The Purple Aces will compete in 24 events through Saturday and Sunday at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships. UE was picked to finish ninth on the men’s side and 12th on the women’s side in the Pre-Championship Poll voted on by league head coaches. Indiana State was tabbed as the favorites in both the men’s and women’s polls, with all 12 first-place votes on the women’s side and six on the men’s side. Other teams earning first-place votes for the men included Illinois State and Northern Iowa.
Evansville closed out the regular outdoor season a week ago at the Billy Hayes Invitational hosted by the Indiana Hoosiers. The Aces picked up another new program record while earning podium finishes in five events at the Billy Hayes Invite. Junior thrower Gwen Darrah (Cleveland / Orange HS) set a new program record in the women’s hammer throw with a PR of 44.82 meters in UE’s first event of the day. Evansville also had 15 athletes set new PRs at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. The Aces picked up podium finishes in the men’s 200-meter dash from sophomore Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS), the 4×100-meter relay race, sophomore Cedrik Flipo (Beloeil, Quebec) in the men’s 800-meter invitational race, senior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) in the men’s open 800-meter race, and the women’s 3000-meter race from Avery Stephens (Newburg, Ind. / Castle HS).
UE begins the MVC Outdoor Championships in the field on Saturday morning, starting at 10 a.m. with the women’s discus event. Evansville’s first track event of the weekend will be the men’s 1,500-meter race at 2:30 p.m. While on Sunday, the Aces will begin competition at 11 a.m. with the men’s hammer throw and move to the track at 1:15 p.m. with the men’s 4×100 relay.
