CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams gear up for the final meet of the season, the NCAA Outdoor Championships, on June 11-14 from Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
13 athletes will represent the Orange and Blue across nine events at the national meet.
Three Illini men have punched their tickets, all of them returning for a second-straight season: Kam Garrett (high jump), Big Ten Champions Cody Johnston (pole vault) and Viktor Morozov (triple jump).
10 Illini women have advanced to the national meet across six events. Reigning high jump national champion Rose Yeboah aims to repeat after she became Illinois' first woman field event national champion ever. Mia Morello has qualified for a second-consecutive season in the pole vault as well.
Lucie Kienast and Melissa Wullschleger are the first Orange and Blue heptathletes to reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 32 years since Carmel Corbett did so in 1993. Big Ten Champion shot putter Abria Smith is the first Illini woman shot putter to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Olympic Medalist Aja Evans in 2010.
Sophia Beckmon and Big Ten Champion Tacoria Humphrey both punched their tickets this season in the long jump ending the drought of 25 years since Tisha Ponder last qualified in 2000. Both Beckmon and Humphrey qualified to the national meet last year in the 4x100m, Beckmon is a part of this year's relay team that qualified too.
NATIONAL-BOUND ILLINI (LAST ILLINOIS QUALIFIER)
MEN
Kam Garrett – High Jump (Kam Garrett, 2024)
Cody Johnston – Pole Vault (Cody Johnston, 2024)
Viktor Morozov – Triple Jump (Viktor Morozov, 2024)
WOMEN
Sophia Beckmon – Long Jump (Tisha Ponder, 2000)
Azariyah Bryant, Beckmon, Asia Thomas, Llyric Driscoll – 4x100m (Thomas, Beckmon, Humphrey, McDowell, 2024)
Tacoria Humphrey – Long Jump (Tisha Ponder, 2000)
Lucie Kienast – Heptathlon (Carmel Corbett, 1993)
Mia Morello – Pole Vault (Mia Morello, 2024)
Abria Smith – Shot Put (Aja Evans, 2010)
Melissa Wullschleger – Heptathlon (Carmel Corbett, 1993)
Rose Yeboah – High Jump (Rose Yeboah, 2024)
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS SCHEDULE (TIMES CT)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 (MEN)
6:35 PM – Cody Johnston, pole vault
THURSDAY, JUNE 12 (WOMEN)
6:05 PM – Azariyah Bryant, Sophia Beckmon, Asia Thomas, Llyric Driscoll, 4x100m semifinal
6:35 PM – Mia Morello, pole vault
7:40 PM – Beckmon & Tacoria Humphrey, long jump
8:10 PM – Abria Smith, shot put
FRIDAY, JUNE 13 (MEN, HEPTATHLON)
1:45 PM – Lucie Kienast & Melissa Wullschleger, heptathlon 100mH
2:45 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon high jump
4:45 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon shot put
6:30 PM – Kam Garrett, high jump
7:10 PM – Viktor Morozov, triple jump
8:43 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon 200m
SATURDAY, JUNE 14 (WOMEN, HEPTATHLON)
5:30 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon long jump
6:45 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon javelin
7:30 PM – Rose Yeboah, high jump
8:02 PM – 4x100m relay final
9:43 PM – Kienast & Wullschleger, heptathlon 800m
BY THE NUMBERS
2024 Outdoor School Records: 4
2024 Outdoor Program Top-10 Marks: 39
WOMEN'S NATIONAL TOP-10 MARKS
#2 high jump – Rose Yeboah, 1.91m (6-3 1/4)
#3 shot put – Abria Smith, 18.92m (62-1)
#5 long jump – Tacoria Humphrey, 6.73m (22-1)
#5 heptathlon – Lucie Kienast, 5,851 points
#10 heptathlon – Melissa Wullschleger, 5,749 points
MEN'S NATIONAL TOP-30 MARKS
#13 high jump – Kam Garrett, 2.20m (7-2 1/2)
#26 triple jump – Viktor Morozov, 15.94m (52-3 3/4)
#28 pole vault – Cody Johnston, 5.42m (17-9 1/4)
