CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s and women’s track and field squads are sending a program record 15 individual qualifiers (11 women and four men) across 16 events to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14-15.
The 11 individual women are the most ever in school history with the four men being the most since the 2015 season when they also sent four. This stat excludes adding in members of a 4x400m or distance medley relay squad; only those top-16 in their respective events are reflected in these historic representation marks.
The 11 women qualifiers are also the second most by any school in the nation for this season behind only Arkansas who’s sending 13. Third-year director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou continues to improve the program each year as he shattered his own program record for qualifiers he set last season with 12 individuals, nine of them women.
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
WOMEN
Sophia Beckmon (long jump): Beckmon qualified to the national meet leaping 6.71m (22-0 1/4) and is seeded No. 4. She set this mark at the first meet of the season, the Fighting Illini Open on Jan. 11, and it’s the second-best mark in program history. She’s fresh off a silver medal at last weekend’s Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Tacoria Humphrey (long jump): Humphrey qualified to the national meet by shattering the Big Ten, program and Big Ten Indoor Championships record with a massive 6.94m (22-9 1/4) long jump. This mark is the third best in the NCAA all-time and she is seeded No. 2. She’s Illinois’ first Big Ten Indoor Long Jump Champion since 2007 (Yvonne Mensah) and was the third Illini woman named to The Bowerman Watch List.
Lucie Kienast (pentathlon): Kienast qualified to the national meet with a program-record score of 4,405 points (4,428 after flat track conversion). She’s seeded No. 4 and set this mark in her first collegiate pentathlon on Jan. 24 at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined Events.
Jordan Koskondy (weight throw): Koskondy qualified to the national meet throwing 22.28m (73-1 1/4) and is seeded No. 12. She threw this mark last weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and it’s the second-best mark in program history.
Phethisang Makhethe (weight throw): Makhethe qualified to the national meet throwing a program record weight throw, 23.11m (75-10), and is seeded No. 5. She set this…
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