CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Director of Illinois track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou announced the signing of JaiCieonna Gero-Holt on Monday (June 10). The South Hill, Wash., native is the top-ranked women's heptathlete and high jump recruit in the United States.
On Aug. 6 last year, Gero-Holt became a U20 Pan American champion in the heptathlon with a score of 5,463 points, a mark that would rank second in the Illinois record book. Her personal-best heptathlon score is almost 100 points better at 5,552 points, only 107 points away from breaking Carmel Corbett's 5,658-point school record set in 1995.
Her personal-best high jump sits at 1.89m (6-2 1/4), which she set on Feb. 16 of this season. That mark would tie Bara Sajdokova's indoor school record that she used to win the Big Ten Indoor high jump gold; Gero-Holt leapt it at just 17 years old.
A graduate of Emerald Ridge High School, she adds her combined events talents to the roster and joins a strong high jump room with National and Big Ten Outdoor champion Rose Yeboah and Big Ten Indoor champion Sajdokova as training partners.
