Illinois women’s track and field will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the 114th annual Drake Relays this coming weekend. The meet will be held in Drake Stadium at Drake University.
It has been two years since the team competed in the Drake Relays, and given their recent success, there’s lots of hope the Illini will continue their strong efforts in the upcoming competitions. This season has been full of accolades, and the team embraces all the opportunities they get to show off their elite athleticism.
Last weekend, the Illini continued their outstanding form, with numerous competitors breaking program records or setting their new best scores. A set few wrote their names in Illinois history.
Junior Halle Hill finished in fifth place with an impressive 4 minutes and 15.86 second time for the 1500-meter race, which placed her fifth in the elite section of the competition. Along with that, this was a whopping five-second improvement from her original best time.
Another show-stopping performance came from redshirt junior Rose Yeboah. Yeboah took the title for the high jump elite section, which made her mark 1.87 meters (6-1 1/2), the program’s second highest. Alongside her was junior Bara Sajdokova, the school record holder who also took the win with Yeboah as they both reached the same height on their first attempts.
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Not only did the women thrive alone, but with their teammates by their sides, they also demonstrated all their top-tier talents. The 4×100 meter relay team consisting of freshman Asia Thomas, freshman Sophia Beckman, junior Tacoria Humphrey and junior Jessica McDowell landed in sixth place and secured the program’s second-fastest time of 43.78 seconds.
McDowell has been showing her strengths on the team for two years now, so her incredible speed does not go unnoticed. Additionally, the youth and spirit of the freshmen, along with their momentum on the track, show great promise for these relays and their future with the Illini. However, more important than future seasons, the Drake Relays pose as the final away meet before the postseason, making it a vital event to embrace.
The Illini are prepared to make another statement in Des Moines this coming weekend. The competitors hope to earn gold while setting more records, the latter of which they seem to achieve every week. The events will begin on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. and will go on until the end of Saturday.
