The Purple Aces begin the 2024 season not too far from home
NASHVILLE – The University of Evansville track and field team will see its first competition in the Music City over the weekend.
The Purple Aces will open their 2024 indoor track and field season on Friday afternoon at the Commodore Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt University. Evansville returns 12 members of its 2022-23 roster including record-breaking throwers graduate students Zach Dove and Jaden Hayes. Also returning for UE on the women’s side are runner Hannah Bryan, throwers Gwen Darrah and Kaitlyn Sansone, and hurdler Kate Walke. Returning on the men’s side are sprinters Jude Nguyen, Jose Ocampo, and Antwaun Powell, runners Adam Ouglout and Joey Taylor, and thrower Preston Riggs.The Aces also welcome several new faces to their roster in 2024. On the women’s side, Evansville adds sprinters Chase Hayes and Taylor Johnson, distance runners Kyndall Anthis, Eilen Brenne, Sonja Inzinger, Nayla Martin, Nicole Prauchner, Avery Stephens, Kalina Urbaniak, Sarah Vanderhoof-Dossett, and Taylor Vogt, and throwers Jillian Miller and Brooke Springer. For the men’s team, UE adds sprinters Woody Burrell, Mason Douglas, Raymond Felton, Austin Liversgowdy, and Connor Shin, distance runners Owen Cuplin, Cedrik Flipo, Samuel Lea, Tommaso Losma, Alvaro Monfort, Jakub Nowicki, and Rafael Rodriguez, and throwers Cole Johnson and Alejandro Navarrete.
At the Commodore Challenge, the Aces will compete against two other MVC teams in Belmont and Murray State. UE will compete against 17 other schools including, Arkansas State, Austin Peay State, Cumberland, Indiana, Illinois, Lipscomb, Ole Miss, Savannah College of Art and Design, Tennessee, Tennessee Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Trevecca, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, William Carey, and York. Events on Friday begin at noon with jumps and throws followed by running events in the evening. Saturday will follow a similar schedule with events beginning at 10 a.m.
