Full Results
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 1 women's and No. 18 men's track and field teams finished the second day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Friday (Feb. 27) from the Fall Creek Pavilion. Sophia Beckmon (long jump), Phethisang Makhethe (weight throw), and Rose Yeboah (high jump) all left the facility today as Big Ten Champions in their events.
"Congratulations to our three champions Sophia, Phethisang and Rose today," said director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou. "We knew today was a big-time scoring day for us and those three did amazing scoring 30 points for us. Jordan's bronze as well in the weight throw was big. Shout out to our other scorers today too in Elizabeth, JaiCieonna, Oluwatomilayo and Emma. JaiCieonna getting on the podium a day after the pentathlon shows her resilience and will to fight for her team. Our two men heptathletes, Andreas and Tim, also both scoring was nice as it was their first heptathlon of the season and Andreas earning silver was great to see. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as one more opportunity we can showcase ourselves and fight for the Big Ten title."
Makhethe became the first ever Illini woman to top the podium in the weight throw at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with her school record toss of 23.70m (77-9 1/4) on her third attempt. She moved herself up to number three mark on the season in the NCAA heading into the national meet. Her teammate, Jordan Koskondy, earned bronze on a throw of 23.06m (75-8) while Oluwatomilayo Akintunde placed sixth on the program's third-best throw, 22.18m (72-9 1/4).
Beckmon led the pack from the start today in the long jump en route to her Big Ten gold medal as she jumped 6.77m (22-2 1/2). She's the seventh individual in program history to be a Big Ten Indoor Champion in the long jump after her second-place finish last season. She finished behind her former teammate Tacoria Humphrey who set the meet and facility record in her win last season, 6.94m (22-9 1/4). Elizabeth Ndudi stood on the podium with Beckmon in fourth place, 6.34m (20-9 3/4).
Yeboah needed only four attempts to wind up the eventual Big Ten Champion in the high jump, the program's sixth individual to win it, as she cleared 1.87m (6-1 1/2). Bara Sajdokova was the last Illini champion in this event in 2024. JaiCieonna Gero-Holt placed fifth, 1.81m (5-11 1/4), and Emma Haeggeblom finished on the podium in seventh, 1.78m (5-10).
Andreas Hantson captured silver in the heptathlon to get the Orange and Blue men on the board when he scored 5,683 points which is the fifth highest score in program history. Tim Pelkmans scored 5,381 points which is the eighth-best score in school history to place sixth today.
Jackson Gilbert ran a 46.03 in the 400m trials to qualify to tomorrow's finals while Beckmon clocked a 7.35 60m to also qualify to Saturday's finals race. After the second day the Illini women reside in first place with 74 points while the men are in fifth with 11 points.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
PODIUM
TOP-10 PROGRAM MARKS
First – Weight Throw: Phethisang Makhethe, 23.70m (77-9 1/4)
Third – Weight Throw: Oluwatomilayo Akintunde, 22.18m (72-9 1/4)
Fifth – Heptathlon: Andreas Hantson, 5,683 points
Eighth – Heptathlon: Tim Pelkmans, 5,381 points
STANDINGS
WOMEN
1. Illinois – 74
2. Oregon – 42
3. Washington – 32
4. Minnesota – 30
5. Nebraska – 20.5
6. UCLA – 13.5
7. Penn State – 13
8. Michigan – 12
9. Northwestern – 10
10. Wisconsin – 7
11. Michigan State – 6
12. USC – 4
13. Indiana – 3
13. Purdue – 3
13. Rutgers – 3
-- Iowa – 0
-- Maryland – 0
-- Ohio State – 0
MEN
1. Oregon – 48
2. Iowa – 23
3. Michigan – 17
3. Wisconsin – 17
5. Illinois – 11
6. Michigan State – 10
6. Nebraska – 10
6. Ohio State – 10
6. Penn State – 10
6. UCLA – 10
11. Purdue – 9
11. Washington – 9
13. Rutgers – 6
14. Indiana – 3
15. USC – 2
NOTES
Full Illini Results
HEPTATHLON
Andreas Hantson – Second (5,683 points)
- Placed second in the 1000m (2:35.39)
- Placed fourth in the pole vault, 4.50m (14-9)
- Placed 13th in the 60mH (8.64)
Tim Pelkmans – Sixth (5,381 points)
- Placed fourth in the 1000m (2:44.53)
- Placed seventh in the pole vault, 4.40m (14-5 1/4)
- Placed 10th in the 60mH (8.47)
UP NEXT
The Illini track and field squads return to action tomorrow (Feb. 28) for the final day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Field events begin at 10:30 a.m. and track events start at 12:30 p.m. CT.
