Rodriguez and Prauchner qualify for 800-meter finals on Day 2 of the MVC Outdoor Championships
May 13, 2024
The Purple Aces added to their number of final performances on Saturday afternoon
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – On the second day of the MVC Outdoor Championships the University of Evansville track and field team added two more finalists while setting five PRs.
The Purple Aces had two runners qualify for the men’s and women’s 800-meter final on Saturday afternoon. After timing malfunctions made freshman Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria) and Rafael Rodriguez (Sergovia, Spain) run extra meters, the runners pulled off top times in the 800-meter event. Rodriguez ran a PR of 1:51.81 to take the last spot in the men’s 800-meter final on Sunday while Prauchner did the same in the women’s 800-meter with a time of 2:11.76.
Along with two finalist qualifiers, UE had three other runners set PRs on Saturday. Sprinters José Ocampo (Monterrey, Nueva Leon, Mexico) and Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) had PRs in the men’s and women’s 400-meter preliminary races. Ocampo ran the men’s in 51.60 seconds for 14th place while Johnson ran the women’s in 57.65 seconds for 15th.
Evansville’s final PR of the afternoon on the track also came in the men’s 800-meter preliminary race from junior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Center HS). Oulgout ran a 1:53.76 for 11th place in the third heat along with teammate freshman Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy). Losma took 13th place with a time of 1:55.32 in the heat, while freshman Jakub Nowiki (Poznan, Poland) rounded out the men’s 800-meter race for the Aces with a time of 1:57.96.
UE also had several runners finish the women’s 800-meter preliminary race along with Prauchner. Freshman Eilen Brenne (Skein, Norway) placed just behind her teammate with a time of 2:12.43 for 11th place. While freshman Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada) and Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) finished with times of 2:17.12 and 2:19.15, respectively.
Evansville participated in two other events on the second day of outdoor championships at Gibson Track and Field Complex. The Aces saw Ocampo and freshman Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) run in the men’s 100-meter dash. Felton III placed 18th with a time of 10.19 seconds while Ocampo finished in 11.12 seconds. Sophomore Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) also competed for UE in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.75 seconds.
Evansville only competed in one field event on Saturday with graduate throwers Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) and Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) throwing in the men’s shot put. Dove threw a season-best 15.37 meters in the event for 11th while Hayes set the Aces’ final PR of the day with a throw of 14.85 meters for 13th.
The Aces begin the final day of the MVC Outdoor Championships at 10:30 a.m. in the field with the women’s discus throw. UE begins its day on the track with the men’s 4×100 relay at 12:05 p.m. shortly followed by Prauchner in the women’s 1500-meter finals. A full list of Evansville’s final events of the championship is listed below.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Women’s Discus Throw – 10:30 a.m.
Men’s 4×100 Relay – 12:05 p.m.
Women’s 1500-Meter Finals – 12:10 p.m.
Men’s Discus Throw – 12:30 p.m.
Women’s 800-Meter Finals – 1:20 p.m.
Men’s 800-Meter Finals – 2:25 p.m.
Men’s 5,000-Meter – 2:30 p.m.
Women’s 4×400 Relay – 2:55 p.m.
Men’s 4×400 Relay – 3:05 p.m.
