Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's and women's track and field teams had a successful second day at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Tacoria Humphrey and Rafael Raap emerged as Big Ten Champions in their respective events.

Rafael Raap, who previously competed for Oregon, returned to Hayward Field and made history by becoming Illinois' first-ever decathlon Big Ten Champion with a score of 7,752 points. Raap excelled in three consecutive events: discus, pole vault, and javelin, which helped him move from third to first place. His score ranks as the second-highest in Illinois' program history and is currently the 10th-highest in the nation for 2025.

Tacoria Humphrey secured her second-consecutive Big Ten Outdoor Championships long jump title with a meet record of 6.59 meters (21-7 1/2), marking her third overall Big Ten Championship win in this event. She also achieved a season sweep after winning the indoor title earlier this year.

Lucie Kienast claimed silver in the heptathlon with a school record of 5,851 points, making it the fourth-highest score nationally and securing her spot at nationals. Melissa Wullschleger finished fourth in the heptathlon with 5,749 points.

Kam Garrett earned his first silver medal at the championships by clearing 2.14 meters (7-0 1/4) in the high jump. Sophia Beckmon took bronze in the long jump with a mark of 6.16 meters (20-2 1/2). Sam Poglitsch placed eighth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:10.52.

After two days of competition, Illinois women lead with 41 points while the men are fifth with 27 points.

Rafael Raap shared his thoughts on returning to Hayward Field: "Actually, it was really funny, I was doing my warmup and the Duck came up to me and was like 'what happened?' I just looked back and said 'sorry!' Oregon is always special though."

Reflecting on his performance, Raap said: "To be really honest, I am not happy with this mostly because I didn't qualify for nationals."

Tacoria Humphrey expressed confidence going into her event: "I felt pretty confident going into it... With the big jumps I put out early in the year I came into Big Ten's feeling confident."

Humphrey discussed her transition from high jump to long jump: "I really liked it... Where long jump you kind of just run and jump so it's straighter to the point."

The Fighting Illini will continue their participation tomorrow for the final day of competition.