Trailblazer Track and Field tops another school record at GVSU Big Meet

ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams continue to rewrite the VU school record books this season as another Trailblazer record was topped this weekend at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet in Michigan.

The two day meet began Friday afternoon with Vincennes setting the tone early for the weekend as sophomore Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) began the weekend in the 5000m with a fourth-place finish with a time of 15:28.00.

Freshmen Lane Connaway (Carmi, Ill.) and Jeremy Mendez (Velpen, Ind.) also competed in the 5000 meters Friday but ran in different sections of the race, with Connaway posting a time of 16:27.73 to take 20th and Mendez ending at 16:36.83 to take 22nd.

The Vincennes sprinters Friday were led by sophomore Olamipo Ladipo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who placed third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 47.92 seconds.

Sophomores Malik Ferdinand (Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Zion Pruitt (Avon, Ind.) were also in action Friday in the 600 meter dash with Ferdinand posting a time of 1:24.70 to take 11th and Pruitt crossing the line at 1:25.24 to take 13th.

Freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) got an invitation to run the mile Friday, finishing 13th in the event with a time of 4:10.99.

In the field events Friday, Freshman Tremayne Brown (Anderson, Ind.) took fourth in the high jump at 1.93 meters and freshman Anthony Keene (Harrisburg, Ill.) took fifth in the pole vault at 4.65 meters.

The VU Women’s results Friday were led by sophomore and two-time defending NJCAA National Champion Sophia Salvi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who finished third in the pole vault with a height of 4.00 meters.

Freshman Sara Belgacem (Tunis, Tunisia) competed in the 600 meter dash Friday, taking 10th with a time of 1:42.34.

“Cody started off Friday morning with the first PR of the meet,” VU Interim Head Track and Field Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “He ran one his best races as a Trailblazers. Cody got out in the front pack and ran a very even race and covering every move. His new PR of 15:28 puts him eighth on VU’s All-Time list.”

“In the 600, Sara ran a new PR, finishing second in her heat,” Steigenga added. “It was the seventh best time in school history. Malik and Zion ran in the first heat of the men’s race. Zion ran five seconds faster than last year and Malik ran his first race in a month after spending a lot of time training as an injury precaution. It wasn’t quite what he is capable of but he’ll get into shape fast the next few weeks.”

“In the women’s pole vault, Sophia had some good jumps with a new season best,” Steigenga said. “It improved on her no. 1 mark in the NJCAA. Olamipo went unchallenged in his heat of the 400 and led start to finish. His time of 47.92 was a National qualifier and moved him up to third in school history.”

“Anis capped off the day with a new PR in the mile,” Steigenga added. “He’s only a second and a half off the school record and moved up to 12th overall in the NJCAA.”

The big day for the Trailblazers this past weekend was Saturday however as the Blazers sent multiple runners to the track all day in multiple events and were headlined by the 4×400 men’s relay team of Malik Ferdinand, Zion Pruitt, Artezz Butler-Sanders (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Olamipo Ladipo, who not only qualified for the NJCAA Indoor National Championships, not only took the top spot in the event Saturday, but also set a new Vincennes University school record with a time of 3:16.66.

Butler-Sanders would later return to the track to compete with the men’s Distance Medley Relay (DMR) team along with sophomores Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.), Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) and freshman Anis Abdaoui to take 16th place overall with a time of 10:10.87.

Spence and Hostetler would also compete in the mile run Saturday, with Spence taking 55th overall at 4:38.36, Hostetler placing 40th at 4:34.72, sophomore Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) finishing 60th at 4:42.30 and freshman Hayden Kler (Hillsboro, Ind.) taking 69th overall at 4:47.80.

The Trailblazer distance runners continued in the 3000 meters where Cody Noel placed 52nd overall at 9:06.77, Lane Connaway finished 64th at 9:29.93 and Jeremy Mendez finished 83rd overall at 9:54.67.

