Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois’ men's and women's track and field teams are preparing for competitions at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, and the UVA Challenge in Charlottesville, Virginia, scheduled for April 18-19. The events start at 9:30 a.m. in Virginia and at 11 a.m. in Florida on Friday, while Saturday sees a beginning at 8 a.m. in Florida and 9 a.m. Central Time in Virginia.

A total of 13 women and 10 men will compete for Illinois at the Tom Jones Invitational. The women’s lineup includes Sophia Beckmon, Azariyah Bryant, Llyric Driscoll, Tacoria Humphrey, Lucie Kienast, Jordan Koskondy, Phethisang Makhethe, Elizabeth Ndudi, Bara Sajdokova, Abria Smith, Asia Thomas, Melissa Wullschleger, and Rose Yeboah. The men’s team features Jip de Greef, Kam Garrett, Jackson Gilbert, Dewayne Johnson, Viktor Morozov, Jayon Morrow, Alex Ornelas, Tadeas Placek, Rafael Raap, and Will Rezny.

Previously in Gainesville, some Illini athletes set notable records. Melissa Wullschleger achieved a top-10 javelin mark for the first time since 2014, recording a throw of 41.99m (137-9). Jordan Koskondy took second place in the women’s hammer throw with a 64.44m (211-5) throw, the second-best in Illinois’ history, followed by Phethisang Makhethe with 64.35m (211-1) and Abria Smith with 58.25m (191-1).

Rose Yeboah won the high jump invite, clearing 1.91m (6-3 3/4) over World Championship silver medalist Anna Hall. Smith broke a 17-year-old school record in the shot put with a 17.58m (57-8 3/4) throw, finishing second and ranking seventh nationally for 2025. Kam Garrett earned second in the high jump with a 2.20m (7-2 1/5) leap, ranking fourth in the nation this season, while Dewayne Johnson achieved the program's 10th-fastest 110m hurdles time at 13.87, finishing 10th overall.

For the UVA Challenge, the Illini representatives include Halle Hill, Sam Poglitsch, Kennady Anderson, Will Merrick, Stephen Moody, Trey Sato, and Anthony Maida. At the Pepsi Florida Relays, Halle Hill clocked 4:13.99 in the 1500m, earning third place and advancing to No. 2 on Illinois’ all-time leaderboard, also placing her 10th nationally. Previously at the USF Alumni Invitational, Hill placed first in the 1500m with a 4:20.09, with Anderson and Poglitsch finishing second and fifth, respectively. Merrick won the men's 1500m with a 3:44.30 at the same event.