CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams return home this weekend for the Illini Deca-Jam on Thursday-Saturday (April 9–11) at Demirjian Park, following a strong showing at the Florida Relays that saw multiple athletes etch their names into the program record book.
Across the two-day meet in Gainesville, the Orange and Blue had notable performances in the throws, jumps, and distance events. Freshman Jane Roosimagi made an immediate impact in her outdoor debut, registering the second-best javelin throw in program history at 49.98m (164-0) to place sixth. Her mark trails only the school record set in 1989 and signals a strong addition to Illinois' throwing group.
The Illini continued to find success in the field events as Romi Tamir posted the sixth-best long jump in program history at 6.34m (20-9 3/4), finishing as the event runner-up in her outdoor debut.
On the track, Pol Molins turned in the seventh-fastest 1500m time in school history at 3:41.03, while the women's 4x100m relay team of Meagan Humphries, Sophia Beckmon, Elizabeth Ndudi, and Katharina Graman advanced to the finals and placed sixth overall with a time of 44.39.
In the pole vault, Illinois saw multiple athletes reach the program top-10 list. Brenden Vanderpool cleared the seventh-best height in school history at 5.30m (17-4 1/2), while Anastasia Retsa and Landry Allen each recorded the 10th-best mark on the women's side at 3.90m (12-9 1/2).
With early-season momentum and a growing list of program top-10 marks, Illinois now turns its focus to its spring home opener at Demirjian Park, where the Orange and Blue will look to continue building on a strong start to the outdoor campaign.
