Freshman Andrew Riley made one visit to Champaign before committing to Illinois’ track and field team, and it wasn’t in the winter. Had he visited during the kind of weather that he’s now experiencing, he might have had a few second thoughts.

Riley, a Jamaica native, was greeted by snow and subzero temperatures upon his arrival to Champaign just three weeks ago. Never having experienced such cold weather, he was thrust into a new world, competing in his first meet as an Illini just a few days after arriving in Champaign.

As Riley adapts to the weather and college life, he is also adjusting to collegiate-level track and field events. From the numbers, Riley is having no problem with the latter, and his accomplishments were key to the men’s track and field team’s first-place finish in Saturday’s Carle/Health Alliance Invitational at the UI Armory.

Riley was the men’s top performer, winning the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, six and three-fourths inches and placing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.08 seconds.

Finishing behind Georgia All-American Justin Gaymon (7.86), Riley’s time in the 60-meter hurdles ranks ninth in Illinois history. His week-by-week improvement is something the coaches hope for in all of their athletes.

“He’s getting adjusted and making the transition. I can’t say enough about him,” Illinois men’s head coach Wayne Angel said.

Something as simple as the hurdles themselves have helped Riley drop his time from 8.38 in the 60-meter hurdles several weeks ago to his latest 8.08.

“I’m just getting used to the height (of the hurdles); the more I race, the more I get used to the height,” Riley said.

The women’s track and field team came away from the Armory with a first-place finish as well. While first place is nice, the week-by-week improvement exemplified by Riley is stressed by the Illini coaches.

“I thought it went great,” women’s head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. “I think we’re just working on making small improvements, so that by the Big Ten meet we’re ready to go.”

The hard work by the Illini is finally making a difference.

“I feel really good, I feel like our fall training is paying off,” senior Omoye Ugiagbe said. “Our coach told us, before we came out, ‘This is our meet, we’re in our home and have to protect our home,’ so that’s what we all came out to do. Everyone on the team came out and did what we were supposed to do.”

Ugiagbe highlighted her first meet of the season with a first-place finish in the 400 meters (56.42).

“I ran a 56.4 which isn’t bad for a first 400 meter of the season. Now all I can do is work my time down from there,” Ugiagbe said.

The Illini women will have next week off before competing as a split squad on Feb. 6 and 7, with some team members competing in Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., and others at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in Lexington, Ky.

The Illini men will head to Lincoln, Neb., for the Adidas Classic on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.