Jane Roosimagi set a new University of Illinois women’s track and field program record in the javelin on April 11 with a throw of 52.65 meters (172-9) during the final day of the Illini Deca-Jam at Demirjian Park in Champaign. The mark surpassed Lisa Balagtas’ previous record of 51.58 meters, which had stood since 1989.
The event highlighted several strong performances by both men’s and women’s teams. Grace Kombetto won gold in the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 2:05.07, which is now the fourth-fastest in school history. Oluwatomilayo Akintunde recorded the program’s fourth-best hammer throw with her fifth-place finish at 65.19 meters.
Other notable results included Emma Haeggblom winning the high jump with a clearance of 1.81 meters, marking the seventh-best performance for Illinois, and Anastasia Retsa placing third in pole vault with a height that ranks ninth all-time for the program at 3.97 meters. On the men’s side, Reece Ihenacho took first place in discus with a season-best toss of 53.95 meters, while Gator Young secured victory in pole vault by clearing 5.24 meters.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women’s track and field program participates in both indoor and outdoor competitions according to its official website. The team is based in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and competes as part of NCAA Division I within the Big Ten Conference according to its official website. The program also aims to enhance student-athletes’ ability to balance academics and athletics according to its official website.
Looking ahead, Illinois will compete next weekend from April 16-18 at both the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida and Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
