Following the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Illini traveled down to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Tyson Invitational. The weekend included several impressive performances from sophomore Asia Thomas, senior Tori Thomas, fifth-year Morgan Smalls and many others.
Hill shatters former mile school record
While most of the team competed together in Arkansas, star senior Halle Hill was alone in Boston, Massachusetts. The veteran competed in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Despite no other teammates competing in Boston, Hill had all eyes on her mile performance.
At this point, Hill is almost expected to get her own highlight reel after each meet. It’s for good reason, though, as Hill broke Olivia Howell’s school record in the mile. She recorded a speedy 4:32.86, narrowly racing ahead of the old record, 4:33.75. This time, Hill finished in 20th place for the mile.
It’s important to note that Howell wasn’t just a good runner; she was an NCAA champion. Even if she doesn’t win a title, Hill consistently shows her dominance among the program’s best and continues to leave a legacy for the team.
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Going the distance
In Albuquerque, Tori Thomas also had one of the most impressive weekend performances. She was invited to the pole vault competition and didn’t disappoint, posting a score of 14-6 3/4, which earned her silver in the event.
The success of athletes with the last name “Thomas” continued. Asia Thomas was selected to compete in the 200m invitational, where she represented the Illini well. With a time of 23.33, she finished fifth in the event.
Sophomore Jackson Gilbert competed in the 200m dash and set his second-best time as a competitor at 21.26. Gilbert’s best time in this event is 20.95 seconds. Gilbert is still young; he has plenty of time to improve and break his personal best later in his collegiate career.
Freshman Trey Sato finished the 800m event in ninth place with a time of 1:50.99. Sato also competed in the 1500m and the mile but did not finish in either event. Then, junior Tadeas Placek made the program’s 10th fastest time but only finished 20th in the 800m. Placek’s time was 1:48.92 during this event.
Senior Tacoria Humphrey and sophomore Sophia Beckmon thrived in the women’s events. Humphrey took first place overall, and Beckmon finished third in the 60m dash.
Humphrey had a time of 7.42, which is her personal best time for this event. It was also the only event she competed in during the invitational. Beckmon also only competed in the 60m dash. She earned her third-place finish in 7.43 seconds.
Smalls tied for sixth place during the high jump invitational but had the program’s ninth-best performance with a distance of 1.80m.
What comes next?
Illinois track and field is ranked fairly high in the top 25 for men and women. The men are ranked No. 9 while the women are ranked higher at No. 4 in the country; the pressure is mounting on both to maintain their rankings.
Illinois has only one more indoor event before the Big Ten Indoor Championships. This weekend, the teams will travel to a one-day event on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, to compete in the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame.
