UE track and field top performers compete at the Indoor Music City Challenge
The Purple Aces sent a small group to one of the biggest indoor meets of the year
NASHVILLE – A small handful of the University of Evansville track and field team competed in the Music City this weekend at the Indoor Music City Challenge.
Hosted by the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Indoor Music City Challenge meet is one of the strongest indoor meets in the nation. The Purple Aces took 12 athletes to the meet in preparation for the MVC Championships in two weeks time. 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.
UE began its weekend in Nashville with its three field entries. The first field event was the men’s weight throw where sophomore Tyler Cherne (Boardman, Ohio / Boardman HS) came just under his season best at 15.11 meters. Freshman Samuel Mubiamunda (Hurst, Texas / L.D. Bell HS) competed in the high jump at the same time and hit the 1.78-meter mark in the event to place just outside the Top 10 at 11th. Evansville’s final field entry was junior thrower Gwen Darrah (Cleveland, Ohio / Orange HS) who threw 12.64 meters in the weight throw.
The Aces first track event of Friday was the men’s mile where three runners competed. Rodriguez broke his program record from the previous indoor season by just under five seconds running the mile in 4:08.87. He was followed closely by sophomore Tomasso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) at 4:09.76. While senior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) finished the mile in 4:18.14 for UE’s last time in the event.
Evansville’s second program record in Nashville came in the team’s next event the women’s 200-meter dash. 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. In the men’s 200-meter dash sophomore Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) and freshman Myles Terry (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) finished in 22.07 and 22.65 seconds.
The Aces ended their Friday at the Music City Challenge with the women’s and men’s 5,000-meter race. Sophomore Avery Stephens (Newburg, Ind. / Castle HS) finished the 5,000 in 18:33.72, less than a second over her season best. While sophomore Samuel Lea (Worchester, England) ran a season-best 14:51.79 in the men’s 5,000-meter race.
UE’s Saturday in Nashville began with the men’s 800-meter race which included two Top 20 finishes. Losma finished in 1:53.94 for 12th place while Oulgout finished in 1:54.17 for 17th place. Sophomore Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) also ran in the 800, setting a PR at 1:55.75 for Evansville on Saturday morning.
The Aces returned to the track in the afternoon with the women’s and men’s 400-meter races. Johnson finished 14th in the women’s race in 57.63 seconds. While Felton III set a PR in the men’s 400 at 49.17 seconds for 14th in the men’s race. Terry also ran a PR in the 400-meter race at 49.99 seconds.
UE’s final event of the weekend was the men’s 3,000-meter race before the relays. Rodriguez finished just outside the Top 20 for Evansville with a time of 8:38.12 to wrap up the Music City Challenge.
The full Aces track and field team will be in action on Saturday, February 22 at the John Gartland Invitational. UE will only have to go North up US 41 to get to the Invite hosted by fellow MVC team Indiana State. The meet will begin at 11 a.m. CT from Terre Haute.
