CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men's and women's track and field squads are sending a program record 15 individual qualifiers (11 women and four men) across 16 events to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14-15.
The 11 individual women are the most ever in school history with the four men being the most since the 2015 season when they also sent four. This stat excludes adding in members of a 4x400m or distance medley relay squad; only those top-16 in their respective events are reflected in these historic representation marks.
The 11 women qualifiers are also the second most by any school in the nation for this season behind only Arkansas who's sending 13. Third-year director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou continues to improve the program each year as he shattered his own program record for qualifiers he set last season with 12 individuals, nine of them women.
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
WOMEN
Sophia Beckmon (long jump): Beckmon qualified to the national meet leaping 6.71m (22-0 1/4) and is seeded No. 4. She set this mark at the first meet of the season, the Fighting Illini Open on Jan. 11, and it's the second-best mark in program history. She's fresh off a silver medal at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Tacoria Humphrey (long jump): Humphrey qualified to the national meet by shattering the Big Ten, program and Big Ten Indoor Championships record with a massive 6.94m (22-9 1/4) long jump. This mark is the third best in the NCAA all-time and she is seeded No. 2. She's Illinois' first Big Ten Indoor Long Jump Champion since 2007 (Yvonne Mensah) and was the third Illini woman named to The Bowerman Watch List.
Lucie Kienast (pentathlon): Kienast qualified to the national meet with a program-record score of 4,405 points (4,428 after flat track conversion). She's seeded No. 4 and set this mark in her first collegiate pentathlon on Jan. 24 at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined Events.
Jordan Koskondy (weight throw): Koskondy qualified to the national meet throwing 22.28m (73-1 1/4) and is seeded No. 12. She threw this mark last weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and it's the second-best mark in program history.
Phethisang Makhethe (weight throw): Makhethe qualified to the national meet throwing a program record weight throw, 23.11m (75-10), and is seeded No. 5. She set this mark at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 14-15. She earned silver at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Bara Sajdokova (high jump): Sajdokova qualified to the national meet jumping 1.86m (6-1 1/4) and is seeded No. 13. She set this mark last weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Championships where she earned bronze.
Morgan Smalls (long jump): Smalls qualified to the national meet jumping 6.49m (21-3 1/2) and is seeded No. 16. She set this mark in her Illini debut at the Fighting Illini Open on Jan. 11 and it's the fourth-best mark in program history. She was the team's second-leading scorer at the Big Ten Indoor Championships making the podium in both the high jump (fourth) and long jump (fifth).
Abria Smith (shot put): Smith qualified to the national meet at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships throwing 17.87m (58-7 1/2) and is seeded No. 12. This mark improved her own program record and she placed fourth in competition with it.
Darja Sopova (long jump): Sopova qualified to the national meet with a 6.51m (21-4 1/4) leap and she's seeded No. 14. She set this mark at the first meet of the season, the Fighting Illini Open on Jan. 11, and it's the third-best mark in program history.
Tori Thomas (pole vault): Thomas qualified to the national meet vaulting a UI Armory and program record 4.57m (15-0) at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined Events on Jan. 24. She's seeded No. 7 and placed third at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Rose Yeboah (high jump): Yeboah qualified to the national meet clearing a program record 1.92m (6-3 1/2) on Feb. 7 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. She's seeded No. 5 and took silver at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
MEN
Jip de Greef (heptathlon): de Greef qualified to the national meet by scoring 6,046 points (6,070 after flat track conversion) at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined Events on Jan. 24-25. He's seeded No. 2 and his score is the second-best in program history.
Viktor Morozov (long jump/triple jump): Morozov is the only one on the team to qualify in two events. He qualified in the triple jump leaping 16.35m (53-7 3/4) at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined events on Jan. 25 and it's the program's second-best mark. Two weeks later he qualified in the long jump leaping 7.88m (25-10 1/4), the program's second-best mark, at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 14. In the triple jump he's seeded No. 5 and in the long jump he's seeded No. 10.
Cody Johnston (pole vault): Johnston qualified to the national meet on Feb. 15 at the Tyson Invitational clearing 5.61m (18-4 3/4). He's seeded No. 7 and his mark is the second best in program history.
Tyler Sudduth (shot put): Sudduth qualified to the national meet by throwing 19.73m (64-8 3/4) at last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships where he also earned silver. He's seeded No. 8 and his mark is the second furthest in program history.
