CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Illinois Director of Track, Field, and Cross Country, Petros Kyprianou, has announced nine stellar additions to the roster for the 2024-25 season. Five women and four men are set to don the Orange and Blue for the first time next season, bringing a wealth of talent and potential to the team.

Women’s Recruits

Kristine Blazevica // Heptathlon | Pentathlon // Riga, Latvia // The University of Texas

Blazevica recently earned All-American honors in the heptathlon at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a third-place finish, scoring 6,126 points. This marks her seventh All-America honor, with four indoors in the pentathlon and three outdoors in the heptathlon. Her personal bests in the heptathlon (6,146) and pentathlon (4,430) would each set new program records by over 300 points.

A native of Riga, Latvia, Blazevica spent the past four seasons at the University of Texas and has chosen to conclude her collegiate career at the University of Illinois. She is a seven-time All-American and a seven-time Big 12 Champion in combined events.

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt // Heptathlon | High Jump // South Hill, Wash. // Emerald Ridge HS

Gero-Holt, hailing from South Hill, Wash., is the top-ranked women’s heptathlete and high jump recruit in the United States. On August 6 last year, she became a U20 Pan American champion in the heptathlon with a score of 5,463 points, a mark that would rank second in the Illinois record book.

Her personal-best heptathlon score is 5,552 points, just 107 points shy of breaking Carmel Corbett’s 1995 school record of 5,658 points. Her personal-best high jump is 1.89m (6-2 1/4), set on February 16 of this season, which would tie Bara Sajdokova’s indoor school record. Gero-Holt achieved this feat at just 17 years old.

A graduate of Emerald Ridge High School, she brings her combined events talents to the roster and joins a strong high jump team, including National and Big Ten Outdoor champion Rose Yeboah and Big Ten Indoor champion Sajdokova as training partners.

Eliza Kraule // Heptathlon | Pentathlon // Riga, Latvia // Rice University

Kraule became an All-American in the pentathlon this past March at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a personal-best score of 4,353 points, a mark that would shatter the program record by nearly 200 points.

A native of Riga, Latvia, she spent the past four seasons at Rice University, where she became a pentathlon and heptathlon Conference USA champion during the 2023 season. Last month, she topped the podium at The American Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon with a personal-best score of 5,774 points, surpassing Carmel Corbett’s 1995 program record by over 100 points. A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Kraule strengthens the women’s combined events crew, joining Gero-Holt, Roosimagi, and Blazevica.

Jane Roosimagi // Heptathlon | Javelin // Tallinn, Estonia // Audentes Sports School

Roosimagi recently threw 53.05m (174-0 1/2) in the javelin to win the Estonian CUP on May 26. This mark would break the program record of 51.85m (169-3) set by Lisa Balagtas in 1989. The Tallinn, Estonia native also holds a personal-best score of 5,386 points in the heptathlon, which would rank second in program history.

Jaycee Williams // Middle Distance | Distance // Berthoud, Colo. // Berthoud HS

Williams was the first signing of the 2024-25 recruiting cycle, putting pen to paper on November 9, 2023. She capped off her senior year at Berthoud High School with a silver medal in the 800m at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships, setting a new personal-best of 2:11.71. At the same championships, she placed fifth in the 400m with another personal-best of 58.37. The Berthoud, Colo. native aims to bolster the distance crew and leaves high school with personal bests of 4:33.84 in the 1500m and 4:51.64 in the mile.

Men’s Recruits

Rafael Raap // Decathlon | Heptathlon // Arnhem, Netherlands // University of Oregon

Raap earned his first-career All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon, placing sixth with 7,842 points. The Arnhem, Netherlands native was the 2024 Pac-12 Champion in the decathlon, winning the conference’s final crown this year before Oregon joins the Big Ten in the 2024-25 season.

His personal-best heptathlon score of 5,907 points would rank second in Illinois program history, behind Aiden Ouimet’s historic 6,120 points at the Big Ten Indoor Championships this past season. Raap’s decathlon personal-best of 7,842 points would surpass Ouimet’s 7,794 school record set this season.

Jip De Greef // Decathlon // Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands // Vavo Lyceum // University of Central Arkansas

De Greef is one of two male combined event athletes to transfer into Kyprianou’s program after spending his freshman season at Central Arkansas. He did not compete in a decathlon or heptathlon during his freshman campaign. He set his personal-best decathlon score of 7,621 points before leaving for college on August 10, 2023, which would be the program’s second-best score.

Reece Ihenacho // Discus | Shot Put // Cary, Ill. // Cary-Grove HS

Ihenacho is the reigning IHSA Boys T&F State Champion in the discus with a personal-best throw of 62.61m (205-5). This was the top throw in Illinois and ranked sixth in the nation for the 2024 season. Additionally, this 62.21m throw would obliterate Jeff Lehmann’s 1984 program record of 58.67m (192-6) by almost four meters. The Cary, Ill. native is the only thrower joining JC Lambert’s crew in this cycle and also holds a personal best shot put of 17.62m (57-9 3/4).

Trey Sato // Middle Distance | Distance // Grayslake, Ill. // Grayslake Central HS

Sato recently recorded the fastest 1500m time in Illinois for the 2024 outdoor season on June 1, with a personal-best of 3:51.45. At the same meet (Magis Miles), he clocked a new personal best in the 1600m, narrowly missing a sub-four-minute mile with a time of 4:03.14. The Grayslake, Ill. native was the IHSA Boys T&F State Championships runner-up in the 800m and 1600m. His personal-best 800m time of 1:49.30 is just two seconds shy of landing on the program’s outdoor top-10 list.

Women’s Incoming Recruits (5)

  • Kristine Blazevica (Transfer – Texas)
  • JaiCieonna Gero-Holt
  • Eliza Kraule (Transfer – Rice)
  • Jane Roosimagi
  • Jaycee Williams

Men’s Incoming Recruits (4)

  • Jip De Greef (Transfer – Central Arkansas)
  • Reece Ihenacho
  • Rafael Raap (Transfer – Oregon)
  • Trey Sato