The field for the John Gartland Invitational is made up of 14 different teams including three other Division I teams. Indiana State is the only other MVC team participating in the meet a week before the MVC Indoor Championships in Chicago. But the Aces will see some familiar faces on Saturday including Saint Louis, UIndy, Hanover, Marian (Ind.), and Vincennes, who all competed in other meets with UE. Evansville will also compete against Division I Northern Illinois, Anderson (Ind.), Berea, Brescia, UHSP, Rose-Hulman, and Wabash.
Last week the Aces only had 12 athletes compete at the Indoor Music City Challenge hosted by the Vanderbilt Commodores. Sophomore sprinter Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) and sophomore distance runner Rafael Rodriguez (Sergovia, Spain) set two new program records among the nation’s best last week in the women’s 200-meter dash and the men’s mile. Rodriguez broke his program record from the previous indoor season by just under five seconds running the mile in 4:08.87 and Johnson broke her record from earlier in the season at Indiana by completing the race in 25.20 seconds, eight-hundredths of a second faster than her previous record. UE had three other runners set PRs in Nashville as well.
Evansville’s day in Terre Haute on Saturday will begin at 11 a.m. with the men’s high jump and the men’s weight throw. The Aces track events will begin at 12:10 p.m. with the 60-meter prelims starting with the 60-meter hurdles. Fans can follow along with UE track and field at the John Gartland Invitational through Midwest Timing live results.
