EUGENE, OR (Chambana Today) – The Illinois men’s track and field squad kicked off the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a bang on Wednesday, June 5. True freshman Cody Johnston earned All-America honors in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.52m (18-1 1/4), securing fifth place. This achievement makes him the first Illinois freshman to earn All-American status in the pole vault and score at the national meet in this event.

 

Cody Johnston became the first Illinois freshman to earn All-American in pole vault. | Photo By Kevin Snyder, courtesy University of Illinois
Tyler Suddath’s stellar performance

Senior Tyler Sudduth earned his first outdoor All-America honors in the shot put with a throw of 19.67m (64-6 1/2), landing him in seventh place. He becomes the fifth Illini man to score in this event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and the first one this century to earn All-American status. The last Illini male shot putter to stand on the podium was Jeff Teach in 1995, who also placed seventh.

Tyler Suddath became the first Illini man this century to earn All-American status. | Photo By Kevin Snyder, courtesy of University of Illinois

Sudduth wraps up his tenure in the Orange and Blue as an All-American in the weight throw (2023) and now the shot put. He captured the weight throw Big Ten title indoors during the 2024 season and holds the program record in the event at 23.14m (75-11).

Aiden Ouimet’s decathlon journey

Senior Aiden Ouimet currently sits in 13th place through the first five events of his decathlon with 3,937 points. His highest finish of the day came in the long jump, where he placed sixth to earn 871 points with a jump of 7.24m (23-9). His next highest scoring event was the 400m, earning 864 points with a time of 48.94, and his 11.04 in the 100m earned him 852 points.

Aiden Ouimet placed sixth in the long jump and currently sits in 13th place in the first five events of his decathlon. | Photo By Kevin Snyder, courtesy University of Illinois
Robert Williams’ final lap

Senior Robert Williams placed 19th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 50.99. Williams finishes his career as a two-time NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier, achieving this in his final two seasons. He anchored the school record indoor 4x400m relay team to a Big Ten title (3:06.24) in the 2023 season. Additionally, he led off the 4x400m relay team that took home Big Ten gold in the 2021 outdoor season (3:06.26).

Robert Williams closes out his college career as a two-time NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier. |Photo By Kevin Snyder, courtesy University of Illinois

The Illinois men’s track and field team has shown remarkable talent and determination at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. With standout performances from Cody Johnston, Tyler Sudduth, Aiden Ouimet, and Robert Williams, the future looks bright for the Fighting Illini.