Trailblazer Track and Field begins final Nationals prep at Billy Hayes Invite

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Vincennes University men's and women's Track and Field teams rounded the corner to begin the home stretch toward the 2023 NJCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships Friday afternoon by competing at the Billy Hayes Invite hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington.

The Blazers faced off against athletes from several NCAA Division I programs, including Indiana, Cincinnati, Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Butler and Miami (Ohio).

The No. 18 ranked VU men's team was led off by a dominant day by freshman Desroy Jordan (Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).

Jordan took the top spot in two events Friday afternoon, pacing the field in the 200 with a time of 21.12 seconds before coming back to take the top spot in the 400 at 46.18 seconds.

"We finally got a perfect day to compete and against some great competition," VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. "Almost every event was strong with athletes from some of the top DI programs in the country."

"Desroy had another very impressive performance, easily winning both the 200 and 400," Rogier added. "His 46.18 in the 400 was another personal best and broke the VU school record. It is currently the sixth fastest time in the NJCAA this year. He ran a very smart race and showed good closing speed. Watching him and the clock, I really thought he might have gone under 46 but the official time was just over."

"He put the field away early in the 200," Rogier said. "He ran a strong curve then cruised to a time of 21.12. He is also ranked sixth in the 200 and holds the VU school record that he set a couple weeks ago at ISU. I really liked how he ran today in both races. Both were very smart and controlled races."

The men's distance crew was led off by two top-three finishes in the 1500 meters, with sophomore Mathew Keitany (Kenya) placing second at 3:54.59 and freshman Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) finishing third at 3:56.46.

Sophomore Ian Boit (Kimilili, Kenya) placed fifth in the 3000 meters with a final time of 9:01.30.

Freshman sprinter Justin Emmanuel (Jamaica) was dealt some bad luck. After posting the fifth fastest time in the 100-meter preliminaries at 10.65 seconds, Emmanuel was unable to compete in the finals after suffering an injury.

"Justin looked like he was going to have a good day, qualifying for the finals in the 100 meters," Rogier added. "But, as has been the case all season, he incurred an injury. I thought he had a good chance to qualify for Nationals, but those pesky injuries strike again."

Sophomore Trent Faulkner (Wheatland, Ind.) led a crew of distance runners in the 800-meter race, placing sixth with a time of 1:54.38.

Faulkner was joined by fellow sophomore Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) and freshman Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) in the 800, with Momodu placing 19th at 1:59.65 and Gray finishing 23rd at 2:02.30.

"The men's 800 was the highlight of the day for the distance squad," VU Assistant Track and Field Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "All three VU men were in the first heat and they all set new PRs. Trent went out near the front of the race and dominated the final 300 meters and with a lean at the line, he managed to sneak under the National qualifying standard by nine-tenths of a second. It also placed him 10th on VU's All-Time list. Ernest broke the two-minute barrier in his first 800 of the outdoor season and Matthew Gray also got a small PR."

"Mathew and Isaac were hoping for a fast race in the 1500, but no one wanted to help Isaac push the pace, so they finished just off their PRs," Steigenga added.

The men's throwing team was well represented by sophomore Mason Harmes (Borden, Ind.) who competed in three events on the day.

Harmes placed 12th in the discus with a throw of 44.94 meters, 12th in the hammer at 41.45 meters and 13th in the shot put with a throw of 12.61 meters.

VU freshman Paketo Dudley (Kingston, Jamaica) competed unattached and had a big win in the triple jump, besting the field by nearly two feet with a longest jump of 15.52 meters.

"Paketo, competing unattached, dominated the triple jump with three jumps over 15 meters, his best being 15.52," Rogier said. "That would easily surpass the current school record and would be second best in the NJCAA rankings this season."

"Mason had a season best in the discus where he hit 44.94 on his last throw to finish 12th," Rogier added. "He was also 12th and 13th in the hammer and shot put respectively."

The VU women's team checked in this week at No. 23 in this week's USTFCCCA polls and were led by freshman thrower Madison Davis (Chesterton, Ind.), who placed ninth in the discus with a throw of 34.69 meters.

"Madison had a personal best in the discus, throwing 34.69 to finish ninth and lead the throwers," Rogier said.

The women's distance runners were led by sophomore Brittany Page (Freelandville, Ind.) who placed 12th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:28.07.

"Hope and Brittany did a good job in their races," Steigenga said. "But came up just short of a PR."

Sophomore Hope Laughlin (Olney, Ill.) rounded out the VU day in Bloomington by placing 13th in the 1500 meters, crossing the finish line with a time of 5:25.31.

The Trailblazer athletes will now have two weeks to heal and prepare for the 2023 NJCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships, hosted this year by New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N.M.

The Championship meet is set to begin Thursday, May 18 and run through Saturday, May 20.

"We try to get our athletes ready for meets like this and the opportunity to compete with athletes from teams like IU, Michigan and Notre Dame," Rogier added. "But sometimes you will have athletes who are just not mentally ready for that level of competition. So we had a few disappointments, but overall it was a great way to finish the regular season."

"To watch our VU athletes winning events and running at the front of some of the heats at this level was very satisfying as a coach," Rogier said. "It was also nice to receive compliments from the coaches at these top programs and the meet officials who took notice of the talent that our kids displayed."

"We have two weeks to get ready for Nationals, where hopefully, we can step up and earn a few of the top spots," Rogier added.

VINCENNES RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

100m

Justin Emmanuel – 5, 10.65

200m

Desroy Jordan – 1, 21.12

400m

Desroy Jordan – 1, 46.18

800m

Trent Faulkner – 6, 1:54.38

Ernest Momodu – 19, 1:59.65

Matthew Gray – 23, 2:02.30

1500m

Mathew Keitany – 2, 3:54.59

Isaac Stanford – 3, 3:56.46

3000m

Ian Boit – 5, 9:01.30

Triple Jump

Paketo Dudley (Unattached) – 1, 15.52m

Shot Put

Mason Harmes – 13, 12.61m

Discus

Mason Harmes – 12, 44.94m

Hammer

Mason Harmes – 12, 41.45m

WOMEN'S RESULTS

800m

Brittany Page – 12, 2:28.07

1500m

Hope Laughlin – 13, 5:25.31

Discus

Madison Davis – 9, 34.69m