CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois women’s track and field team has received two major honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association. Tonja Buford-Bailey was named Head Coach of the Year for the Midwest Region, while junior distance runner Angela Bizzarri was selected Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year.

CHAMPAIGN — Junior track standout Angela Bizzarri and senior basketball player Trent Meacham represented Illinois on the Big Ten Sportsmanship team.
The two were selected from the school’s individual event winners from the 2008-09 season.

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The NCAA on Tuesday announced at-large selections for next week's national meet, a list that included Illini junior Aja Evans, sophomore Melissa Bates and the UI 1,600-meter relay team.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Illinois' Deserea Brown finished first Saturday in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Mideast track and field regional, clocking 57.00 seconds.

Teammate Latoya Griffith was third in the event in 57.87.

Thirteen years ago, Illinois women's track and field star Tonya Williams won the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Women's Track & Field Championships. She set an NCAA meet record with a time of 54.56 seconds. Also in that meet, Williams finished second in the 100 hurdles and third as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team. The Illini finished fourth in the team standings at the 1996 outdoor meet and sixth at the indoor championships. The 14-time All-American won 20 Big Ten championships, 10 in individual events and 10 as a relay member. Williams was the conference's Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 1996. She is listed among Illinois' top five performers in history in the indoor 200, 600, 55 hurdles and 4x400 relay. Outdoors, Williams is among the leaders in the 100 hurdles, the 400 hurdles, the 4x100 relay, the 4x200 relay, the 4x400 relay, the sprint medley relay and the shuttle hurdle relay. She was Illinois' Female Athlete of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

CHAMPAIGN – Look in the media guide for the Illinois men's track and field team and you'll see Sciota, Ill., listed as Cody Wisslead's hometown.

Truth be told, the Illini sophomore grew up on a farm located about 5 miles from the west central Illinois community.

Four Illini baseball players named Academic All-Big Ten for third time

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Greg Shroka placed fourth in the high jump at Friday's NCAA Mideast Regional Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Shroka cleared a career-best 7 feet, 1 inch, the second-best performance in Illinois history to Gail Olson's 7-3 1/2. The junior will be the first Illini to high jump at the NCAAs since Olson in 1979.