Full Results
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Fighting Illini men’s and women’s track and field teams completed the first day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Friday (May 15) from the Nebraska Outdoor Track. Phethisang Makhethe started the day off strong for Illinois with a silver medal in the hammer throw to score eight points for the team on a mark of 68.42m (224-6).
Jordan Koskondy was narrowly behind Makhethe fourth place to score five team points with her throw of 64.79m (212-6). Over in the women’s pole vault both Mia Morello and Anastasia Retsa cleared 4.33m (14-2 1/2) to stand on the podium. Morello took fifth place since she had fewer fouls which gave Retsa sixth place. Retsa’s 4.33m is a new outdoor personal best for her and the fourth-best mark in school history.
Jane Roosimagi stepped onto the javelin podium in her Big Ten Outdoor Championships debut. She threw 49.81m (163-5) to take seventh place and score two points for the squad. Pol Molins placed second in his 1500m heat to earn an automatic qualification to Sunday’s finals (3:55.01).
After the first day the women’s team is in third place with 22 points.
COMBINED EVENTS
After the first day of competition in the heptathlon JaiCieonna Gero-Holt sits in first place with 3,767 points and Meagan Humphries is second with 3,649 points. Gero-Holt won both the field events today of the high jump, 1.83m (6-0), and the shot put, 14.30m (46-11). Her shot put mark is the 10th furthest in school history as well. Humphries won both the track events of the 200m (23.12) and the 100m hurdles (13.53).
In the decathlon Luuk Pelkmans is the day one leader with 4,300 points. He won the shot put, 15.32m (50-3 1/4) then placed second in the high jump, long jump and 400m. Rafael Raap sits in sixth place with 3,918 points with a third-place finish in the shot put and a fourth-place finish in the long jump.
UP NEXT
Illinois track and field is back in action tomorrow (May 16) for the second day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The combined events resume at 9:30 a.m., field events at 12 p.m. and track events at 3:15 p.m. CT.
NOTES
HEPTATHLON
JaiCieonna Gero-Holt – First (3,767 points)
- Won the high jump, 1.83m (6-0)
- Won the shot put, 14.30m (46-11)
- Placed fourth in the 100mH (13.71)
- Placed fourth in the 200m (24.67)
Meagan Humphries – Second (3,649 points)
- Won the 200m (23.12)
- Won the 100mH (13.53)
- Placed fourth in the high jump, 1.74m (5-8 1/2)
- Placed fifth in the shot put, 11.58m (38-0)
DECATHLON
Luuk Pelkmans – First (4,300 points)
- Won the shot put, 15.32m (50-3 1/4)
- Placed second in the high jump, 2.03m (6-8)
- Placed second in the long jump, 7.46m (24-5 3/4)
- Placed second in the 400m (48.85)
- Placed ninth in the 100m (10.97)
Rafael Raap – Sixth (3,918 points)
- Placed third in the shot put, 14.01m (45-11 3/4)
- Placed fourth in the long jump, 7.24m (23-9)
- Placed seventh in the high jump, 1.91m (6-3 1/4)
- Placed 10th in the 400m (51.08)
- Placed 12th in the 100m (11.14)
Tim Pelkmans – DNF
- Placed second in the 100m (10.70)
- Placed sixth in the long jump, 7.14m (23-5 1/4)
- Placed sixth in the shot put, 12.90m (42-4)