Chambana Sun

The Illinois track and field teams concluded their indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The women's team achieved their second-highest finish in program history, placing eighth with 25.5 points. This marks their best performance since 1996 when they finished sixth.

Petros Kyprianou, director of track, field, and cross country, expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance: "It was a great step towards a NCAA title for the women as this was our best finish in the last 30 years." He acknowledged that while some points were left behind, the team's effort was commendable. Kyprianou added, "I'm very proud of our team for making Illinois a premier track and field program on the national level! I'm thankful for the support of our administration and everyone around our program; onto outdoors!"

Highlighting individual performances, Rose Yeboah earned All-American honors for her sixth-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 1.85 meters. This is her second consecutive season achieving this distinction. Tyler Sudduth also became an All-American by finishing fifth in the shot put with a throw of 19.68 meters. Additionally, Abria Smith set a new school record in shot put with a distance of 17.99 meters, securing her seventh place and All-American status.

In terms of standings, Oregon topped the women's competition with 55 points followed by Georgia and USC with 39 and 35 points respectively. The Illinois men's team finished 39th overall.

The teams will now shift focus to outdoor competitions starting with the USF Alumni Invitational scheduled for March 21-22 in Tampa, Florida.