Freshmen Kelvin Kipsang (Kapsabet, Kenya) and Dakoda Greci (Danville, Ind.) had a good showing in the 800 meters with Kipsang taking 30th overall at 2:00.40 and Greci placing 36th overall at 2:01.89.

The Vincennes sprinters were led Saturday by freshman Karmiel Williams (Jasper, Ind.) who placed 26th in the 60 meter dash at 7.19 seconds and 36th in the 200 meters at 23.24 seconds.

Freshman Marshawn Bradley (Dyer, ind.) placed 70th in the 60 meters at 7.54 seconds and 58th in the 200 meters at 25.15 and freshman Aaden Mapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) placed 61st in the 60 meter dash at 7.43 seconds.

The VU men’s results on the track were closed out by sophomore Maliek Bush (Jeffersonville, Ind.) who placed ninth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.64 seconds.

Bush would continue his day in the field events where he would also take 22nd in the pole vault at 3.45 meters and 14th in the long jump at 6.18 meters.

Freshman Chase Guthrie (Indianapolis, Ind.) placed eighth in the long jump Saturday, with a best jump of 6.50 meters and freshman Cayden Gasser (Delphi, Ind.) rounded out the day’s results with a 44th place finish in the shot put with a throw of 10.95 meters.

The VU women’s track team also had a busy day Saturday, headlined again by freshman Zoe Allen (Anderson, ind.) who placed 16th in the 200 meters with a time of 26.24 seconds.

Sara Belgacem and sophomores Adi Fuller (Evansville, ind.) and Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) took part in the 800 meter race, with Belgacem leading the way with a time of 2:25.30 to take 24th, while Fuller placed 41st at 2:36.46 and Self finished 51st at 2:41.42.

The teams of Belgacem, Allen, Self and Fuller then competed in the Distance Medley Relay as well, placing 21st overall with a time of 12:57.41.

The Trailblazers weekend was closed out in the mile run where freshman Alexis Hale (Evansville, Ind.) took 45th overall at 5:39.75 and fellow freshman Allie Black (Lynn, Ind.) placed 62nd overall at 6:10.87.

“Cody also started off day two with a one second PR in the 3000,” Steigenga said. “Maliek Bush ran a season best in the 60 hurdles, winning his heat and finishing ninth overall. In the 60, Karmiel led Aaden and Marshawn with all three of them coming away with PRs.”

“Each of the DMR teams came away with a National qualifier and a top five mark in school history,” Steigenga added. “The women snuck under the qualifying time by a tenth of a second thanks to a late push by Adi. The men finished well under the qualifying standard thanks to Anis running a 4:07 1600 split.”

“Dakoda and Kelvin both came away from the 800 with new PRs and got the team closer to a 4×800 qualifier, now just over a half second off,” Steigenga said. “Zoe came back off the DMR qualifier and ran a half second PR in the 200. Her time of 26.24 ranked her fifth in school history.”

“In the women’s mile, Alexis took the lead after two slow opening laps,” Steigenga added. “Her gamble paid off as she came away with an eight second PR. In the men’s mile, Hayden had one of the most exciting races of the day. He took the lead after three laps and never looked back. With a final 200 of 33 seconds, Hayden came away with a huge PR of 4:47.”

“The 4×400 was the last event in terms of excitement and it did not disappoint,” Steigenga said. “Malik led off with a 49.3 split, showing that his hard work on rehab and cross training paid off. He handed the baton to Zion in first place, who improved on his split from two weeks ago and matched Malik with a 49.3 of his own. Zion kept the lead and handed off the baton to Artezz. He ran great, coming off a National qualifier earlier in the day as part of the DMR team. Artezz kept the lead until the last 20 meters when he was passed by three other teams.”

“After his 50.9 split, he passed the baton to Olamipo who was ready to go,” Steigenga added. “He waited until 200 meters to go where he took the lead and never looked back. He held off three charging teams in the homestretch and got VU the win, national qualifier and school record by a narrow margin of .11 and .21 seconds respectively.”

