CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The men's and women's track and field teams are set to begin the outdoor season with the Florida Relays on Friday-Saturday (April 3-4) at James G. Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Friday's field events begin at 10 a.m. with track events starting at 1:30 p.m. while Saturday's field events start at 8 a.m. and track events begin at 11 a.m. CT.
The women are fresh off a historic indoor season where they recorded the highest finish in program history placing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Sophia Beckmon became the program's first indoor field event national champion in the long jump when she jumped 6.84m (22-5 1/4) to secure her title. She was the national leader from the time she opened her indoor season until the end when she topped the podium.
Freshman JaiCieonna Gero-Holt was the team's leading scorer at the indoor national meet with 12 points as she was an All-American in two events, the first freshman ever in program history to do so. She was national runner-up in the pentathlon (4,466) and took fourth in the high jump the next day, 1.85m (6-0 3/4).
Three other Illini women scored to help contribute to the third-place trophy with two more silver medalists in Phethisang Makhethe (weight throw) and Rose Yeboah (high jump) while Jordan Koskondy placed fifth in the weight throw.
Two men were All-American indoors in Jip de Greef and Luuk Pelkmans, both in the heptathlon. De Greef is the program's highest finisher ever in third place when he scored 6,120 points and Pelkmans is the first freshman in school history to All-American in the event (fourth, 6,081).
