Day 1 Results
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois Fighting Illini track and field team hosted and competed in day one of the 2021 Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships on Friday at Demirjian Park. Most of the day was focused on the beginning events of the men's decathlon and the women's pentathlon, with the afternoon featuring preliminary races and some event finals. The men finish the day in sixth place with nine points while the women sit in eighth place with two points.
Manning Plater was the first Illini to place and tally points on the weekend, earning six with a third place finish in the men's hammer throw. His furthest toss reached 224-11 ft. (68.55 m), earning him the bronze medal. The Illinois all-time hammer throw record holder will look forward to the NCAA West Regionals in two weeks to improve on his best mark of 229-1 ft. (69.82).
In the men's decathlon after five events, sophomore Alex Babbington finished the day in seventh place with 3911 points, while sophomore Aiden Ouimet finished in 14th place with 3268 points. Babbington placed third in the high jump with a clearance of 6-9 ft. (2.06 m) and finished in sixth in the 400 m with a time of 50.06. Both marks were personal records for Babbington.
In the women's heptathlon, junior Jessica Franklin finished the day after four events in 12th place with 2978 points.
Senior Shrey Chowdhary added to the Illini men's total with a sixth place finish in the javelin. His performance of 202-8 ft. (61.77 m) earned the squad three points, in addition to placing Chowdhary eighth in Illinois program history in the event. His throw was also a personal best, bringing the team's total to nine points.
Friday provided a multitude of qualifications as well. Sophomore Robert Williams qualified in the men's 400 m hurdles with a time of 51.83, a personal record. Franklin added to her busy day with a qualification in the women's 400 m hurdles with a time of 1:00.75.
Senior Amira Aduma joined in on the preliminary fun, qualifying in the women's 200 m dash with a time of 23.83. Aduma has the sixth fastest time in the preliminary round.
Day one concluded with distance races. Senior Jon Davis qualified for the men's 1500 m with a time of 3:42.29, the fastest time of the field. Sophomore Olivia Howell and senior Mikaela Lucki each qualified in the women's 1500 m as well. Lucki finished fourth, finishing in 4:23.24 while Howell crossed the finish line in 4:24.47 to take seventh place.
The night wrapped up with senior Allison McGrath placing seventh in the women's 10,000 m with a program record 33:59.94. This personal best mark for McGrath earned the Illini women their first two points and a ton of momentum moving into Saturday.
Next Up
Action will pick back up tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at Demirjian Park.
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