“As a coach, I have witnessed a lot of special moments in competition, but this one as to be one of the best,” Steigenga said. “The way it brought the entire team together was truly special.”

The Vincennes University Track and Field teams will look to put the finishing touches on an outstanding Indoor regular season next weekend as the Blazers head to Terre Haute, Ind. to take part in the Indiana State Open hosted by Indiana State University.

VU will look to finalize some more National qualifiers as the Trailblazers will then close out the 2025 Indoor season Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at the 2025 NJCAA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted at the Sports Performance Center on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex.

“Overall it was a fantastic weekend,” Steigenga said. “We accomplished most of what we needed to do. Next weekend we’ll look to tune up and add another qualifying mark or two before Nationals.”

VINCENNES RESULTS

FRIDAY RESULTS

MEN’S RESULTS

400m

Olamipo Ladipo – 3, 47.92

600m

Malik Ferdinand – 11, 1:24.70

Zion Pruitt – 13, 1:25.24

Mile

Anis Abdaoui – 13, 4:10.99

5000m

Cody Noel – 4, 15:28.00

Lane Connaway – 20, 16:27.73

Jeremy Mendez – 22, 16:36.83

High Jump

Tremayne Brown – 4, 1.93m

Pole Vault

Anthony Keene – 5, 4.65m

WOMEN’S RESULTS

600m

Sara Belgacem – 10, 1:42.34

Pole Vault

Sophia Salvi – 3, 4.00m

SATURDAY RESULTS

MEN’S RESULTS

60m

Karmiel Williams – 26, 7.19

Aaden Mapp – 61, 7.43

Marshawn Bradley – 70, 7.54

200m

Karmiel Williams – 36, 23.24

Marshawn Bradley – 58, 25.15

800m

Kelvin Kipsang – 30, 2:00.40

Dakoda Greci – 36, 2:01.89

Mile

Caden Hostetler – 40, 4:34.72

Tanner Spence – 55, 4:38. 36

Nathan Whitehead – 60, 4:42.30

Hayden Kler – 69, 4:47.80

3000m

Cody Noel – 52, 9:06.77

Lane Connaway – 64, 9:20.93

Jeremy Mendez – 83, 9:54.67

60m Hurdles

Maliek Bush – 9, 8.64

4×400 Relay

Ferdinand, Pruitt, Butler-Sanders, Ladipo – 1, 3:16.66

DMR

Spence, Butler-Sanders, Hostetler, Abdaoui – 16, 10:10.87

Pole Vault

Maliek Bush – 22, 3.45m

Long Jump

Chase Guthrie – 8, 6.50m

Maliek Bush – 14, 6.18m

Shot Put

Cayden Gasser – 44, 10.95m

WOMEN’S RESULTS

200m

Zoe Allen – 16, 26.24

800m

Sara Belgacem – 24, 2:25.30

Adi Fuller – 41, 2:36.46

Jasmyn Self – 51, 2:41.42

Mile

Alexis Hale – 45, 5:39.75

Allie Black – 62, 6:10.87

DMR

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball split a doubleheader with Alabama State University Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama. The Screaming Eagles took the opening match, 12-8, while the Hornets captured the nightcap, 9-2.
 
USI is 2-1 after two days of 2025, while Alabama State is 1-2 to begin its season.
 
Game 1:
USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday and freshman first baseman Kannon Coakley combined for nine hits as the Eagles cruised to a game one victory over the Hornets, 12-8.
 
Holiday ignited the USI offense from the start by singling and going to second on an error, stealing third, and scoring the first run of the game on a ground out. He would finish the game four-for-six with three runs scored, two RBIs, and two stolen bases.
 
Coakley was a perfect five-for-five with three doubles, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Jay Kennedy picked up the win in relief. Kennedy (1-0) allowed a run on one hit and one walk while striking out one.
 
