Gilbert, Makhethe among Day 1 winners at Gary Wieneke Memorial

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Illini sprinter Jackson Gilbert and thrower Phethisang Makhethe both took home wins after the first day of Illinois’ annual Gary Wieneke Memorial.

Gilbert, an Urbana native, ran a new season-best time of 21.24 seconds to win the 200-meter, still with the 400-meter and the 4×400-meter relay to go this weekend.

Illinois swept the top-three spots in the women’s hammer throw, led by Phethisang Makhethe with a new season-best throw of 68.27 meters. Jordan Koskondy finished second with a 66.14-meter throw, and Oluwatomilayo Akintunde finished third, throwing 61.55 meters.

It was also a top-three sweep for Illinois on the women’s pole vault, with Mia Morello taking first at 4.33 meters. Anastasia Retsa and Landry Allen rounded out the top three.

The second day of action begins Saturday at noon for the field events and at 2:30 p.m. for running events. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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