Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams are preparing for their second outdoor meet of the season at the Florida Relays, scheduled for March 29-30 in Gainesville, Florida. The event will take place at James G. Pressly Stadium.

Freshman Cody Johnston achieved a notable performance in his first outdoor pole vault appearance, clearing a height of 5.50 meters (18-0 1/2) at the Hurricane Invitational. This mark secured him his first win of the outdoor season and currently ranks third nationally for the early 2024 outdoor season.

Junior Halle Hill made significant strides during the Hurricane Invitational, recording the program's fifth-fastest time in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:28.75 on day one. She followed this with a victory in the 1500 meters on day two, clocking in at 4:21.04, which places her seventh nationally.

In her debut for Illinois, junior Phethisang Makhethe delivered an impressive performance in the hammer throw with a distance of 59.41 meters (194-11), marking it as the program's third-best result. Additionally, two pole vaulters—junior Tori Thomas and sophomore Mia Morello—each cleared a height of 4.20 meters (13-9 1/4), ranking eighth nationally so far this season. For Morello, this was also a new personal best outdoors and is third in Illinois' record book.

National qualifiers to watch include Halle Hill (#7) in the women's 1500m with a time of 4:21.04; Mia Morello (#8) and Tori Thomas (#8) both in women's pole vault with clearances of 4.20m; Taylor Beard (#11) in women's high jump with a height of 1.77m (5-9 3/4); Cody Johnston (#3) in men's pole vault with his mark of 5.50m; Robert Williams (#7) in men's 400m hurdles clocking at 51.12 seconds; and Jackson Marseille (#10) in men's high jump clearing a height of 2.14m (7-0 1/4).