USI junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez started and received a no-decision in the game. Gonzalez went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out one.
 
Game 2:
Alabama State turned the tables on USI and took the nightcap 9-2. The Hornets scored seven times in the first three innings to take command before scoring one more in the fifth and sixth.
 
USI broke up the shutout in the sixth when Coakley crossed the plate on an error to make the score 8-1. Following a ninth Alabama State run, Holiday crossed the plate in the top of the seventh when sophomore third baseman Parker Martin doubled to center to close the gap to 9-2.
 
On the bump, graduate left-hander Camden Dimidjian took the loss for the Eagles. Dimidian allowed four runs, two earned, on two hits and four walks in 1.1 innings of work.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI concludes the four-game series with Alabama State Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
The Eagles open the 2025 home schedule by hosting Western Kentucky University on Tuesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the first 200 fans get a USI red rally towel.  
 

Freshman records fall as Eagles wrap up Boston trip

No. 7 Trailblazers keep winning streak alive with Region 24 road win at Shawnee C.C.

ULLIN, Ill. – The Vincennes University Trailblazers moved up one spot in this week’s NJCAA Division I National rankings, checking in this week at No. 7.

Vincennes was idle throughout the week but returned to the floor Saturday afternoon for a tough Region 24 road contest against Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill.

VU was able to ride a couple of good scoring runs to pull away late and close out their 16th straight victory by downing the Saints 73-51.

The Trailblazers got the shots to fall early at Shawnee, using an early 10-0 run to take a quick 10-2 lead.

Vincennes would grow their lead to 15 midway through the first half, with VU holding a 26-11 advantage over the Saints, but Shawnee would answer back before halftime.

Shawnee continued to battle late in the first half and were able to close out the first half by outscoring Vincennes 13-5 to cut the Trailblazer lead to 33-27 at the break.

VU looked to regain the momentum early in the second half and were able to use a 12-3 run to get the lead back to 14.

Shawnee again looked to answer back and cut the deficit to 58-46 before Vincennes was able to help put the game away down the stretch by scoring 15 straight points.

The Saints would get a couple of late baskets but ran out of time on another comeback attempt as Vincennes closed out the 73-51 victory over the Saints.

“We played in spots,” VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. “There were spots that were pretty good. Defensively we were fairly good all day. We had some breakdowns mentally. We had a pretty good idea of how to take away what we needed to take away. I didn’t think we did a great job on Bell early. Made him work a little harder in the second half. But other than that, having a mental lapse occasionally, we were pretty good defensively all day.”

“Offensively we were just spotty,” Franklin added. “There were times where Bryan would score down low or we would hit a couple threes. We would make a play defensively and get a transition. We extended it at one point and got it up to 15 and it looked like we were going but we just don’t have enough focus or intensity to stay the course at that time. If we are going to be a Championship basketball team, that can’t happen.”

“We’ve also got a couple of guys that are scuffling right now and opportunities were there today,” Franklin said. “There were plays there to be made and right now we’re struggling to make plays. But they would hit a couple of shots and make a couple of plays, then we would stop functioning and get soft with the ball. We knew they were going to come out and do traps and zones and in the moment we just get a little soft. It’s just concentration. We know what the answers are. It’s just about concentrating and doing it.”

“Then we got a couple of good runs where we were consistently getting enough stops,” Franklin added. “Any time we would get any consistent run offensively, we would extend. That kind of continued all game. They played hard, they tried and had a couple of guys, Bell especially, who tried to play big today. But that’s what it was. I don’t know if it was because of having a week off, you’re missing an edge, but we had that a little bit. We had that second half against Kaskaskia where I didn’t think we were very sharp. Or in the first half against Lincoln Trail. That’s no disrespect to those teams, they were trying and doing and give them credit. But I didn’t think we were very sharp for way too long of an extended period and I thought we had some of those lapses today.”

