For a while, three Big Ten men’s track and field teams were scheduled to rest this weekend – a week before the Big Ten Indoor Championships. After a change of plans, there will only be two, and Illinois is not one of them.

After originally giving his team the weekend off, head coach Wayne Angel decided to take most of his squad to Eastern Illinois’ Friday Night Special in Charleston, Ill., to give his team one last chance to prove itself before the Big Ten Championships at Penn State next weekend.

“The main reason for this week is the people that are on the bubble,” Angel said. “I’m only going to take people on the top-20 Big Ten list (to the Big Ten Championship). If they’re not there, then we’re not going to take them because it doesn’t make any sense.”

Angel wants to take a group to Penn State next weekend that will be competitive, and if athletes aren’t ranked in the top 20 in the Big Ten in their events, it’s unlikely they will score points. Regardless, Angel saw fit to give those not in the top 20 one last chance.

“We’ve got a guy who scored in the Big Ten last year that’s not even in the top 20, Josh Gist, so I’m giving him a shot,” Angel said. “We’ve got about five or six kids in that same situation.” An additional meet will also give those already set to go to the Indoor Championships another race under their belt.

“This is a tune-up meet,” Angel said. “I’m taking my better guys and running them in their off events. If I’m going to be there, I might as well take my guys and put them in an event where I can kind of just use it as a workout.” Illinois’ athletes found out about Angel’s decision on Tuesday. Senior Gakologelwang Masheto will be running the 600 meters on Friday – a race he doesn’t typically run.

Many other Big Ten coaches shared the same idea. Including Illinois, eight Big Ten schools are set to compete this weekend. Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin will be hosting their own meets, while Ohio State and Michigan State will each compete on the road. Indiana and Penn State are the sole Big Ten track teams that are not scheduled for a tune up. Northwestern has no track team.