VU Track and Field places well against tough competition

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Track and Field teams placed well Sunday afternoon at the ISU Pacesetter Sports Invitational while facing a field of several NCAA Division I teams and being the only two-year school represented this weekend.

Both VU men's and women's track and field teams headed into the weekend ranked in the Top-25 in this week's USTFCCCA rankings with the VU men's team checking in at No. 20 this week and the VU women's team at No. 22.

The No. 20 Trailblazer men's team was led by another impressive performance in the 800 meters with freshman Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) coming away with the event win, pacing the field with a time of 1:55.24.

Sophomore Trent Faulkner (Wheatland, Ind.) also placed in the 800 meters for the Blue and Gold, finishing seventh with a time of 1:58.47.

Vincennes would get another event win later in the pole vault by freshman Olegs Kozjakovs (Riga, Latvia). Kozjakovs cleared a height of 4.62 meters and would also go on to place fifth in the javelin with a throw of 44.02 meters.

Sophomore Mathew Keitany (Kenya) placed second in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing with a time of 9:37.62.

Freshman Desroy Jordan (Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) placed third in the 200 meters with a time of 21.35 seconds, before taking part in the 4x400 relay along with Isaac Stanford, sophomore Yamar Lyons (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and freshman Justin Emmanuel (Jamaica), teaming up to place third in the relay with a time of 3:22.65.

Vincennes also had a second relay team compete Sunday, the team of Faulkner, freshman Mathew Gray (Washington, Ind.), sophomore Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) and freshman Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.), which placed sixth with a time of 3:49.17.

Sophomore Ian Boit (Kimilili, Keyna) rounds out the VU men's team members to score Sunday, placing eighth in the 1500 meters with a final time of 4:11.36.

In the field events sophomores David Beadle (Jamaica) and Mason Harmes (Borden, Ind.) just missed scoring, but still placed well against a tough field.

Beadle took home ninth place in the discus with a final throw of 43.96 meters, while Harmes placed 11th in the discus and 10th in the hammer with a throw of 41.92 meters in the discus and 42.37 meters in the hammer.

The No. 20 VU men's team placed eighth out of 10 teams competing, after compiling 48 total points. The Trailblazers placed ahead of NCAA Division I schools Evansville and Butler.

"Another tough weekend for the throwers," VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. "Saturday, they threw in very cold and windy conditions. Giorgia and Olegs still managed respectable throws in the javelin to finish fourth. Which is still good because ISU always has a group of very good throwers. On Sunday, the sun came out and we finally got to compete in some decent conditions."

"Ian and Ernest both ran near the front of their heats in the 1500 and came away with PRs," VU Assistant Track and Field Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "They looked good, coming off their 10k last week. After having a great performance last week, Griffin ran another PR by five seconds. Isaac ran a smart, tactical race in the 800 and came away with the win. Holding off the field with a strong finish in the final 100 meters."

"Trent had a good day, also placing in the same race," Steigenga added. "In the steeple, Mathew had a good opener as we took care of the National Qualifier."

"Desroy had a very good day running third with a PR of 21.35 against a fast field of sprinters," Rogier added. "That would have been a National Qualifier, except the wind was just over the limit allowed. That ranks as sixth fastest in VU history. He came back to le off the 4x400 relay with a fast 47 second leg. He is very talented and can run everything from 200 to 800 meters."

"Olegs, a decathlete, backed up his fourth place finish in the javelin with a win in the pole vault," Rogier said. "Olegs had a PR of 4.62 meters, which has him sixth in the country in an event that he has been doing for three months. I believe there might be some big jumps in his future."

"David Beadle had a PR in the discus, throwing 43.96 to finish ninth," Rogier added. "We switched Haley to the 400 where she ran a 64.51 to finish ninth. I believe she will bring that time down during the next few weeks as she learns to run the race."

The No. 22-ranked VU women's team also scored well against a loaded field, led by sophomore Giorgia Fino (Francavilla Fontana, Italy) who placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 36.40 meters.

Sophomore Brittany Page (Freelandville, Ind.) placed eighth in the 800 meters, giving Vincennes three top-eight finishers in the 800 meters combined between the men's and women's teams. Page finished with a time of 2:33.97.

Freshman Haley Kohlhouse (Bruceville, Ind.) placed ninth in the 400 meters with a final time of 1:04.51 and freshman Natalie Wagler (Montgomery, Ind.) rounds out the VU top-10 finishers by taking home ninth in the discus with a throw of 19.83 meters.

The VU women's team placed ninth out of 11 teams, placing ahead of NCAA Division I teams Evansville and IUPUI.

The Trailblazers will have two weeks to prepare for their next meet when VU returns to Indiana State University to take part in the three-day ISU Gibson Invite hosted in Terre Haute, Ind.

This meet is set to begin on Thursday, April 13 and run through Saturday, April 15.

MEN'S RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

VINCENNES – 8, 48 points

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

200m

Desroy Jordan – 3, 21.35

800m

Isaac Stanford – 1, 1:55.24

Trent Faulkner – 7, 1:58.47

1500m

Ian Boit – 8, 4:11.36

3000m Steeplechase

Mathew Keitany – 2, 9:37.62

4x400 Relay

VU (A) (Emmanuel, Lyons, Stanford, Jordan) – 3, 3:22.65

VU (B) (Faulkner, Gray, Momodu, Worzella) – 6, 3:49.17

Pole Vault

Olegs Kozjakovs – 1, 4.62m

Discus

David Beadle – 9, 43.96m

Mason Harmes – 11, 41.92m

Hammer

Mason Harmes – 10, 42.37m

Javelin

Olegs Kozjakovs – 5, 44.02m

WOMEN'S RESULTS

VINCENNES – 9, 6 points

400m

Haley Kohlhouse – 9, 1:04.51

800m

Brittany Page – 8, 2:33.97

Discus

Natalie Wagler – 9, 19.83m

Javelin

Giorgia Fino – 4, 36.40m