May 17, 2009

Complete Results |  Photo Gallery 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Three Illini - Angela Bizzarri, Melissa Bates and Deserea Brown - won Big Ten titles for the Illinois women's track and field team on Sunday, capping a successful team performance at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Orange and Blue had a total of four champions over the weekend, with Aja Evans winning the shot put title on Saturday.

The Illini placed fourth in the team standings in scoring a total of 100 points. Penn State narrowly won its second consecutive title, scoring 139 points to edge out Michigan by 0.25 points. The Wolverines finished second with a total of 138.75, while Minnesota was third (131.5).

"The top three teams in the conference have a lot of seniors, so we knew if we did really well we could take fourth," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "Our kids really came together and did wonderful this weekend. They were all competitors, fighting to the end in every race. This is what we've been training for all season, and we're looking for bigger things at regionals and nationals."

Junior Angela Bizzarri won her first career Big Ten title, taking the 5,000m crown

Bizzarri, a six-time All-American, won her first career Big Ten title by taking the 5,000 meters crown. Her performance of 15:54.86 set a new Big Ten Championships meet record and marked just the second time ever that Illinois has had a Big Ten champion in the 5,000m, following Cassie Hunt in 2005. This year, Bizzarri stuck with the lead pack of Michigan State's Nicole Bush and Penn State's Bridget Franek throughout the race, pulling away in the final 400m to win the title. Bush finished second with a time of 15:55.41. Bizzarri bettered her performance from last year's conference championships when she finished second in the event.

Senior Deserea Brown won the 400m hurdles, while freshman Latoya Griffith took third.

Bizzarri nearly won two titles, finishing second in the 1,500m with a personal-best time of 4:16.95. That performance set a new Illinois school record, breaking Julie Lantis' previous mark of 4:17.50 set in 1984. Bizzarri now holds six Illinois school records between cross country and track. On Sunday, she led through the first three laps of the race, but was out-kicked by Michigan's Geena Gall down the stretch who won the title in a time of 4:15.09. Bizzarri was a standout for the Illini at the championships, scoring a total of 18 team points.

Brown also had a huge day for the Orange and Blue, picking up a gold, silver and bronze medal and matching Bizzarri with 18 team points scored. Her highlight of the meet was winning the 400m hurdles title in a season-best time of 57.31, beating Penn State's Fawn Dorr who was second in a time of 57.55. Brown's victory marks the third time in four seasons that an Illini has won the 400m hurdles, following Camile Robinson in 2006 and Briana Cunningham in 2008. The senior transfer also ran on Illinois' runner-up 4x400m relay and took third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.53, just 0.01 seconds off of her personal-best ran in Saturday's trials.

An Illini also won the 400 meters, as Bates took the title and crushed her personal-best with a winning time of 53.39. The sophomore now ranks fourth on the Illinois all-time performance list in the event and won the Illini their first 400m conference title since Buford-Bailey won the event in 1993. Like Brown in the 400m hurdles, Bates also defeated Penn State's Fawn Dorr in the 400m. Dorr was second in 53.50.

Illinois nearly won another title, finishing second in the 4x400m relay in the final race of the championships. The foursome of Brown and freshmen Ashley Kelly, Ryisha Boyd and Latoya Griffith timed 3:38.41 and were edged out by just 0.08 seconds for first. Ohio State won the title in a time of 3:38.33.

Griffith also had a standout performance in the 400m hurdles, earning a bronze medal by taking third in a personal-best time of 58.49. The 4x100m relay earned a trip to the podium as well, as Evans, Kelly, senior Omoye Ugiagbe and sophomore Tamika Robinson timed 45.84 to take third.

Other Illini to score team points were Boyd taking sixth in the 400m (54.37), Ugiagbe taking seventh in the 400m (54.90) and eighth in the 200m (24.33), Paris Streeter placing eighth in the 400m, Nikkita Holder taking eighth in the 100m hurdles (13.81) and Alexandria Smith placing seventh in the triple jump (40-2).

The Big Ten Outdoor Championships will air tape-delayed on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, May 24 at 3 p.m. CT.

Illinois has next weekend off from competition to prepare for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in Louisville, Ky. from May 29-30.

Illinois Sunday Results at Big Ten Outdoor Championships

100m (FINAL)
9. Tamika Robinson 12.09

200m (FINAL)
8. Omoye Ugiagbe 24.33; 1 team point
9. Melissa Bates 24.35

400m (FINAL)
1. Melissa Bates 53.39; 10 team points
6. Ryisha Boyd 54.37; 3 team points
7. Omoye Ugiagbe 54.90; 2 team points
8. Paris Streeter 55.19; 1 team point

1,500m (FINAL)
2. Angela Bizzarri 4:16.95; 8 team points

5,000m (FINAL)
1. Angela Bizzarri 15:54.86; 10 team points
13. Elizabeth Boyle 16:54.28
14. Chantelle Groenewoud 16:55.38
19. Kristin Sutherland 17:14.46

100m Hurdles (FINAL)
3. Deserea Brown 13.53; 6 team points
8. Nikkita Holder 13.81; 1 team point

400m Hurdles (FINAL)
1. Deserea Brown 57.31; 10 team points
3. Latoya Griffith 58.49; 6 team points

4x100m Relay (FINAL)
3. Illinois 45.84; 6 team points
(Aja Evans, Ashley Kelly, Omoye Ugiagbe, Tamika Robinson)

4x400m Relay (FINAL)
2. Illinois 3:38.41; 8 team points
(Deserea Brown, Ashley Kelly, Ryisha Boyd, Latoya Griffith)

Triple Jump (FINAL)
7. Alexandria Smith 40-2 (12.24m); 2 team points
16. Kelly Washington 37-5 1/4 (11.41m)

High Jump (FINAL)
T-17. Alecia Beckford-Stewart 5-3 (1.60m)

Big Ten Outdoor Championships Women's Final Team Standings
1. Penn State 139
2. Michigan 138.75
3. Minnesota 131.50
4. ILLINOIS 100
5. Indiana 74.25
6. Purdue 64
7. Michigan State 57.25
8. Ohio State 45
9. Wisconsin 38.25
10. Iowa 31