Vincennes was led offensively Saturday afternoon by freshman Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) who came away with his first collegiate double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the game.

Sophomore Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) got his shot to fall early, scoring 10 first half points on his way to 15 points in the game off the bench, while also grabbing seven rebounds.

Sophomore Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) was the third VU scorer in double figures Saturday afternoon, coming away with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Sophomore and 2024 NJCAA All-American Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) moved the ball well all game from the point guard position, just missing out on another double-double with nine points and 10 assists in the game.

The Trailblazers will look to continue to add to their impressive winning streak next week as Vincennes hits the road again for another tough Region 24 road Saturday test against Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill. at 4 p.m. eastern.

VU defeated the Lakers 102- 78 earlier this season behind 24 points by Travelle Bryson and 22 points and 10 rebounds by Michael Cooper.

A win next Saturday would give the Trailblazers the 2024-25 Region 24 Regular Season title and clinch the No. 1 seed in the Region 24 tournament in Ina, Ill. for Vincennes.

“We’ve got to decide what it is that we are trying to do,” Franklin said. “Are we trying to be a team that wins a bunch of games and is pretty good. Well, we’re well on our way to that and we’ll probably succeed. Are you going to be happy with just winning the regular season? It looks like that’s about to happen. We’ve still got to get a little bit of work done but we are one win away. So we’ll probably be able to get that done staying where we are right now and who knows about the tournament.”

“But if you are talking about making a deep run and we talk about this,” Franklin added. “I think that if we can just be sharper for 40 minutes and everybody played pretty good and up to their level. You don’t have to play great, but just pretty good, if we all did it and we are all locked in on it, then I think it is real. But we are going to have to do that. It’s not realistic to think that it’s going to happen if you are going to have lapses or we are going to have guys who are scuffling and struggling. You can’t be struggling with your game right now. You have to get in the gym and get over whatever is getting at you.”

“If it’s the pressure, that’s all this is from here on out,” Franklin said. “That’s what opportunity is and that’s 100 percent what JUCO is. JUCO is nothing but giving you one last real opportunity to do what you want to do and say that you can. But you’ve got to get stuff done. You can’t just back into it. That’s the message that I express every day and at some point you’ve got to take that message because that’s the only way. You’ve got to come charging through the door and you’ve got to go out and take it. You can’t be backing off or doubting the plays that you are supposed to make. You’ve got to grit your teeth and show everybody that you can. But those are just the things that you go through and we’re going through that in spots right now. We’re finding enough guys in stretches in games that we are still winning. But we’ve got to get everybody going. I’ll do everything I can, but at some point it’s about you looking inside yourself. This is grown man basketball, they call it men’s basketball for a reason.”

“We’ll direct them and tell them the truth,” Franklin added. “And they’ve got all of the greatest opportunities in the world right now. Our team has got as good an opportunity as any other JUCO team in the country. Which means each individual on this team has an opportunity. That’s what JUCO is, so we’ve got to come back charging and we’ve got to make surges. Individual players have to make surges the rest of the way. If we don’t, then we’ll just be another team that won a bunch of games in the regular season, that’s good. Won the regular season title maybe, that’s good. Then we’ll see. Maybe we’ll get enough wins here to go to Hutch. I don’t know. But if you are going to win it, which I think is out there, we’ve got to get everybody aggressively playing well.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (73): Bryan Akanmu 6-9 2-2 14, Lebron Thomas 3-3 2-3 9, Travelle Bryson 7-15 3-4 19, Dayton Williams 1-11 0-0 3, Hussein Elmaraghy 1-4 0-0 2, Christian Andrews 1-1 0-1 3, Meyoh Swansey 0-0 0-0 0, Jalen Calloway 1-2 2-2 5, Michael Cooper 5-8 2-4 15, Darstin Onye 0-2 0-0 0, Ali Sakho 0-1 0-0 0, Kenaz Ochogwu 1-2 1-2 3, Team 26-58 12-18 73.

