VU Track and Field close out Outdoor regular season at Billy Hayes Invite
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Vincennes University Track and Field teams took their final tune up before the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championships Friday evening, heading up to Bloomington to take part in the Billy Hayes Invitational hosted by Indiana University.
The Blazers again found themselves in a stacked field of NCAA Division I athletes and more than held their own.
The VU men’s team was led by the Trailblazer relay teams, winning the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:11.36 and taking second place in the 4×100 relay with a time of 40.67 seconds.
Freshman Malik Ferdinand led the charge in the individual finishers for the Blue and Gold Friday night, taking second place in the 400 meter dash with a final time of 48.36 seconds.
Freshman Brahym Sakka (Tunisia) led the men’s distance side after taking third place in the 3000 meter steeplechase, crossing the finish line with a time of 9:22.01.
Sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) placed 10th in the 1500 meters at 3:55.76 and freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) took 17th in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:09.72.
Freshman Zion Pruitt placed 19th in the 400 meter hurdles with a final time of 59.65 seconds.
The VU men’s team finishers were rounded out by sophomore Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and freshmen Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) and Bryaun Manuel (East St. Louis, Ill.) who all took part in the 800 meter race.
Gray led the trio of VU runners by taking 24th with a time of 1:58.37, while Spence ended at 1:59.71 for 27th and Manuel ended at 2:03.00 in 29th place.
“We had a good day at the IU meet,” VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. “We used this meet to try and hit a few more National Qualifiers and to tune up for the Championships in two weeks.”
“It was nice to finally get a chance to perform since the weather has been an issue at every one of our outdoor meets,” Rogier added. “I used the opportunity to stack our relays and try to hit some times. The guys came through breaking the program record in the 4×400 and tying the program record in the 4×100.”
“It was really impressive to see Cohen, Olamipo, Tumaini and Desroy move the stick so efficiently in the only time they have run the 4×100 relay,” Rogier said. “I knew we had the speed but I attribute their success to their ability to work together and execute their plan. It’s nice sometimes as a coach to just sit back and watch and enjoy the show.”
“I’m a big fan of the 4×400 and it will always be a goal to put a good group on the track,” Rogier added. “We just have not had a chance to turn it loose because of the weather. Friday was really the only chance to run it right and the guys got the job done.”
“Olamipo, Clinton, Tumaini and Desroy had to run it alone because they were 50 or so meters ahead most of the race,” Rogier said. “To run that time with no one to compete with makes me think we can drop it some more at the Championships. Both relays are ranked in the Top 10 Nationally, so I’m excited to see what they might do. Getting both of those records on the same day is quite a feat because those are some fast times.”
“In addition to the relay success, Malik, who has struggled all season with a wonky hamstring, put together a nice 400 to finish second,” Rogier added. “He will be an important part of what we are able to do at the National meet.”
“In the men’s 800, Matthew ran under two minutes and got a PR for the second week in a row,” VU Assistant Track and Field Coach and Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “He’s got a lot left in him, so I’m excited to see what he can do at Nationals. Tanner also broke two minutes for the second week in a row, just off his PR.”
“Brahym ran his best steeplechase of the year with an 18 second improvement from two weeks ago,” Steigenga added. “We were trying to run a bit faster to improve his chances to get a spot in the fast heat at Nationals, but as of now he’s in. We’ll just have to see how things finish out this weekend.”
The VU women’s team was led by freshman and 2024 Indoor National Champion Sophia Amaral who placed sixth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.05 meters.
Sophomore Madison Davis pulled double duty Friday evening, taking 14th in the discus throw with a best throw of 38.07 meters and then taking 19th in the shot put with a throw of 11.66 meters.
Freshman Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) led the women’s track team with a 15th place finish in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:55.85.
Freshman Emilly Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) rounded out the VU day on the track by finishing the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.18 for 19th place overall.
“Sophia added to her top ranking by clearing 4.05 and finishing sixth in a really good pole vault competition,” Rogier said. “There were some elite jumpers competing. It’s hard to not be satisfied but I really believe she has bigger bars if she will just let it happen and not overthink things.”
“Madison had a big personal best in the discus,” Rogier added. “It was good to see it come together for her in a big meet. She struggled a little with the shot put. She got a little nervous with the competition she was facing.”
“Adi had a great race in the 1500 to get her second National Qualifier and also moved to No. 7 on the VU All-Time list,” Steigenga said. “This meet can be a mixed bag of results as everyone is coming off a big week of final exams, moving out of dorms and dealing with other end of the school year things. It can be hard to compete after going through all of that. I know a lot of them are looking forward to resting up this week to get ready for Nationals.”
The Trailblazers will now take next two weeks to rest, recover and prepare for the 2024 NJCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships hosted at Brown Stadium at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
The three day meet is set to begin Thursday, May 16 and will conclude on Saturday, May 18 in Monroe, La.
“Overall, I think we got almost everything done that we were hoping for,” Rogier said. “Tyler’s group performed very well against some stiff competition. This meet is set up to be a last chance qualifier for Division I programs. That is why you see schools like Notre Dame and Michigan. We are grateful that they allow us to be a part because it’s a great opportunity for our athletes to compete against some of the best talent in the country.”
