After three months of away meets, Illinois was finally back at Demirjian Park on Saturday for the Fighting Illini Twilight. Illinois left its mark on this competition, posting five program-top-10 performances.
The women set the tone early in the competition, securing both first and second place in the 100m race. Junior Azariyah Bryant finished strong to secure the victory (11.36s), and sophomore Asia Thomas ended in a close second (11.41). Spirits were high after the race, and being on home turf certainly seemed to help the runners gain an edge.
“Since it is the home turf, yes, I am comfortable,” Bryant said. “I felt cool taking first place … I just wanted to make sure that my body felt relaxed when I was running and just to make sure I’m intensive with how I push out because I know that I have a strong runner next to me, which is Asia.”
There is also a certain level of optimism towards performing well at the upcoming Big Ten and NCAA championships. Big performances like these set the tone for other Illinois athletes who want their shot at gold on the biggest stages.
“I felt good. It was my first 100 open for the season, so nice little shake out,” Thomas said. “I feel like we can take that to the national level, so I’m just excited for what we can do for the rest.”
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Other notable performances include a first-place finish in the 200m by sophomore Sophia Beckmon. With a time of 23.06, she claimed the sixth fastest time in program history. Junior Faith Deering set a personal record of 58.95m in the women’s hammer throw, the fifth best in program history.
On the men’s side, graduate student Will Rezny (18.71m) and sophomore Alex Sohn (17.88m) set the fifth and 10th best men’s shot put marks in program history, respectively. Senior Stephen Moody won the 1500m (3:47.64) less than a second ahead of junior Joshua Daggett (3:48.43).
Overall, Illinois put on a clinic Saturday. The home crowd seemed to make it easier for the athletes to perform, but Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Petros Kyprianou is hoping to see even more support from fans for future competitions.
“Nice to be at home,” Kyprianou said. “It’s always more comfortable for the athletes to jump and run and throw. I wish people knew how good this team is. It’s the only team on campus that is top 10 as of right now, and we just need the fans to support the athletes.”
Illinois is at home again for its next competition, the Gary Wieneke Memorial. The two-day meet takes place Friday and Saturday at Demirjian Park.
