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 Senior Tiara Armstrong will be shooting for an individual title in the 100m as Illinois hosts the Big Ten Outdoor Championships this weekend.
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May 14, 2008
Illinois Women Big Ten Outdoor Championships Notes (PDF)
Illinois Outdoor Performance List (PDF)
Big Ten Outdoor Championships Schedule of Events (PDF)
Big Ten Outdoor Championships Heat Sheets
2008 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championiships
Friday, May 16 - Sunday, May 18
Illinois Track Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
The Meet
The Fighting Illini women's track and field team will host the 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend at the Illinois Track Stadium from Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18. Action begins on Friday at noon with the start of the decathlon and heptathlon. Finals for the men's and women's hammer throw, men's pole vault and men's and women's 10,000m will all be held on Friday. Multi-events resume on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., while the first running event, the women's 4x100m relay trials, is slotted for 2:10 p.m. Event finals will be held for eight events on Saturday. All remaining finals will be held on Sunday, beginning with the women's triple jump at 11 a.m. The final event, the men's 4x400m relay, is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Live results will be available at www.fightingillini.com.
The 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be televised tape-delayed by the Big Ten Network on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. CT. Brent Stover will call the action, with analysis from Illini alum Craig Virgin, Suzy Favor Hamilton and Butler By'note.
Tickets will be sold on Friday out of the ticket trailer by the Northwest entrance of Illinois Track Stadium. On Saturday and Sunday, tickets will be sold out of the baseball press box across from the Northwest entrance. All-session passes are $15 for adults and $8 for students and youth. Single-day tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and youth.
Illinois History At The Big Ten Outdoor Championships:
The Illini are the reigning Big Ten Outdoor Champions, sharing the 2007 title with Michigan. Senior Yvonne Mensah was spectacular at last year's conference championships hosted by Penn State, winning four Big Ten titles: the 100 meters, 200 meters, triple jump and anchoring the 4x100m relay.
The 2007 title marked head coach Gary Winckler's sixth Big Ten outdoor championship at Illinois, and his 11th total. Winckler also led the Illini to outdoor crowns in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995 and 2005.
Head Coach Gary Winckler On The 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Championships:
"Our expectation is always to go out and compete, and our team is finally healthy and at full strength. We're looking forward to having the event at home. Our goal is to improve on our sixth-place finish at the indoor championships and place in the top four. We are better than a sixth-place team, and even though we're young, we have learned a lot this outdoor season and are better prepared for a strong team finish."
"We definitely have some individuals who should be able to fight for Big Ten titles. If Aja Evans throws the way she's been throwing, you have to look at her as one of the favorites in the shot put. Briana Cunningham and LaNeisha Waller should both be up there in the hurdling events, as well as Tiara Armstrong in the 100 meters. The 1,500 meters field is very tough, but Angela Bizzarri should be able to place well in that and in the 5,000 meters."
Illini To Watch:
•Tiara Armstrong, Sprints (Sr., Dayton, Ohio)
The Illini will look to Armstrong to score big in three events at the Big Ten Championships - the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. Armstrong is one of the top sprinters in the conference, and a threat to win both the 100m and 200m crowns. The senior is looking for her second Big Ten individual title after picking up her first in the 60m at this year's Big Ten Indoor Championships, also placing third in the 200m. At last year's outdoor championships, Armstrong took second in the 100m and sixth in the 200m, also running the first leg of the champion 4x100m relay.
•Angela Bizzarri, Distance (So., Mason, Ohio)
Bizzarri has only run two races going into the Big Ten Championships, but has posted impressive performances in both. The sophomore ran the second-best 1,500m time in school history (4:19.95) on April 12 at the Sun Angel Track Classic, and followed that by running Illinois' second-fastest 5,000m time (16:16.43) on April 25 at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. Bizzarri currently ranks second in the 1,500m and fifth in the 5,000m in the Big Ten. A two-time cross country All-American, Bizzarri was an All-American in indoor track and field this season as a member of the distance medley relay.
•Briana Cunningham, Hurdles (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.)
Cunningham has had a breakout season in the 400m hurdles after placing sixth in the event at last year's Big Ten Championships. The senior ran a personal-best 59.00 at the Hurricane Challenge on March 29, good enough for fourth in the Big Ten and eighth in the NCAA Mideast Region. Cunningham ran a regional qualifying time in every 400m hurdles race this year, most notably taking first in the event at the prestigous Kansas Relays on April 19.
