March 11, 2009

Illinois NCAA Indoor Championships Preview (PDF)

2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Friday, March 13 - Saturday, March 14
Texas A&M // College Station, Texas // Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center

The Meet
The Fighting Illini women's track and field team will be represented by six athletes at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas from March 13-14 at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center. Illinois will look to bring home All-America honors in three events, as Angela Bizzarri (3,000m), Aja Evans (shot put) and the 4x400m relay (Melissa Bates, Ryisha Boyd, Deserea Brown, Omoye Ugiagbe) all head into the championships ranked in the nation's top-10. Bizzarri, Evans and Ugiagbe all have plenty of championship experience as returning indoor All-Americans from last season. Bizzarri has established herself as one of the top distance runners in the country, while Evans has also made a name for herself in the shot put as a Big Ten champion and two-time national qualifier. The Illini 4x400m relay is the best in school history, setting the Illinois record of 3:35.13 at the Alex Wilson Invitational last weekend. All six athletes will compete on Saturday, beginning with Evans in the shot put at 3:45 p.m. Bizzarri is scheduled to run the 3,000m final at 6:40, while the 4x400m relay will close out the championships at 7:10 p.m.

The meet will be streamed live on ESPN360.com throughout the championships, and will be aired tape-delayed on ESPN2 on Monday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Illinois Schedule at the NCAA Indoor Championships

Saturday, March 14
3:45 p.m. Shot Put (Evans)
6:40 p.m. 3,000m Final (Bizzarri)
7:10 p.m. 4x400m Relay Final (Bates, Boyd, Brown, Ugiagbe)

Fighting Illini Competitors

• Angela Bizzarri, 3,000m (Jr., Mason, Ohio)
Already a five-time All-American and one of the best distance runners in Illinois history ... Seeded 10th in the 3,000m field with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 9:11.62 ran at the Meyo Invitational ... That performance also set an Illinois school record and shattered her previous personal-best ... Was runner-up in the 3,000m at the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championships (9:20.77) ... Also automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5,000m with a school-record time of 16:07.50 ran at the Big Ten Championships, but opted to focus solely on the 3,000m ... Finished sixth at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships ... Her highest finish at a national meet came at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she was runner-up in the 5,000m ... Anchored the distance medley relay to a sixth-place finish and All-America accolades at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships ... Holds a total of five school records between track and field and cross country.
Indoor Career Best in 3,000m: 9:11.62

• Aja Evans, Shot Put (Jr., Chicago, Ill.)
Earned All-America honors in the shot put at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships, placing ninth ... Had a career-best indoor throw this year at the Alex Wilson Invitational, recording the sixth-best throw in the NCAA and resetting her own school record with a mark of 55-0 1/4 (16.77m) ... Finished runner-up in the shot put at this year's Big Ten Indoor Championships ... 2008 Big Ten outdoor shot put champion, setting a championships, facility and school record with a personal-best 55-10 1/2 (17.03m) ... Competed in the shot put at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials ... Represented the U.S. in the shot put at the NACAC Athletic Association Under-23 Championships ... Also runs sprints for the Illini.
Indoor Career Best in Shot Put: 55-0 1/4 (16.77m)

• 4x400m Relay (Melissa Bates, Ryisha Boyd, Deserea Brown, Omoye Ugiagbe)
Set the Illinois school record at the Alex Wilson Invitational with a time of 3:35.13 that ranks third in the country heading into the championships ... That performance was over four seconds faster than their previous season-best time of 3:39.90 ... Finished runner-up at the Big Ten Championships and won the relay title at the Iowa State Classic ... 2009 marks just the second time in 11 years that Illinois has qualified a 4x400m relay for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Indoor Career Best in 4x400m Relay: 3:35.13

• Melissa Bates, 4x400m Relay (So., Grand Prairie, Texas)
Has had a breakthrough sophomore season ... Anchor leg of 4x400m relay, splitting 52.3 when the Illini set the school record of 3:35.13 at the Alex Wilson Invitational ... Illinois' top performer in the 400m this season, running a personal-best 54.53 in prelims at the Big Ten Championships ... Also ran a personal-best 200m of 24.60 at Big Ten's ... One of the top team performers at the Big Ten Championships, taking third in the 400m final (54.73), seventh in the 200m and anchoring the 4x400m relay to a runner-up finish ... Competed in the triple jump for the Illini in 2008.

• Ryisha Boyd, 4x400m Relay (Fr., Brick, N.J.)
Illinois' top freshman performer in 2009, making an immediate impact with the team ... Took fifth in the 400m final at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with a personal-best time of 55.01, the second-best team performance of the season ... Competed the 600m in two meets with a personal-best performance of 1:34.88 ... Also was a successful long jumper in high school, earning All-State honors ... Lettered in track and field, field hockey and cross country at Brick Township High School.

• Deserea Brown, 4x400m Relay (Sr., Flossmoor, Ill.)
Transferred to Illinois for her senior season from SIU-Edwardsville ... A standout athlete in her three seasons with the Cougars, earning 16 All-America accolades and setting 13 school records ... Two-time NCAA Division II national champion (400m hurdles, 4x400m relay) ... Scored 42 team points at the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Outdoor Championships, winning the heptathlon, 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles ... Three-time GLVC Track & Field Athlete of the Year ... Primarily competes in the 400m hurdles, with a personal-best time of 56.82 that earned her a spot at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials ... Illinois' top performer in the 600m this season, falling just one place short of making the final at the Big Ten Championships.

• Omoye Ugiagbe, 4x400m Relay (Sr., Scarborough, Ontario)
Only Illini in the 4x400m relay with Division I championship experience ... Earned All-America honors running the 400m leg of the Illini distance medley relay that was sixth at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships ... Also competed on the 4x400m relays that qualified for indoor nationals in both 2006 and 2007 ... Scored in both the 200m and 400m at the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championships ... Holds two school records, as a member of the distance medley relay and the indoor 4x400m relay ... Has scored in a total of seven Big Ten Championships ... Born in Nigeria but grew up in Ontario.