On Friday, the University of Evansville men’s and women’s track and field teams opened with the first day of the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Freshmen Nikki Hutchcraft and Brittany Corley competed for the Purple Aces in the women’s javelin. Hutchcraft and Corley finished back-to-back in ninth and 10th in the event with Hutchcraft edging Corley, 25.16 meters to 20.34 meters. On the men’s side, Ryan Freeman paced the Aces’ contingent with a throw of 34.50 meters, earning the junior a 17th-place finish. Just behind Freeman were Clay Doty and Ian Alberts in 18th and 19th with throws of 33.79 meters and 32.00 meters, respectively.
In the women’s 1500 meter preliminaries, junior Sienna Crews broke the Evansville program record with a time of 4:59.10, placing Crews in 12th among the 19-runner field. Freshmen Lauren Meyer (5:20.42) and Izzy Dawson (5:25.31) followed Crews, finishing in 17th and 19th, respectively. Ricky Hendrix led the way for Evansville’s men in the 1500 meters prelims as the sophomore recorded a time of 4:16.27, earning Hendrix a 15th-place finish. Also running in the 1500 for UE were freshman Timmy Miller (4:43.16), sophomore Jonathan Newby (4:46.72), and freshman Grant Mangan (5:16.38) who finished one after another in 17th, 18th, and 19th.
For Evansville in the men’s 200 meter dash prelims, freshman Aaron Straight represented the Aces, finishing in 22nd, crossing the line in a time of 23.93. On the women’s side, freshman Holli Buretta recorded the fourth-fastest 200 meter dash in program history, with a time of 31.41, placing Burretta in 27th.
Saturday’s action in Terre Haute begins with the conclusion of the women’s heptathlon at 9:30 a.m. (CT) and men’s decathlon at 10:30 a.m. (CT). Field events open with the women’s shot put and men’s high jump at 2 p.m. (CT), while competition on the track starts with the women’s 100 meter hurdles at 4 p.m. (CT), followed by the men’s 110 meter hurdles.
Live coverage of Saturday’s second day of competition will be available starting at 3:45 p.m. on ESPN +.
