Bizzarri, Evans have UI in hunt
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Angela Bizzarri and Aja Evans set school records to help Illinois' women's team to second place after Day 1 of the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Bizzarri eclipsed her own record in winning the 3,000 meters in 9 minutes, 10.16 seconds. Evans reset her record in winning the shot put (56 feet, 0- 1/2 inch). It was the first Big Ten indoor title for either senior.
"A Big Ten indoor title was the one thing they still had hanging over their heads, so they were able to go out exactly how they needed to," UI coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said.
Alecia Beckford-Stewart was second in the pentathlon, as Illinois scored 37 points.
"We just have to fight and finish strong tomorrow," Buford-Bailey said. "I certainly think we will score better than we did last year, which will be good for us because that will propel us into the outdoor season."
In men's track:
Riley leads way. Andrew Riley's sixth-place effort in long jump accounted for the Illini's only points during Day 1 at the Big Ten Indoors at Minneapolis.
In softball:
Illinois wins two more. Illinois stretched its winning streak to seven by beating Radford 10-0 in five innings and Virginia Tech 10-5 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. In four games at the event, Illinois (13-1) is batting .369, outscoring opponents 36-10.
"We came out swinging today in both games," associate head coach Donna DiBiase said. "We knew we had to come out and score early, and that's what we were able to do. Having the kind of balance we have throughout our lineup makes us an explosive offensive team."
Ashley Conrad, Audrey Gallien and Hollie Pinchback homered against Radford. Freshman Pepper Gay (6-0) struck out a career-best seven.
Against Virginia Tech, Meredith Hackett was 3 for 3 with two runs. Danielle Zymkowitz, Hope Howell and Kelley Wedel each had two hits. Monica Perry (6-1) struck out five.
In women's gymnastics:
Schmidt shines in defeat. Sarah Schmidt matched her own school record to win floor and Melissa Fernandez won beam, but the No. 17 Illini fell to No. 15 Michigan 196.775-196.175 at Huff Hall.
"The performances were good today, and we finished strong on floor, but we continue to have higher expectations," UI coach Bob Starkell said. "Once you start doing better, you keep expecting more."
In baseball:
Illini touched up. South Florida beat the Illini (1-1) 12-3 at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge at Clearwater, Fla. Matt Dittman was 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI.
"We didn't play well in any aspect of the game," Illini coach Dan Hartleb said.
In men's golf:
Illini roll again. Illinois continued its dominance at the Tinervin Cup with a 9-0 win against Illinois State at Placida, Fla. The Illini have won all seven Cups. Chris DeForest (68) and Scott Langley (69) led Illinois in singles action. In afternoon four-ball matches, the teams of DeForest and Ross Frankenburg, Langley and Luke Guthrie, and Zach Barlow and Matt Hoffman rolled.
"What I liked most about today was how we finished in the afternoon," Illinois coach Mike Small. "We made a lot of birdies and closed down the stretch. We enjoy playing this event. I feel good about where we are heading into our first stroke play tournament next week."

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