Editor's note: This article is part two of a two part series introducing Illinois men's track and field coach Wayne Angel.

Illinois men's track and field head coach Wayne Angel led Pike High School's girls track and field team to the Indiana high school state title during his sixth year of coaching.

Angel does not expect the Illinois program will need that long to start bringing home Big Ten and NCAA trophies.

"I'd say five years from now … hopefully, by then, we've won a couple of Big Ten Championships," Angel said. "Also at that time, we'll probably be ranked one of the top 10 track teams in the country."

After finishing last at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in 2001 and 2002, former head coach Gary Wieneke's Illini improved to eighth for 2003.

Angel is determined to see Illinois continue to rise in the conference standings with immediate individual success within the Big Ten Conference as well as at the national level.

"I hope the team can perform well enough to be outdoors top three in the Big Ten Championships and have quite a few kids qualify for the Regional Championships and to have some all-Americans outdoors," Angel said.

In addition to earning all-American recognition in the triple jump, graduated senior Charles Burton was the only NCAA National Outdoor Championships qualifier for the mens' 2003 season.

Angel plans to continue recruiting athletes from surrounding states, such as Louisville, Ky., native Burton, to improve the Illini track program. However, tapping into surrounding states' talent comes second to getting the top talent available in Illinois.

"I think one of our top three priorities is to recapture the excitement and the heart of the high school coaches in Illinois," Angel said. "A lot of kids have been leaving the state of Illinois and running track elsewhere.

"Also, I want to recruit those states contiguous to Illinois. Go out and look for really good talent there and then also bring in a few international kids that can have an immediate impact."

Sophomore distance runner Jason Bill supports Angel's plans to bring continued success to the Illinois track and field program.

"He's really enthusiastic; I think he's going to get the job done," Bill said.

Bill recognizes that the coach only does the coaching, the athletes have to perform. According to Bill, the responsibility falls strongly on the Illinois athletes to return the program to the conference's elite.

"I think it (the track team) can achieve whatever the guys want to put forth," Bill said. "I know he (Angel) is going to do his job well. I think big things can happen for sure.

"We have a lot of talent on our team and we just have to get the talent tapped out of us."

Former Illinois track and field head coach Wieneke also sees talent waiting that he and his staff recruited to Illinois over the last two years.

"We think we had a great recruiting class two years ago and a great recruiting class this year despite the obstacles we were dealing with," Wieneke said. "Competitively those athletes give him a great shot to be on an upward spiral. The quality athletes we added this year despite not knowing who the staff was going to be is a real solid base to begin with."

The recruiting class from two years ago saw great success last year as freshmen. Bill advanced to the NCAA Cross Country National Championships as an individual. Andre English finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Adrian Walker finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the outdoor championships as well.

"We're going to build on that class and we're going to bring in athletes, hopefully in January, that's going to even add to that," Angel said. "Then that next year, as you'll see, one of the strong points about me is my recruiting and I will bring talented athletes in from Illinois and all across the country and even out of the country to get this program back here."

Continuing the tradition established at Illinois remains a priority for Angel to match the successes of his predecessors.

"The tradition is, at Illinois, we strive to be the best that we can be," Angel said. "We want to win Big Ten Championships. We want to win nationally. We want to put this program in the best light that we can and that's why we're here. We don't like being at the bottom of the Big Ten.

"We want our individuals to be national champions. We want our individuals to be conference champions. We want to be fighting for the Big Ten Team Championship every opportunity that we have and we want to train our athletes such that they're prepared if that time comes to win a conference championship."

Angel wants not just success in the Big Ten Conference, but to bring Illinois a track and field national championship.

"If that time comes down the road that we have the talent and we have the depth and the quality, then we want to do well at the national championships from a team standpoint and individually," Angel said.

Wieneke sees Angel, a runner for Wieneke during the 1981 track season, just a few recruiting breaks from accomplishing the goals Angel possesses for the team.

"There's a nucleus there," Wieneke said. "Maybe even with just one great recruiting class you would see an immediate move towards the top. Success breeds success and hopefully that will happen."

Angel maintains an advantage by being an Illinois alumnus that Wieneke did not have when he took the reigns of the head track and field position at Illinois in 1975.

"I think the advantage is you have orange and blue blood to begin with because you graduated here," Wieneke said. "I'm not saying I didn't have that, but that's bred into him to begin with.

"I got my honorary Varsity 'I' just a few years ago, he already has his," Wieneke said with a laugh. "That's a real plus for Wayne."

Angel plans to use the knowledge and experience he gained during his 12-year coaching career to revive the Illinois track and field program.

"With the history of the men's program, and the great athletes that we've had here, I think the program sells itself," Angel said. "We've kind of been down in the cellar and now it's time for us to come back out."

The Illinois men's track and field team plans to come out of that cellar guided by Angel ready to answer questions posed by doubters.

"A lot of people are wondering if Illinois can ever get back to where it was in the glory days," Angel said. "It's kind of my belief and philosophy and the way I look at this whole thing revolves around a quote. 'Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.'

"I feel that people may think that we can never get back, but I say we can and we will. It won't be very long either because I'm a highly motivated coach and I am a leader and I have the discipline, the will and the drive to get this program back to where it belongs."