Illinois is traveling to South Bend, Indiana, to participate in the Alex Wilson Invitational on Saturday. Several athletes have broken records, hit personal bests and secured event titles this year. To close out the regular indoor season, the Illini will lace up their shoes to achieve more in mind. 

Conference placement

Both Illini men and women have had successful indoor seasons ranked high in the top 25. The women are ranked higher than the men, coming in at No. 5 in the nation. On the other hand, the men stand at No. 9. 

In conference play for the men, they land at the No. 8 spot with 201.87 points. Looking at the women, they are No. 2 in the conference, only falling behind one of the newcomers in the conference, Oregon.

The women currently sit at almost 100 points less than Oregon. They hold 308.75 total points, while Oregon has 406.39 points during the indoor season.

The Illini have a lot of competition on Saturday, but solid performances from all skill groups should aid their Big Ten standings. The better the performances at this competition, the better the momentum the Illini will have for the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Where the success comes from

The triumphs from both teams have come from all over the place, but most recently, from senior Halle Hill. The veteran separated herself from the pack when she competed in Boston at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. During her event, Hill managed to break Olivia Howell’s mile record. 

Similarly, sophomore Jackson Gilbert recently has seen success as he had a time of 46.64 seconds for the 400m dash during the Tyson Invitational. Gilbert has excelled throughout the season, such as during the 600m dash at the Fighting Illini Open, when he finished with 1:19.96.

Sticking with sprinters, sophomore Asia Thomas has succeeded during the entire indoor season, as she has gotten faster each time she’s competed in the 60m dash. Her current best time for this event is 7.22.

Thomas has also thrived in the 100m and 200m events. She currently has an 11.72 time for the 100m while her time for the 200m is 23.21 seconds. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if Thomas reaches another personal best this weekend, given her consistent ability to perform at a high level. 

Stay strong in the fielding events

During the Tyson Invitational, Illinois had two successful competitors, one in the pole vault and the other in the long jump. Sophomore Cody Johnston finished in first place in the pole vault event with 5.61 meters. Johnston finished in first place during the pole vaulting event in the last six competitions and only continues to improve. 

Looking at the long jump event, junior Viktor Morozov finished in fifth place during the Tyson Invitational. Morozov got a measurement of 7.88 meters, which is his current personal best. The junior also competes in the triple jump event, and he set his personal best during the Fighting Illini Challenge, where he set a measurement of 16.35 meters. 

The Alex Wilson Invitational begins this Saturday at 10 a.m. This meet will conclude the indoor season for track and field. Next week, Illinois will prepare for multiple competitors in the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

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