Illinois junior Yvonne Mensah has made a name for herself since she joined the women’s track and field team.

This weekend, however, she redefined herself and her place in Illini history at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., becoming an All-American in the triple jump. She was the only Illinois athlete to earn All-American status this weekend.

“Yvonne did great (on Saturday),” said Illinois head women’s track and field coach Gary Winckler in a press release.

Mensah finished eighth at this year’s championships with a jump of 13.20 meters. She has only been triple jumping for a few months, Winckler said.

“It’s really nice to see her finish off the season the way she did,” Winckler said.

This is not the first time Mensah has earned All-American accolades. In 2005, she earned All-American honors for her performance in the 60-meter hurdles.

“It’s an honor just to have the opportunity to get this far,” Mensah said in a press release.

During her career, she has also earned multiple Big Ten honors, including the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award following her first indoor track and field season.

Cassie Hunt led the distances corps, this weekend, finishing in 12th place for the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 29.72 seconds.

As Mensah earned All-American honors, Texas took home its sixth NCAA Indoor Track and Field title with 51 points. All of the Longhorns’ NCAA Indoor Track and Field titles were won with head coach Bev Kearney at the team’s helm. Kearney is the reigning NCAA South Central Region Coach of the Year. Stanford came in second with 36 points.

Arizona State finished third. North Carolina was fourth. Meanwhile, Miami (Fla.) and Georgia ended their championship performances tied for fifth.

Although the Illini did not place among the Top-15 finishers as a team, the Big Ten Conference was well represented. Minnesota finished 12th as a team. Michigan and Nebraska were tied for 13th.

The Illini will begin their outdoor track season at Purdue on April 1.