Illini of the Week March 16: Jonathan Wells
By Will Most
March 15, 2016
Filed under Sports
Tweet: [email protected]'s Jonathan Wells is our #Illini of the Week after his eighth place finish at NCAA Indoor ChampionshipsJonathan Wells had already topped the first two heights in the high jump. With his final jump remaining, he ran forward, leapt up and just grazed the third and final ba...
Wells impresses at national championships for Illini men's track
By Will Most
March 13, 2016
Filed under Sports
Dylan Lafond and Jonathan Wells AGcapped their seasons off in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday at the NCAA Indoor Championships.Wells walked away with the better performance of the two, placing eighth in a tightly contested high jump competitionAG. His finish earned him first team All-American honors. Lafond was not as fortu...
Lafond and Wells compete in national championship
By Will Most
March 10, 2016
Filed under Sports
After leading the way for Illinois men’s track and field most of the season, sophomore Jonathan Wells and junior Dylan Lafond are looking to succeed as individuals this weekend.chThe two will head to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the men’s NCAA Indoor Championships.chLafond, one of the leade...
Illini men’s track caps of indoor season disappointing at Big Ten Championship
By Will Most
February 29, 2016
Filed under Sports
The entire Illinois men’s track indoor season was defined by injuries as the Illini traveled from meet to meet with no consistent team success.Athletes like Dylan Lafond, Jonathan Wells and Cam Viney regularly put together strong performances, but more often than not, the rest of the team didn’t o...
Illinois men's track prepare for Big Ten Championship
By Will Most
February 25, 2016
Filed under Sports
Tweet: [email protected] still struggling with injuries, prepares for tough Big Ten Competition #IlliniLast indoor season, the Illinois men's track and field team strode into the Big Ten Championship relatively injury-free, where they ran off with second place. The 2016 season is very different &md...
Illinois men’s track caps off season at Orange and Blue Open
By Will Most
February 21, 2016
Filed under Sports
In the 3000 meters, Dylan Lafond, Ian Barnett and Jesse Reiser had separated themselves from the pack.AGEach runner seemed to be on pace to finish just beyond eight minutes, when, halfway through the race, Lafond and Barnett stopped suddenly and walked off the track.AGReiser, who was running unattached, would go...
Illini men’s track keeps pace at Cyclone Classic
By Will Most
February 15, 2016
Filed under Sports
Tweet: @IlliniMTrack still struggle to find their groove before the Big Ten Championships. #IlliniThe Illinois men's track and field team got some strong individual performances in Ames, Iowa, this weekend, but couldn't pull those together into a complete team result.The Illini will host the Oran...
Illini men’s track thrills and disappoints at Husker Invite
By Will Most
February 8, 2016
Filed under Sports
When Jonathan Wells was asked whether he would be able to compete at the level of some of his nationally ranked opponents in Nebraska, he responded quickly and bluntly that they would have to compete at his level. Such a response is one that is best backed up by a strong performance, which is exa...
Illini men’s track banking on success in Nebraska
By Will Most
February 4, 2016
Filed under Sports
Check out the Radio Feature on Mo Maat by Will Gerard here.After one of its most challenging meets of the year in Lexington, Kentucky, the Illinois men’s track team got a weekend to relax and recuperate after racing several top-25 teams and playing what was a punishing start to its season.With the rest, practice and people returning from injury, Head Coa...
Wells on his way for Illinois men's track and field
By Will Most
January 28, 2016
Filed under Sports
Illinois men’s track head coach Mike Turk talks about sophomore Jonathan Wells differently from the way coaches usually talk about their athletes. Coaches liken their athletes to gym rats with considerable work ethics. But for Turk, Wells’ determination and dedication are unparalleled.“When he c...
Illini men's track takes small victories in Lexington
By Will Most
January 24, 2016
Filed under Sports
There was no true winner at the end of the Rod McCravy Memorial Invite this weekend, although some members of the Illinois men’s track and field team shone individually — the meet didn’t involve any team scores.Illinois’ long distance unit, consisting mostly of the cross-country squad that ...
Our kind of thing: a Fighting Illini family
November 17, 2015
Filed under Sports
Being a student-athlete is a tricky thing. It’s an emotional thing, it’s a mental thing, and it’s a physical thing.And as surprising as this may sound, I haven't found many outside of college sports that are able to do justice to just how amazing an experience it is.But balancing all of these feeli...
