Ilves Wins Second Big Ten Long Jump Title

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nebraska freshman Lishanna Ilves has swept the Big Ten long jump gold medals this year after taking first place at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Saturday. 

Already crowned the Big Ten indoor champion in February, Ilves won the outdoor title with ease after a huge personal best of 21-4 3/4 (6.52m) in her second attempt on Saturday. Her jump won the event by nearly one foot. It was the No. 6 mark in school history. 

Teammate Darby Thomas joined her on the long jump podium in third place, as Thomas jumped 20-1 1/2 (6.13m) to pick up her second career Big Ten bronze medal in the long jump. The Husker women scored 19 of their 26 team points thus far in the long jump. LaQwasia Stepney collected a sixth-place finish in the event with a collegiate best 19-7 1/2 (5.98m) to contribute three more points. The Husker women are in third place entering the final day of competition on Sunday. The Husker men are eighth place with 29.83 points. 

Junior Michael Hoffer led the Husker men with a runner-up finish in the high jump. Hoffer was also the Big Ten indoor runner-up in February. He made two new personal bests on the day, including his final mark of 7-1 1/2 (2.17m). 

Senior Judi Jones earned her first career Big Ten medal after taking third place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Jones moved from fourth to third after the water pit on the final lap and finished with a PR of 9:51.80, the No. 3 time in school history. Both she and Ilves moved into the top 15 nationally in their events after their performances on Saturday.

Burger Lambrechts Jr. took fifth place for the NU men in the discus with a mark of 182-8 (55.68m), and he will look to defend his Big Ten indoor shot put gold medal on Sunday. In addition to Hoffer’s silver medal in the high jump, Mayson Conner tied for sixth place after a bar of 6-8 3/4 (2.05m).

Clayton Keys scored three team points with a sixth-place finish in the men’s long jump at 23-11 1/2 (7.30m). Hoffer cracked the scoring column in the long jump as well, finishing eighth at 23-10 1/4 (7.27m). 

Both Husker decathletes set personal bests to finish in the top 10. Zach Podraza had 7,331 points, the sixth-most in NU history, and was ninth in the Big Ten decathlon. Kolby Heinerikson had 6,983 points to finish 10th. Both were the top finishers in one of the five events contested on Saturday. Heinerikson won the discus early in the day, while Podraza was the top javelin thrower toward the end of the competition. 

All three Husker men’s hurdlers advanced to Sunday’s final. Joey Daniels earned an automatic bid, winning his preliminary heat in 13.72. Luke Siedhoff (13.76) and Darius Luff (PR 13.85) both qualified by time. 

On Sunday, the final day of the meet, field events will begin at 11 a.m. and running events will commence at 12:45 p.m.