Sarah Glidden Assistant Coach - Jumps and Combined Events | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Sarah Glidden Assistant Coach - Jumps and Combined Events | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
The University of Illinois men's and women's track and field teams will commence the 2025 season with the Fighting Illini Open on January 11 at the UI Armory in Champaign, Illinois. The field events are scheduled to start at noon, followed by track events at 1 p.m. Central Time.
The women's team, under the leadership of Petros Kyprianou, begins their indoor season as Big Ten champions for the first time since 2013. Coach Kyprianou has been recognized as both the Big Ten Indoor and USATFCCCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Among those competing are two individual Illini indoor Big Ten champions: Tyler Sudduth, a weight throw champion, and Darja Sopova, a triple jump champion.
Three NCAA Indoor All-Americans from 2024 will also be participating in this event: Elizabeth Ndudi in long jump, Sopova in triple jump, and Tori Thomas in pole vault.
The Fighting Illini will introduce 14 new athletes wearing their colors for the first time. Notable among them is Rafael Raap, an Oregon transfer who was an All-American in decathlon in 2024. Morgan Smalls, a long jump All-American from LSU in 2022, is also joining the team.
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