Illini women’s track records 10 top-10 finishes in Kentucky
January 27, 2014
The Illinois women’s track team had an impressive weekend from start to finish at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in Lexington, Ky.
Against tough competition, including three teams in the top six in the country, the Illini shone. Illinois recorded 10 top-10 finishes, setting nine personal-best times in the process.
“I don’t know if there’s a better meet in the country in regards to the teams that are here,” head coach Ron Garner said in a press release. “It’s a great meet and a great environment to get us prepared for the Big Ten season.”
Freshman Kandie Bloch-Jones started off the successful weekend for the Illini on Friday with a third-place finish in the high jump. Bloch-Jones set a personal best with a jump of 1.77 meters, which is currently best in the Big Ten this season and sixth in Illinois history.
The Illini’s success didn’t end Friday as the team added six more personal bests Saturday. Senior Amanda Duvendack placed third overall with a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 7.06 seconds in her first 800-meter race of the season.
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For the second straight week Alyssa Schneider added her name to the record books, this time in the 3,000. Schneider clocked a personal best at 9:28.72, which placed her sixth overall in the event and fourth in school history.
“It was our first time on the road, so getting that first one under our belt was important,” assistant coach Scott Jones said in a press release. “Alyssa is coming off of a great cross country season, and I think that gave her confidence coming into the indoor season.”
Nicholas can be reached at [email protected] and @IlliniSportsGuy.