Bizzarri, Riley notch another Big Ten title
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Senior Angela Bizzarri won her second Big Ten title of the weekend Sunday, breaking her own school record en route to the 5,000-meter crown.
On Saturday, Bizzarri won the 3,000 title.
"Angela had a great weekend," Illini coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "She's got two more Big Ten titles under her belt, so she should be very happy to go out like that as a senior."
Illinois placed seventh as a team, 44 points behind champion Penn State.
Ryisha Boyd, Ashley Kelly, Marissa Golliday and Melissa Bates teamed to finish second in the 1,600 relay.
In men's track & field:
Riley on a roll. Andrew Riley repeated as Big Ten champion in the 60 hurdles, winning easily in 7.81 seconds. The sophomore also was second in the 60-meter dash and scored 21 of Illinois' 40 points for the weekend.
The Illini were 10th.
"Andrew had a big, big weekend," Illinois interim coach Mike Turk said. "It was a clutch performance in the hurdles where he won easily. He did a lot for the team and had a great performance with 21 points in the meet, which is just a building block for him since he is only a sophomore."
The Illini also got a third-place finish from Greg Shroka in the high jump. The senior leaped 7 feet, 1 1/2 inches for his best Big Ten finish.
In softball:
Illini claim title. Danielle Zymkowitz drove in two runs and Jessica Davis slugged a two-run home run as Illinois beat Arkansas 7-4 on Sunday, capping a 5-0 run to win the 23-team NFCA Leadoff Classic on Sunday in Columbus, Ga.
The Illini (14-1) and No. 6 Missouri both finished the tournament undefeated, but the Illini won the championship due to a 43-14 run differential.
Davis and Kelley Wedel were named to the all-tournament team.
"All 21 players on the team has had a part in the wins, whether it be a clutch hit, key pinch run or just bringing energy," Illini assistant coach Katie O'Connell said. "Every day it seems to be a new person who rises up. We are getting a consistent core of hits each game, which keeps things rolling."
In baseball:
St. John's 6, UI 4. Illinois squandered a 4-0 lead and went on to lose in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge at St. Petersburg, Fla.
Mike Giller drove in a pair of runs for the Illini, who fell to 1-2 on the season.
"We had opportunities early in the game and during the middle to execute offensively and we didn't" Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said.
In men's gymnastics:
Stannard keys victory. Luke Stannard won the floor exercise and the pommel horse – his first two event titles of the season – as No. 3 Illinois dominated Illinois-Chicago, winning 351.300-337.200.
C.J. Padera also was a double winner for the Illini, claiming titles in the parallel bars and high bar. Paul Ruggeri won vault.
In men's tennis:
Florida 5, UI 2. No. 13 Illinois won the doubles point, but the sixth-ranked Gators were too tough in singles.
Marek Czerwinski was the lone Illini (4-5) to win a singles match, handing Antoine Benneteau his first loss of the season, 6-3, 7-5.
"Florida's depth and skill level throughout the lineup were two big keys today," UI coach Brad Dancer said. "Even though we won the doubles point, they were able to turn the momentum right back around in singles."
Abe Souza saw his 10-match winning streak snapped with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) loss.
Czerwinski and Stephen Hoh beat Florida's 10th-ranked doubles tandem 9-7.
In women's tennis:
UI 5, Harvard 2. Megan Fudge, Rachael White, Leigh Finnegan and Breanne Smutko earned wins in singles and doubles to power No. 39 Illinois at Atkins Tennis Center.
White, ranked 85th, beat No. 115 Hideko Tachibana 6-4, 7-5.
"It was an outstanding day for us across the board," Illini (4-6) coach Michelle Dasso said. "Sweeping the doubles was a step in the right direction and we battled on all courts in singles."


More






Comments
IlliniHQ.com embraces discussion of Illini sports. We welcome you to contribute your ideas, opinions and comments, but we ask that you avoid personal attacks, vulgarity and hate speech. we reserve the right to remove any comment at its discretion, and we will block repeat offenders' accounts. To post comments, you must first be a registered user, and your username will appear with any comment you post. Happy posting.