Chambana Sun

The Illinois women's track and field team has won the Big Ten Indoor Championships for the first time since 2013, amassing 104 points to secure the title. The event took place in Geneva, Ohio, where the Illini women had not finished higher than ninth as a team in the past 11 years. This victory marks their seventh Big Ten Indoor Championship overall.

Petros Kyprianou, director of track, field, and cross country at Illinois, expressed his pride in the team's achievement. "Words cannot describe how proud I am of this team and staff," he said. He credited the young team's determination and thanked Josh Whitman for supporting him with a winning staff.

Kyprianou celebrated his first conference championship at Illinois after previously winning two national championships as head coach at Georgia.

Junior Bara Sajdokova led the charge by becoming a Big Ten Champion in the women's high jump with a clearance of 1.89m (6-2 1/4), setting a new school record and tying the Big Ten Championships record. Junior Darja Sopova also claimed victory in the triple jump with a leap of 13.39m (43-11 1/4).

Jessica McDowell contributed significantly by sprinting to near-record times in both the 200m dash and 400m events, earning crucial points for her team. Sophomore Azariyah Bryant and freshman Asia Thomas also added valuable points in various sprint events.

On the men's side, senior Aiden Ouimet excelled by winning the heptathlon with a record-breaking score of 6,120 points. Junior Kam Garrett tied a long-standing school record in the high jump with a height of 2.21m (7-3).

The Illinois men's team finished seventh overall with 54.5 points, marking their highest finish since placing second in 2015.

Illinois' track and field teams will next compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 8-9 in Boston, Massachusetts.