CHICAGO – The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams opened the 2022 indoor season with seven event wins as well as recording eight runner-up finishes at the Wisconsin Midwest Invitational on Saturday (January 15) at the Gately Indoor Track.
"It was a great season opener," said head coach Mike Turk. "The Gately track facility was a good site and we were excited to compete in front of so many fans, it was almost like a home meet. I was very pleased to see contributions from all the event groups. We are getting more balanced and improving, especially in the field events. Our veterans were solid and provided leadership and many of our newcomers had outstanding openers."
"We were not perfect, but there is plenty to improve on. Our competitiveness was key and what you want to see early often and always. I am proud of this team already!"
The Illini started off the day with a strong showing in the field events, including their first one-two finish of the meet as freshman Tacoria Humphrey won the women's high jump as she cleared a mark of 1.71 on her first try, with graduate student Kristin Higgins coming in second after recording a mark of 1.71m on her second attempt.
Freshman Tori Thomas was also impressive in her collegiate debut with a runner-up finish after clearing 3.96m in the women's pole vault, while senior Camille Osborne set a personal record of 5.51m (18-1) to place second in the women's long jump.
On the men's side, senior Reed Marshall secured a second-place finish with a jump of 13.95m in the men's triple jump, while junior Tyler Sudduth had a notable day as he set a personal-best mark of 18.41 in the men's shot put to finish as runner-up, with his mark ranking as fifth-best in program history.
Six of the Illini's seven event titles came in the running events as UI dominated in the mile as senior Emma Milburn (4:50.27) and junior Jack Roberts (4:11.38) each took first in the event, while freshman Halle Hill (4:50.28) and redshirt-junior Colin Yandel (4:11.40) both registered runner-up finishes in the race.
After running a personal-best of 7.96 in the prelims, senior Bret Dannis won the men's 60m hurdles with a time of 7.99, while freshman William Merrick tallied another strong showing for the Illini rookies, taking first in the men's 600m race with a time of 1.20.35.
"Bret Dannis in the hurdles showed great improvement and he looks to be ready for a big season," said Turk. "Tyler Sudduth had an indoor personal best in the shot put that moved him up the all-time top ten list. Tori Thomas was impressive in her collegiate debut with a second in the women's pole vault. I was really pleased with the 1-2 finish in the high jump with Tacoria Humphrey and Kristin Higgins. We are so improved in that area."
Sophomore Olivia Howell continued from where she left off in 2021 as she took first in the women's 800m race with a time of 2:09.63, with freshman Nicolas Dovalovsky taking second in the men's 800m after posting a time of 1:52.35.
The Illini then wrapped up the day with a win in the men's 4x400 relay as the team of junior Robert Williams, freshman DeVontae Ford, junior Jason Thormo and redshirt-junior Kashief King took the race with a time of 3:13.61.
Illinois Event Champions
Women's High Jump: Tacoria Humphrey // 1.71m (5-07.25)
Women's 1 Mile: Emma Milburn // 4:50.27
Men's 1 Mile: Jack Roberts // 4:11.38
Women's 800m: Olivia Howell // 2:09.63
Men's 600m: William Merrick // 1:20.35
Men's 60m Hurdles: Bret Dannis // 7.99
Men's 4x400 Relay: Robert Williams, DeVontae Ford, Jason Thormo, Kashief King // 3:13.61
Next Up
Illinois will next host the Illini Invitational at the UI Armory on January 21-22.
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