best 12'5.5" in the pole vault at last year's Wieczorek Invite ... Anchored the 4x400m relay throughout the season.
Carolyn Nye
Pole Vault Final: Friday, February 7, 6:00 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Moved into fourth in program history with mark of 4.02 meters to win the Pole Vault title at the Illini Invitational ... 4.02m ranks fifth in the Big Ten ... Cleared 3.95 meters to finish third at the Larry Wieczorek Invite, which is tied for the fourth best indoor mark in program history.
2019 Indoor Season: Set a new PR clearing 12' 5.5"(3.80m) in pole vault at the Iowa St Classic (2/9) ... Competing at Big Ten Championships, recording a mark of 3.79 meters ... Competed at each meet for the Illini, placing in the top-three three times.
Cooper Jazo
Pole Vault Final: Saturday, February 8, 2:00 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Set personal best Pole Vault mark of 5.16 meters at the Illini Invitational, winning the event title ... 5.06m ties for sixth in the Big Ten ... Finished third in the Pole Vault at the Larry Wieczorek Invite, tying his personal-best by clearing 5.15 meters ... Tied for 28th nationally, third in the Big Ten in the event.
2019 Indoor Season: Placed eighth at Big Ten Championships in the pole vault ... Competed in 5 meets for the Illini ... Set a career-best 16'10.75" (5.15) in the pole vault at the Wieczorek Invitational (1/19).
Amira Aduma
Long Jump Final: Friday, February 7, 6:00 p.m.
60m Dash Prelims: Friday, February 7, 6:40 p.m.
60m Dash Final*: Saturday, February 8, 2:20 p.m.
4x400m Final: Saturday, February 8, 4:10 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Won the event title in the Long Jump at the Larry Wieczorek Invite, jumping 6.14 meters ... First collegiate Long Jump appearance at Larry Wieczorek .. Mark ties as the fifth best indoor jump in program history, and ranks third in the Big Ten this season ... Won event titles in the 60m Dash and the Long Jump at the Illini Invitational.
2019 Indoor Season: Did not compete.
2018 Indoor Season: Set 60m and 200m PRs at Big Ten Championships, timing 7.52 and 24.68 respectively in her conference meet debut ... Scored 20 points for the team at the Illini Classic, placing in the top-3 of the 60m, 200m and 400m races.
Declan Rustay
60m Dash Prelims: Friday, February 7, 6:55 p.m.
60m Dash Final*: Saturday, February 8, 2:25 p.m.
200m Fina: Saturday, February 8, 3:25 p.m.
4x400m Final: Saturday, February 8, 4:35 p.m.
2020 Indoor Season: Won the 60m Dash and 200m event titles at the Illini Invitational ... Anchored 4x400m relay that won the event title at the Illini Invitational.
2019 Indoor Season: Competed in four meets for the Illini, including Big Ten Championships ... Ran the 200m and 400m ... Set PR in 400m by with a time of 48.60 at the Big Ten Championships (2/22) ... Set new PR in 200m at Frank Sevigne (2/1) with a 21.60 finish time.
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
Illinois track & field competed at the Indiana University Relays last Friday and Saturday. In the women's 3K on Saturday, redshirt sophomore Rebecca Craddock led the way, finishing fifth and clocking a new personal-best finish time of 9:29.46. Craddock's finish ranks as the fifth-fastest indoor 3K time in Illinois program history. Illinois track & field saw multiple top-10 performances from its distance athletes at the two-day Indiana University Relays. The Illini also saw top-10 finishes in the women's Pole Vault by junior Kristin Slaughter and sophomore Josie Held, and in the men's Pole Vault by redshirt senior Jacob LaRocca and redshirt junior Cooper Jazo.
Nwoko Tops The Big Ten In the 400m
Chisom Nwoko was victorious in the 400m Dash at the Illini Invitational. Nwoko's conversion time, clocked at 54.10, currently ranks first in the conference.
Pole Vault Power
Illinois swept both the women's and men's Pole Vault at the Illini Invitational on January 25, as senior Carolyn Nye and redshirt junior Cooper Jazo both recorded new PR's in the event. Nye's event-winning mark of 4.02 meters gives her the fourth best indoor mark in Illini program history. Jazo cleared a new personal-best mark of 5.16 meters to win the title on the men's side. Nye ranks fifth and Jazo is sixth in the Big Ten in the event
Wells Wins High Jump In Final Competition At UI Armory
Redshirt senior Jonathan Wells made his season debut in the High Jump at the Illini Invitational. The 2019 U.S. Outdoor Championships bronze medalist in the event jumped 2.17 meters to win the title in the final meet of his collegiate career at the Armory. Wells currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 24th nationally in the High Jump.
Up Next
The Illini head to Nashville for the Music City Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt. The two-day meet begins on Friday, February 14 at 4 p.m. CT. Competition will resume on Saturday, February 15 at 11 a.m. CT.
For complete coverage of Fighting Track & Field, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniTrackXC) and Instagram (illinitrackxc) and like Fighting Illini Track and Field & Cross Country on Facebook.