VU (22-3, 12-0) – 33   40 – 73

Shawnee – 27   24 – 51

Three-point goals: VU 9 (Cooper 3, Bryson 2, Thomas, Williams, Andrews, Calloway). Rebounds: VU 43 (Bryson 10). Assists: VU 22 (Thomas 10). Steals: VU 5 (Bryson 2). Blocked Shots: VU 7 (Williams 2). Turnovers: VU 10. Personal Fouls: VU 12. Fouled out: None. Technical Fouls: Cooper (1st – 8:55).

-30-

The No. 7 ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers improve to 22-3 on the season, with a 12-0 record in Region 24 play.

Lady Blazers roll in Region 24 road win over Shawnee C.C.

ULLIN, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers were back in action Saturday afternoon as the Blazers hit the road to take on Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill.

The Lady Blazers jumped out to an early lead over the Lady Saints and were able to pull away for the big 86-51 victory over Shawnee.

Vincennes opened the game with a strong defensive first quarter, scoring the first seven points of the game as part of a larger 11-1 scoring run to open the game.

VU would later add to their early lead with an 8-0 scoring run and end the first quarter of action with a 25-10 lead over the Lady Saints.

The Lady Blazers would get their lead to 18 early in the second quarter and keep the momentum going throughout the first half as Vincennes headed into the locker room holding a 42-25 lead at the break.

Vincennes kept the pressure on to begin the second half, opening the third quarter with six straight points and grow the lead to 58-32 midway through the period.

Shawnee would look to build some late momentum in the third quarter, trading baskets with the Lady Blazers to end the third quarter trailing VU 62-39.

The Lady Saints would keep battling early in the fourth quarter before the Lady Blazers put the game away with a 15-0 scoring run to take a commanding 84-47 lead.

The Lady Blazers would run the offense and take time off the clock late as Vincennes put the finishing touches on an 86-51 victory over Shawnee.

Freshman Ahmya Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the Lady Blazers offensively Saturday afternoon, finishing the game with 22 points, eight steals and seven rebounds.

Freshman Delora Pricop (Satu Mare, Romania) was on triple-double watch late as she recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 16 points, 17 rebounds and seven big blocks.

Freshman Jazmyn Robey (Sellersburg, Ind.) got going from long range, connecting on four threes to finish her day with 13 points and a pair of assists.

Freshman Emani Washington (Indianapolis, Ind.) came off the bench Saturday to add 12 points, four assists and three rebounds, while sophomore Marta Gutierrez (Alicante, Spain) was the fifth Lady Blazer double figure scorer Saturday afternoon, ending the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.

The Lady Trailblazers will look to keep this momentum going into next week as the Lady Blazers prepare to host Rend Lake College inside the P.E. Complex Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. eastern.

Vincennes defeated the Lady Warriors 77-52 earlier this season in Ina, Ill. behind 29 points by Emani Washington.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (86): Ahmya Thomas 9-16 3-3 22, Jazmyn Robey 4-10 1-2 13, Marta Gutierrez 5-9 1-1 11, Yanni Huggins 2-4 0-0 4, Delora Pricop 7-13 2-4 16, Iris Comesana 0-0 0-2 0, Emani Washington 5-15 0-0 12, Netala Dixon 3-8 2-5 8, Team 35-75 9-17 86.

VU (14-13, 8-3) – 25   17   20   24 – 86

Shawnee – 10   15   14   12 – 51

Three-point goals: VU 7 (Robey 4, Washington 2, Thomas). Rebounds: VU 44 (Pricop 17). Assists: VU 21 (Gutierrez 4, Pricop 4, Washington 4). Steals: VU 20 (Thomas 8). Blocked Shots: VU 9 (Pricop 7). Turnovers: VU 15. Personal Fouls: VU 19. Fouled out: None.