EUGENE, Ore. – The Illinois men’s track and field squad completed the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday (June 5). True freshman Cody Johnston earned All-America honors in the pole vault with his clearance of 5.52m (18-1 1/4) to take fifth place. This makes him the first Illinois freshman ever to earn All-American status in the pole vault and score at the national meet in the event.
Senior Tyler Sudduth earned his first outdoor All-America honors in the shot put with a throw of 19.67m (64-6 1/2) to take seventh place. He becomes the fifth Illini man to score in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and the first one this century to earn All-American status. The last Illini male shot putter to stand on the podium was Jeff Teach in 1995 who also placed seventh.
Sudduth completes his tenure in the Orange and Blue as an All-American in the weight throw (2023) and now the shot put. He captured the weight throw Big Ten title indoors during the 2024 season and he owns the program record in the event at 23.14m (75-11).
Senior Aiden Ouimet currently sits in 13th place through the first five events of his decathlon with 3,937 points. His highest finish of the day came in the long jump where he placed sixth to earn 871 points, 7.24m (23-9). His next highest scoring event was that 400m with 864 points (48.94) and his time of 11.04 in the 100m earned him 852 points.
Senior Robert Williams placed 19th in the 400m hurdles on a time of 50.99. Williams finishes out his career as a two-time NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier doing so in his final two seasons. He anchored the school record indoor 4x400m relay team to a Big Ten title (3:06.24) in the 2023 season. In addition, he led off the 4x400m relay team that took home Big Ten gold in the 2021 outdoor season (3:06.26).
UP NEXT
The No. 11 women’s team gets ready for their first day of action tomorrow (June 6). Aiden Ouimet starts the second half of his decathlon at 11:30 a.m., field events begin at 3 p.m. and track events start at 5:30 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the action on ESPN2.
NOTES
- Cody Johnston placed fifth in the pole vault to earn All-American status, 5.52m (18-1 1/4).
- Tyler Sudduth placed seventh in the shot put to earn All-American status, 19.67m (64-6 1/2).
- Robert Williams placed 19th in the 400mH…
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