VU Track and Field close out 2025 Indoor regular season at John Gartland Invitational

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field teams put the finishing touches on the 2025 Indoor regular season Saturday at the 2025 John Gartland Invitational hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

The VU Men's Track team was highlighted by sophomore Malik Ferdinand (Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) who finished second overall in the 400 meter dash against another stacked field against NCAA Division I runners, with a time of 50.63 seconds.

Sophomore Zion Pruitt (Avon, Ind.) joined Ferdinand in the top five in the 400 meters with a final time of 51.42 seconds.

Sophomore Maliek Bush (Jeffersonville, Ind.) had another busy day, competing in multiple events, including placing fourth in the 60 meter sprint with a time of 7.11 seconds.

Bush also took part in a couple of field events, taking fifth overall in the long jump at 6.75 meters and 20th overall in the shot put with a best throw of 11.72 meters.

Freshman ArTezz Butler-Sanders (Indianapolis, Ind.) joined Bush in the 60 meter sprints, placing 25th on the day with a time of 7.44 seconds.

Butler-Sanders then came back and placed 14th overall in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.79 seconds.

Freshman Karmiel Williams (Jasper, Ind.) placed 11th in the 200 meters at 23.50 seconds, fellow freshmen Devin Wilson (Indianapolis, Ind.) took 20th at 24.97 seconds and Aaden Mapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) took 21st at 25.30 seconds.

Mapp returned to the track to compete in the 4x400 relay with teammates freshmen Hayden Kler (Hillsboro, Ind.), Marshawn Bradley (Dyer, Ind.) and sophomore Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) who took home sixth place overall with a time of 4:01.31.

The Trailblazers relay team of freshmen Isaiah Ervin (French Lick, Ind.), Kelvin Kipsang (Kapsabet, Kenya), Dakoda Greci (Danville, Ind.) and Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) had a great race to place third overall with a final time of 3:33.22.

Anis Abdaoui took home another third place finish on the day when he ran in the 1000 meter race with a time of 2:28.52, while Whitehead and Kler took part in the mile race with Whitehead placing 13th at 4:47.11 and Kler taking 14th overall at 5:02.72.

Sophomore Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) paced the Trailblazers in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.95 to take ninth overall, just ahead of teammates Kelvin Kipsang at 2:02.72 and Dakoda Greci at 2:08.84 for 12th and 16th place respectively.

The VU Track results Saturday were rounded out by sophomore Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.), Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) and freshmen Lane Connaway (Carmi, Ill.) and Jeremy Mendez (Velpen, Ind.) in the 3000 meters.

Hostetler placed 12th on the day with a time of 9:01.34, just ahead of Noel at 9:01.84 in 13th. Connaway took 20th overall at 9:25.64 and Mendez placed 21st overall at 9:26.08.

The Vincennes Men's Field event results were led by freshman Chase Guthrie (Indianapolis, Ind.) who placed third in the long jump at 6.80 meters.

Freshman Tremayne Brown (Anderson, Ind.) placed fourth overall in the high jump at 1.99 meters and freshman Cayden Gasser (Delphi, Ind.) placed 22nd overall in the shot put with a throw of 11.41 meters.

The Trailblazer men's team placed fourth on the day as a team, only trailing the three NCAA Division I teams in the field, Indiana State University, St. Louis University and the University of Evansville.

"Chase was one of the highlights in the field events," VU Interim Track and Field Head Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "He had his best jump of the year, just short of his PR. Maliek also had a solid outing, just off his season best. Maliek had a PR by over two feet in the shot put, which will help him a lot going into the Heptathlon at Nationals."

"In the running events, Anis had the first National qualifying mark of the meet in the 1000," Steigenga added. "He finished just behind the school record set last year. In the 400, Malik ran the distance for the first time indoors. Zion finished right behind him with a new indoor PR by almost a second."

"In the men's 800 Tanner ran his best race of the season and got the men qualified in the 4x800 for Nationals," Steigenga said. "In the 3000 meters, Caden and Cody ran new PRs of 9:01. Cody won his heat with a quick last 200 meters."

The VU Women's track results Saturday were led by freshman Alexis Hale (Evansville, Ind.) who placed fifth on the day in the 3000 meter race with a time of 11:21.24.

