The Illinois men’s track and field team made its final preparations for the Big Ten Championships last weekend at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The team maintained its good reputation at the Relays and added more regional qualifiers.

Sophomore Lesiba Masheto won the special invitational 400-meter title in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday with a time of 46.24. Masheto, the only collegiate athlete entered in the world class special invitational field, beat a former Olympic bronze medalist. He added to the Illini’s victory total at the Drake Relays, bumping it up to 133, the most in the history of the event.

Senior Jason Bill finished in fifth place in the 5,000-meter with a 14:08.67, bettering the regional qualifying mark of 14:12.00.

Head coach Wayne Angel said the team was very consistent.

“I was very pleased with our performances,” Angel said. “Everybody is moving in the right direction.”

The 4×400 relay team also finished well for the Illini. The team, composed of Masheto, senior Tramell Smith, freshman Joey Hodges and senior Adrian Walker, ran a season-best time of 3:09.31, coming in under the regional qualifying time of 3:10.00.

Senior Jon Houseworth regionally qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the first time this season.

Houseworth grabbed third place with a time of 9:00.86.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Walker took fifth place with a regional qualifying time of 51.06. Freshman Joey Hodges ran a 51.57, finishing in ninth place as a new regional qualifier, joining Houseworth as the only Illini to grab new spots at regionals.

Junior Nick Brown fared well once again in the triple jump. Brown grabbed second place, tying his personal-best and regional-qualifying mark of 51-feet 7.25-inches.

Angel said the team worked together to do what they needed to do.

“Everybody came together and was getting excited over everybody else. It was a momentum thing and everybody was buying into it, ” he said.

However, Angel said the team must continue to prepare itself mentally and physically for the upcoming championship season.

“It doesn’t mean a hill of beans if we can’t do it at the Big Tens,” Angel said. “We want to build on this and make it happen when it counts.”

The Illini will take the next two weeks to prepare for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, which will be held May 11-13 in State College, Pa.