CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s and women’s track and field teams completed the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined events on Saturday (Jan. 25) from the UI Armory. Jip De Greef won the heptathlon today with the program’s second-best and national leading score of 6,046 points (6,070 after conversion for flat track). He’s the first heptathlete to cross the 6,000 point total this season in the NCAA and it’s the sixth-best score for a Dutch heptathlete all-time.
“This was another very good weekend to close out or home indoor meets,” said director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou. “Anytime you can have people qualified for the national meet before the end of January is a great feeling. There were a lot of highlights like Lucie Kienast and Tori Thomas breaking school and Big Ten records, Jip De Greef leading the nation after his first ever heptathlon and Halle Hill and Will Merrick also both breaking school records in the 1000m. We have a lot of work to do still, but I’m excited with the direction this team is heading.”
Viktor Morozov leaped the program’s second-best triple jump at 16.35m (53-7 3/4) enroute to capturing the event crown. His mark is currently the national number two mark for the 2025 season.
Abria Smith notched another top-10 program mark today this time improving her program’s second-best shot put to 16.77m (55-01 1/4) in her event win. Today’s attendance was 937.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue track and field crews are off next week before they split up to head to Albuquerque, N.M. and Boston on Feb. 7-8. Most of the team will head to the New Mexico Collegiate Classic with the distance runners heading to Boston for the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational.
NOTES
Event Winners and Top-10 Program Marks
Combined Events
Heptathlon
Jip De Greef – First with program’s second-best score (6,046)
- Won the pole vault, 5.11m (16-9 1/4).
- Placed second in the 60mH (8.12).
- Placed fifth in the 1000m (2:44.54).
Rafael Raap – Ninth (4,692)
- Placed fourth in the 60mH (8.38).
- Placed sixth in the pole vault, 4.41m (14-5 1/2).
Full Illini Results
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