Days 1 & 2 Recap | Results
COLLEGE STATION, TEX. – The Illinois Fighting Illini track teams had three athletes qualify in four events for the NCAA Championships at the West Regionals this weekend hosted by Texas A&M. Manning Plater qualified in the hammer throw, while Jonathan Wells made it in both the high jump and the long jump and Olivia Howell earned a spot in the women's 1500 m.
On Friday, Wells started the day strong with a qualification in the vertical jump with a clearance of 7-2 ¼ ft. (2.19 m). It came down to the final jump for the senior, after failing twice at this height, when he matched the eleven other qualifiers to stay alive. This will be the third time Wells competes at an NCAA Outdoor Championship in the high jump, to go along with three appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships throughout his career. He has competed in the long jump at one other outdoor championship meet in 2018.
After rain and lighting continuously delayed and eventually postponed the remainder of Friday's events, the Illini and the West Regional field restarted on Saturday morning. The Illini men's 4x100 m relay of Bret Dannis, Jason Shannon, Jason Thormo and Declan Rustay finished in 18th place in a time of 39.99, the fastest relay time of the season.
Howell picked up right where she left off on Thursday night in the 1500 m, qualifying for the final in Eugene with a time of 4:12.45. This bests her mark of 4:12.86 set at the Big Ten Championships in Champaign two weekends ago, further improving her Illinois program record in the event. This will be Howell's first NCAA Championship appearance on the track side. The sophomore has competed at the cross country championships each of the last two years.
To conclude the night and the event, the Illini women's 4x400 m relay of Chisom Nwoko, Jessica McDowell, Amira Aduma and Jessica Franklin placed 18th in the region with a time of 3:39.68. This time is the season best for the event from the squad.
Championship Qualifiers
Manning Plater – hammer throw
Jonathan Wells – long jump, high jump
Olivia Howell – 1500 m
Next Up
Those athletes that qualified will travel to the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships taking place on June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. hosted by the University of Oregon.
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