New PR!!!

It didn't take Tunde long to make some noise as an Illini. Competing in only his second meet wearing the orange & blue, he not only made Illinois noise, but he made Big Ten and NCAA noise!

The Illini were at the Wisconsin Invitational on January 25. Those stinkin' Badgers are defending Big Ten team champs, and Tunde went head-to-head against All-American Badger Reggie Torian. . . and he smoked him! Reginald is the defending Big Ten indoor champ in the long jump. But enough with the hype, here are the facts:

Long Jump

• 1^st - Babatunde Ridley 25' 6 3/4"
• 2^nd - Reggie Torian 24' 11 3/4"

Both of these marks provisionally qualify the athletes for the NCAA indoor championships. In order to compete at this meet, you have to surpass a qualifying distance or time. A provisional mark means that you will be invited if your mark ranks high among all collegiate marks. An automatic mark means you are invited regardless of where you rank.

Want some more information to put this 25 1/2 foot jump in perspective?

• Reggie's winning Big Ten indoor jump last year was under 25 feet.
• The NCAA indoor long jump champ last year went 25-11.
• Tunde's jump would have ranked him 39^th in the U.S. in 1996. (This includes Carl Lewis, Mike Powell, etc.)

Tunde also ran the 55 m Dash.

• 1^st - Dorian Green, UI, 6.36
• 2^nd - Bronk, UW, 6.43
• 3^rd - Tunde, UI, 6.43

Next up for Tunde and the Illini is a home meet next weekend 2/1. Wisconsin will be coming down to Champaign, and I'm sure Torian will be looking for some revenge.

Back to the Tunde Ridley fan home page.