Freshman Allie Black (Lynn, Ind.) joined Hale in the 3000 meters and took home 11th overall with a time of 13:06.46.

Freshman Sara Belgacem (Tunis, Tunisia) placed fourth in the 800 meter dash with a time of 2:20.50, just ahead of sophomore Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) who took ninth at 2:30.21.

Sophomore Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) took eighth in the mile run at 5:26.32, while freshman Milaja Vaughn placed 13th in the 60 meter sprint at 8.20 seconds.

Freshman Zoe Allen (Anderson, Ind.) placed 14th overall in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.83 seconds, before joining Belgacem, Fuller and Self in the 4x400 relay to take third overall with a final time of 4:21.62.

The VU Women's field results were once again led by sophomore and two-time defending NJCAA National Champion Sophia Salvi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who placed third in the pole vault after clearing a height of 3.83 meters.

The Vincennes results on the day were rounded out by freshmen Tamia Taylor (Vincennes, Ind.) and Braylee McKinnon (Linton, Ind.) in the shot put.

Taylor placed 21st overall with a best throw of 8.38 meters and McKinnon checked in a 24th overall with a throw of 7.52 meters.

The Vincennes Women's Track team placed seventh overall as a team on the day, just ahead of NCAA Division I team University of Evansville.

"In the women's shot put, Tamia threw three throws further than her previous best," Steigenga said. "In the running events, Adi got things started with a two second PR. Her time of 5:26.32 moved her up to eighth in school history."

"The 800 started off strong with Sara running her first individual NJCAA National meet qualifier with a 2:20.50, which also ranks her third overall in school history. Jasmyn followed Sara's run wih a PR of her own by almost one second."

The Vincennes University Track and Field teams will now look to fine tune their skills, rest and recover to make sure the Trailblazers are 100 percent when VU heads to the 2025 NJCAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field National Championships.

The two-day Championship event will take place Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at The Sports Performance Center on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex.

"Today was a good day," Steigenga said. "We added three new qualifiers and are right where we want to be heading into Nationals in two weeks."

VINCENNES RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

VINCENNES – 4th, 47 points

60m

Maliek Bush – 4, 7.11

ArTezz Butler-Sanders – 25, 7.44

200m

Karmiel Williams – 11, 23.50

ArTezz Butler-Sanders – 14, 23.79

Devin Wilson – 20, 24.97

Aaden Mapp – 21, 25.30

400m

Malik Ferdinand – 2, 50.63

Zion Pruitt – 4, 51.42

800m

Tanner Spence – 9, 2:01.95

Kelvin Kipsang – 12, 2:02.72

Dakoda Greci – 16, 2:08.84

1000m

Anis Abdaoui – 3, 2:28.52

Mile

Nathan Whitehead – 13, 4:47.11

Hayden Kler – 14, 5:02.72

3000m

Caden Hostetler – 12, 9:01.34

Cody Noel – 13, 9:01.84

Lane Connaway – 20, 9:25.64

Jeremy Mendez – 21, 9:26.08

4x400 Relay

Ervin, Kipsang, Greci, Abdaoui – 3, 3:33.22

Mapp, Kler, Whitehead, Bradley – 6, 4:01.31

High Jump

Tremayne Brown – 4, 1.99m

Long Jump

Chase Guthrie – 3, 6.80m

Maliek Bush – 5, 6.75m

Shot Put

Maliek Bush – 20, 11.72m

Cayden Gasser – 22, 11.41m

WOMEN'S RESULTS

VINCENNES – 7th, 26 points

60m

Milaja Vaughn – 13, 8.20

800m

Sara Belgacem – 4, 2:20.50

Jasmyn Self – 9, 2:30.21

Mile

Adi Fuller – 8, 5:26.32

3000m

Alexis Hale – 5, 11:21.24

Allie Black – 11, 13:06.46

60m Hurdles

Zoe Allen – 14, 9.83

4x400 Relay

Belgacem, Fuller, Self, Allen – 3, 4:21.62

Pole Vault

Sophia Salvi – 3, 3.83m

Shot Put

Tamia Taylor – 21, 8.38m

Braylee McKinnon – 24, 7.52m