The Illinois men’s track and field team continued to improve on Saturday, recording some impressive performances at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. As usual, the men found their strength in the sprinting events, highlighted by freshman Andrew Riley.

After advancing to the finals of both the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, Riley placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles final while provisionally qualifying for the indoor NCAA Championships with a time of 7.84 seconds. That time is currently second in the Big Ten and also ranks second in Illini history.

Numerous other Illini utilized this past week of rest to tally season bests as well.

Senior Gakologelwang Masheto managed to break into the 46-second range in the 400 meters, clocking 46.87 in a second-place finish. Junior Gary Miller provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.75.

The Illini will use their performances from the weekend to propel them into the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 28-Mar. 1.