Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams are preparing to compete in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships from May 16-18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The event will see 20 men and 20 women representing the University of Illinois.

On the women's side, Rose Yeboah is a standout competitor with the current national lead in the high jump, having cleared 1.91 meters at the Florida Relays on April 4. She aims to secure her second consecutive Big Ten outdoor title after winning last year with a jump of 1.82 meters.

Abria Smith has also made significant strides this season, achieving the nation's third-best shot put distance of 18.92 meters at the Tom Jones Invitational on April 18. This performance not only set a new program record but also ranks as the 14th-best shot put in NCAA outdoor history.

Tacoria Humphrey joins her teammates among top national performers with a long jump of 6.73 meters, placing her fifth nationally.

Other notable performances include Phethisang Makhethe's hammer throw ranking thirteenth nationally at 66.80 meters, Tori Thomas's pole vault ranked fourteenth at 4.43 meters, and Sophia Beckmon's long jump ranked sixteenth at 6.41 meters.

For the men's team, Kam Garrett leads with an eleventh-ranked high jump of 2.20 meters achieved at the Florida Relays. Viktor Morozov ranks fifteenth nationally in triple jump with a mark of 15.94 meters from the Gary Wieneke Memorial.

Looking ahead to future competitions, Illinois athletes aim to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries taking place May 28-31 in College Station, Texas hosted by Texas A&M University.