The Purple Aces finished 11th and 14th as a team in Terre Haute
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Freshman Nicole Prauchner earned her second podium finish of the outdoor season on the final day of the Gibson Invitational for the University of Evansville track and field team.
Six Purple Aces set personal records in Terre Haute on Saturday on the final day of the Gibson Invitational hosted by Indiana State. Prauchner had the best finish of the day for UE, taking first in the women’s 1500-meter with a PR of 4:34.40. Teammate Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) was close behind in fourth with a time of 4:37.57 while Avery Stephens set a PR of 5:16.66 in the event.
Evansville also had a top-five finish in the men’s 1500-meter race as freshman Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain) placed fourth with a PR of 3:52.08. Several Aces had PRs or high finishes in the 1500-meter race as Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) placed ninth with a time of 3:57.38 while Samuel Lea (Worchester, England) set a PR of 4:00.10.
Junior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) also set a season-best in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:01.53. Oulgout also ran a season-best in the men’s 800-meter race at 1:55.75 for 12th place. Also in the 800-meter race, freshman Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) placed 19th with a time of 1:57.95.
UE’s other top-five finish on Saturday came in the women’s 800-meter race for freshman Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway) placing fourth with a time of 2:13.67. Evansville’s final PRs both came from sophomore Jose Ocampo (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico), who set two personal records in the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter race with times of 11.08 and 51.71. The Aces also had two runners compete in the hurdles, sophomore Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at 15.59 seconds and freshman Woody Burrell (Ceaderburg, Wis. / Ceaderburg HS) in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.40 seconds for 16th place.
In the field, UE competed in two events on Saturday, the men’s shot put and the women’s discus. Evansville saw its best finishes in the men’s shot put as graduate throwers Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) and Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) placed 12th and 13th with season-best throws of 14.69 and 14.67 meters. The Aces only women’s thrower on the day was senior Brooke Springer (Henderson, Ky. / Henderson Community HS) with a discus throw of 33.71 meters.
UE’s men finished 14th of 24 teams with a final score of 10 points at the Gibson Invitational. While Evansville’s women finished 11th of 20 teams with 20 points.
The Aces are back in action next weekend at the Outdoor Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27. UE will also compete in the Rick Erdmann Twilight meet hosted by Eastern Kentucky on April 27.
