Illini wheelchair athletes earn podium spots at Boston Marathon

By Maaike Niekerk, Managing Editor • Apr 21, 2025

Susannah Scaroni crosses the finish line winning the women’s wheelchair division during the 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, July 4, 2023, in Atlanta.

Two members of the Illini Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team claimed podium spots at the 129th Boston Marathon Monday morning.

T54 Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair race at 1:35:20. Scaroni beat Swiss athletes Catherine Debrunner and Manuela Schar by over two minutes. This marks Scaroni’s second Boston Marathon win after her 2023 victory.

T54 Daniel Romanchuk took second in the men’s wheelchair competition, coming in just behind Switzerland’s Marcel Hug at 1:25:58. Romanchuk previously won the Boston Marathon in both 2019 and 2022. His 2019 victory made him the race’s youngest winner at 20 years old.

Other Illini wheelchair athletes in the competition included T54 Tatyana McFadden (fifth place), T53 Hoda Elshorbagy (ninth), T54 Hannah Dederick (13th) and T54 Eva Houston (18th). T53 Brian Siemann and T54 Evan Correll competed in the men’s race and earned 13th and 6th place finishes respectively.

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About the Contributor

Maaike Niekerk, Managing Editor

Hello! My name is Maaike, and I’m a senior majoring in English with minors in journalism, music and gender & women’s studies. I began working with The Daily Illini during the fall semester of my freshman year and joined the editorial team in 2023. I’m so excited to be working as our Managing Editor after serving as Arts & Entertainment Editor and Assistant buzz Editor over the past couple of years. As a Champaign native, I love covering local music and art to highlight different parts of our fun community. Outside of The Daily Illini, I’m a member of the Marching Illini and the Illini 4000 executive board.