Evans fifth in shot put; Riley advances

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Illinois freshman Andrew Riley advanced to the 110-meter hurdles semifinals, clocking 13.88 seconds and finishing seventh overall Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

“He was a little nervous, but he got it together after (the third hurdle),” UI coach Wayne Angel said. “He needs to work on staying focused and relaxed, but he looked very strong and ran a good race, so we get to hurdle another day.”

South Carolina’s Jason Richardson posted the best time (13.41).

In the women’s shot put final, Illinois’ Aja Evans placed fifth with a toss of 53 feet, 111/4 inches. Florida’s Mariam Kevkhishvili won with a mark of 58-41/2.

“Aja competed well,” Illini coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. “She came into the final ranked fifth, so for her to finish there is a good performance. Achieving All-America status is what you’re looking for when you come to this meet, and she achieved that.”

UI senior Deserea Brown advanced to the 400 hurdles final, finishing in 57.03 in her semifinal and placing fourth overall. Illinois freshman Latoya Griffith did not advance, earning 16th in 59.58. UCLA’s Nicole Leach had the top time (55.83).

“(Brown) ran about the same race she ran yesterday,” Buford-Bailey said. “We’re still working on some things with her stride pattern to hopefully knock another second off her time. But she made it to the finals and should be an All-American if she finishes strong tomorrow. This is her first Division I national meet, and she’s running well.”

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