The Purple Aces return to Gibson Track and Field Complex this weekend for the MVC Outdoor Championships. In the pre-championship poll voted on by Head Coaches across the conference, UE was picked to finish 10th for both the men’s and women’s teams. Reigning Indoor Champions and hosts of the Outdoor Championships, Indiana State has been tabbed as the pre-championship favorites for both the men and women. The Sycamore men were picked as the unanimous favorite with all 10 first-place votes while the women had nine of 12 first-place picks.
The Aces head into the Championships after breaking three more program records at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. UE has broken a total of 11 program records in the 2024 outdoor season including eight records on the track and three in the field from multiple student-athletes. At the Billy Hayes Invitational, Evansville reset two records and broke a third.
The first record set was the men’s hammer throw by graduate thrower Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS). After teammate Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) set the record earlier in the season, Dove took back the top spot with a throw of 52.90 meters for 13th in the event. Hayes finished the event in 14th with a throw of 50.20 meters while freshman Cole Johnson (Salem, Ill. / Salem Community HS) had a throw of 35.26 meters.
UE’s other program record that was reset in the 2024 outdoor season came from freshman sprinter Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS). She became the third runner this season to set a new 400-meter dash program record with a time of 57.70 seconds for sixth place. Teammate Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway) finished 17th in the event with a time of 59.71 seconds.
Evansville’s only new 2024 outdoor season record of the day came from freshman Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain) in the men’s 800-meter. Rodriguez broke the 2018 record from Stanley Chepchieng by over a second with a time of 1:52.39 for a fifth-place finish. The Aces also had top 15 placements for freshman Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) and junior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) with times of 1:54.19 and 1:54.35 for 12th and 14th.
UE will begin their day at the MVC Outdoor Championships on Friday morning with the women’s hammer throw at 11 a.m. with track events beginning at 4:45 p.m. with the men’s 400-hurdles.
MEET SCHEDULE (All Times in CT)
FRIDAY
Women’s Hammer Throw – 11 a.m.
Men’s Hammer Throw – 1 p.m.
Women’s Javelin Throw – 3 p.m.
Men’s 400-Meter Hudles – 4:45 p.m.
Men’s Javelin Throw – 5 p.m.
Women’s 1500-Meter – 5 p.m.
Men’s 1500-Meter – 5:15 p.m.
Men’s 200-Meter Dash – 5:40 p.m.
SATURDAY
Women’s Shot Put – 2 p.m.
Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles – 4:20 p.m.
Men’s Shot Put – 4:30 p.m.
Women’s 400-Meter Dash – 4:40 p.m.
Men’s 400-Meter Dash – 4:50 p.m.
Men’s 100-Meter Dash – 5:10 p.m.
Women’s 800-Meter – 5:20 p.m.
Men’s 800-Meter – 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Women’s Discus Throw – 10:30 a.m.
Men’s 4×100 Relay – 12:05 p.m.
Men’s Discus Throw – 12:30 p.m.
Men’s 5000-Meter – 2:30 p.m.
Women’s 4×400 Relay – 2:55 p.m.
Men’s 4×400 Relay – 3:05 p.m.
