The Illinois women’s track and field team finished ninth out of 10 teams Sunday at the 2014 Indoor Big Ten Championships. The Illini ended the meet with 47 points, well behind overall team champion Penn 

State, which finished with 114.5.

While it is a significant step back from last year’s first-place finish, Illinois did see two members of the team become conference champions.

Although it was not the overall finish the team had hoped for, coach Ron Garner said he was pleased with his team’s effort and that this was an experience he hopes his girls will build from.

Freshman Kandie Bloch-Jones, competing in her first ever Big Ten Championships, won the high jump with a jump of 5 feet, 9 inches. Bloch-Jones, who had been consistent all year, got off to a shaky start and almost let her nerves get the best of her. However, in the end, she was able to keep calm and secure a conference title.

Senior Ahlivia Spencer won the 800 meters in one of the more surprising outcomes of the meet. Spencer, who was not ranked in the top seven in the event coming in, ran a time of 2:06.53, a personal-best and the second-best time in school history.

Senior Amanda Duvendack, one of the favorites in the event, finished third.

Junior Alyssa Schneider also helped to score points for the Illini by finishing eighth in the 5,000. Schneider ran a time of 16 minutes, 49.23 seconds, a personal record and the second-best time in school history.

The Illini also received scoring contributions in the 60-meter hurdles. Senior Jesica Ejesieme finished fourth with a season-best time of 8.3 seconds and Senior Kawanna Brooks finshed seventh.

Senior Asia Thomas finished seventh in the 400 to score two points for the team.

The 4×400 relay team of Thomas, Ejesieme, Spencer and Kymbriona Taylor finished seventh to conclude the scoring for the Illini in the final event of the meet.

With only 12 points returning from last year’s team, the Illini can be proud of their performance. They nearly hit the 50-point mark and were only six points away from finishing in the top half of the conference.

While the indoor season is over for most of the team, a few of the athletes have a chance to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in New Mexico in two weeks. 

Mubarak can be reached at [email protected] and @justmubar.