•Aja Evans, Shot Put (So., Chicago, Ill.)
Evans smashed Illinois' outdoor shot put record on April 30 at the Illinois Twlight, with a mark of 55 feet, 8 1/4 inches that broke Collinus Newsome's mark of 53'1" set in 1996. The sophomore transfer posts the best mark in the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the country in the shot put, the event where she was an indoor All-American in March after placing ninth at the NCAA Championships. Evans also broke the school indoor record this season, again topping Newsome's distance.
•Rachel Hernandez, Distance (Sr., Romeoville, Ill.)
Hernandez has had her best performances in her last season as an Illini, following a solid cross country season with becoming an indoor All-American as a member of the distance medley relay. This outdoor season, Hernandez ran career-best times in the 800m (2:08.62) and 1,500m (4:25.82), qualifying for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in both.
•Omoye Ugiagbe, Sprints (Jr., Scarborough, Ontario)
Ugiagbe has not competed since the Kansas Relays on April 19 due to a pulled hamstring, but is still expected to be a major contributer in the sprinting events at Big Ten's. The junior ran the Illini's best 200m time of the year in Tempe, Ariz. on April 12 (23.79), and owns a season-best time of 54.62 in the 400m that just misses the NCAA regional standard of 54.61. Ugiagbe ran the 400m leg of Illinois' All-America distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and anchored the 4x100m relay to its top performance of the year (45.19) this outdoor season.
•LaNeisha Waller, Hurdles/Sprints/Jumps (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Waller joins Tiara Armstrong as the only Illini to qualify for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in three events. In her signature event, the 100m hurdles, Waller ranks second in the Big Ten and is looking for a conference title after finishing runner-up last year. The senior also ranks 10th in the country in the 100m hurdles, aiming for a return trip to the NCAA Championships. Waller began competing in the long jump again this season after a two-year hiatus, posting the Illini's best distance in the event (20 feet, 3.5 inches). One of the most versatile athletes on the team, Waller will also run the 4x100m relay.
•Danelle Woods, Distance (Fr., Ottawa, Ontario)
Woods has had an amazing year for the Illini, aiming for a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after already competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman. A top recruit out of Canada, Woods was named Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year and an indoor All-American in the distance medley relay. Her main focus this weekend is the 3,000m steeplechase, where she currently ranks first in the NCAA Mideast Region and third in the Big Ten.
2008 Illinois Highlights:
•Winckler Announces Retirement: Illinois head coach Gary Winckler announced on April 4 that he is retiring following the 2008 season after 23 years at Illinois. Long regarded as one of the top track and field coaches in the country, Winckler led the Illini to 11 Big Ten Championships and was coincidently named Big Ten Coach of the Year 11 times and National Coach of the Year once. Winckler has coached 13 athletes who have competed in the Olympics, and also graduated 97 percent of his athletes at Illinois. Current Illini associate head coach and former Winckler pupil Tonja Buford-Bailey was named as Winckler's replacement, and will take over head coaching duties this summer.
•Three Illini Honored As Big Ten Athletes of the Week: Illinois had three athletes honored this outdoor season by the conference: senior LaNeisha Waller, sophomore Angela Bizzarri and sophomore Aja Evans. Waller was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week on April 1 for qualifying for the NCAA Regional Championships in three events - the 100m hurdles, long jump and 4x100m relay - at the Hurricane Challenge in Coral Gables, Fla. Bizzarri also was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week, receiving the honor on April 29 after running the second-fastest 5,000m time in Illinois history (16:16.43) and winning the event at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. Evans received Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors on May 6, after setting a school record in thet shot put at the Illinois Twilight (55' 8/14") that then ranked fifth in the country.
•Illinois Qualifies 13 Athletes for NCAA Regional Championships: The Illini have qualified 12 individuals and one relay for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships so far, set for May 30-31 in Fayetteville, Ark. Leading the way is seniors Tiara Armstrong and LaNeisha Waller, both who qualified in two individual events as well as the 4x100m relay. Sophomore Angela Bizzarri currently ranks fourth in the 1,500m and sixth in the 5,000m in the region, while freshman Danelle Woods has the top 3,000m steeplechase time and sophomore Aja Evans ranks third in the shot put.
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