Illinois traveled down to Gainesville, Florida, this weekend in what ended up being a record-breaking meet.
After heading to Tampa in late March for the USF Alumni Invitational, the Illini were back in the Sunshine State for the Pepsi Florida Relays.
The USF Invitational was a success, with Illinois picking up some momentum on the last day of competition. On the last day, Illinois won three events, giving it some confidence going forward. Illinois kept that pace this weekend in several key events.
Abria Smith: record breaker
The real star of the show this week was in the shot put event. Senior Abria Smith showed out, cementing her name in the history books.
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Smith threw for 17.58 meters, breaking the previous Illini record. Despite that performance, Smith only finished second in the event.
When you break a school record and still don’t win, there’s not much else you can do except tip your cap. That performance just goes to show how tough the competition is for the Illini during these events.
Hill climbs up leaderboard
To no one’s surprise, senior Halle Hill was one of the headlines of this weekend. As a senior, each meet is an opportunity for Hill to further cement herself in Illinois history.
During the 1500m, Hill posted a time of 4:13.99. That mark was good enough for 10th-best nationally, but only for third place at the meet.
In the same event, freshman Kennady Anderson posted an impressive time of 4:25.59 en route to a 12th-place finish.
Two impress in pole vault
On day one, senior Tori Thomas and junior Mia Morello placed well in the pole vault. The duo finished back-to-back on the podium, with Thomas coming in second place, while Morello ended up in third.
Thomas was fantastic, recording a 4.25-meter mark, while Morello followed up with a 4.05-meter leap.
Next stop Texas
After traveling down to get some sun in Florida, the heat won’t stop next week. Illinois heads down to College Station, Texas, for the 44 Farms Invitational at Texas A&M.
With a strong performance at Florida, the Illini are hoping to keep things going in Texas.
