Men’s track wrapped up indoor action this weekend in Ames, Iowa at the Cyclone Classic. The team finished with five provisionally qualifying times and one automatic qualifying time for the NCAA National Championship in March.

Sophomore Zach Glavash had a big meet, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 800m on the second day and provisionally qualifying in the distance medley relay on the first.

In the distance medley relay, Glavash and juniors Adrian Walker, Tra Smith and Tim Hobbs took first with a time of 9:39.19, which ranks as the fourth-best time in Illinois history and the 16th fastest all-time at the Cyclone Classic.

Freshman Nick Brown provisionally qualified in the long jump by jumping 24’07.25″. This ranks as the eighth-best in Illinois school history and the 14th longest jump in the nation.

In the second day of competition, Glavash ran the 800m in 1:47.79, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships and coming within a second of Bobby True’s school record of 1:46.96. Glavash finished third in the race, posting the fastest time in the nation.

In the 400m, sophomore Nathan Vadeboncoeur and junior Abe Jones both ran personal bests and provisionally qualified in the event. Vadeboncoeur earned the number six spot on Illinois’ top-ten fastest 400m runs with a time of 46.98, while Jones earned the number eight spot. Both runners rank in the top twenty in the nation – Vadeboncouer has the 15th fastest time in the nation while Jones has the 20th best time.

The 4x400m relay team of Jones, Vadeboncoeur, Walker and Smith finished third in the event, running it in a best time of 3:08.19, which is the second fastest time in school history and the 10th fastest in the nation.

Sophomore Seth Pilkington ran the 5k in a personal-best time of 14:08.61 – fourth best in school history – provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Pilkington’s time was the fastest since 1985. Sophomore Jason Bill also ran the 5k in a best time. Bill ran the event in 14:17.10, seventh best all-time.

“We had a great two days of competition,” said head coach Wayne Angel. “We’re really looking forward to the Big Ten Championship in two weeks. Our confidence level is at an all-time high, momentum is rolling in the right direction, and I think we’re ready for the task at hand.”

Although the team was successful this weekend, Angel said the team still has some lessons to learn if it hopes to reach its potential.

“We know that we’ve put in the work that is necessary to accomplish our goal at the Big Tens, which is to be among the top three when it’s all said and done,” Angel said. “When you think you’re good, you’re not always as good as you think. There’s always room for improvement and growth. We learned that. We have to work a little harder, be a little bit smarter and believe in ourselves if we want to get to that level.”