CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – First year director of Illini track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou inks five mid-year recruits for the 2023 season. Kyprianou was swift to make some additions to his first-year roster, all five from overseas. He adds three jumpers, one thrower and one sprinter.

NEW ILLINI

Grace Obour (Kumasi, Ghana) – Grace is one of two athletes to join from Ghana. She is an African Champion and joins the sprinters. Her personal-best 400m ranked her just inside the top-115 in the world. PRs: 200m (23.34), 400m (51.86).

Rose Yeboah (Kumasi, Ghana) – Rose is an African Champion, All-African Games winner and Commonwealth Games finalist. She will join the high jump crew. PR: High jump – 1.85m (6' 0.75").

Eleftherios Kontonikola (Aradippou, Cyprus) – Eleftherios is a Cyprus National Champion, three-time Cyprus National U20 Champion and World Junior Championship finalist. He will join the javelin crew and is the only thrower out of the bunch. His personal-best javelin throw would have placed him sixth in the NCAA's last year and was ranked just inside the top-100 in the world. PR: Javelin – 76.39m (250' 7.5").

Styliana Ioannidou (Limassol, Cyprus) – Styliana is a World Junior Championship medalist, two-time National Champion and two-time U20 National Champion. She will join the high jump crew. Her personal-best high jump ranked top-65 in the world. She competed the 2021-22 season at Louisville. PR: High jump – 1.87m (6' 1.5").

Viktor Morozov (Kohtla Jarve, Estonia) -- Viktor is a U20 World and European Junior Championship medalist, two-time U20 Estonia National Champion, Estonia National Champion and two-time Estonia National Indoor Champion. He will join the jumps crew and his personal-best triple jump placed him 94th in the world. PRs: Triple jump – 16.13m (52' 11"), long jump – 7.4m (24' 3").