Vincennes Track and Field continues to add qualifiers after split meet weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. and Marion, Ind. – The Vincennes University Indoor Men's and Women's Track and Field teams decided to adopt a strategy of divide and conquer this past weekend, with men's sprinters and field athletes heading to Louisville for the PNC Bellarmine Classic Friday and men's and women's distance runners taking part in the Indiana Wesleyan University Midwest Classic in Marion on Saturday.

The Trailblazers added more National qualifiers over the weekend and look to be really close to adding a few more as the Indoor season continues.

Friday, members of the VU men's team headed back to Louisville, Ky. to take part in the PNC Bellarmine Classic and once again found some very tough competition, competing against 16 NCAA Division I programs.

The Trailblazers were led by an outstanding day by sophomore Olegs Kozjakovs, who placed sixth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.75 meters, surpassing the NJCAA National qualifying standard.

Sophomore Cohen Gallant and freshman Olamipo Ladipo took part in the 60 meter dash, with Gallant placing 16th with a time of 7.06 seconds and Ladipo right behind him in 17th at 7.08 seconds.

Gallant would then compete in the 200 meter race, finishing 46th with a time of 23.51 seconds, while Ladipo placed 22nd in the 400 meters with a time of 50.67 seconds.

Sophomore Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) led a number of VU runners in the 800 meter race, placing 39th overall with a time of 2:03.97

Gray was joined by freshmen Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) and Alex Kwizera (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the 800 meters, with Whitehead placing 48th at 2:10.28 and Kwizera placing 54th at 2:16.99.

In the men's throwing events, freshman Jacob Wickman placed 21st in the shot put with a throw of 12.46 meters and 28th in the weight throw with a toss of 11.62 meters.

Sophomore Jacob Smith rounded out the day in Louisville by placing 29th in the weight throw with a longest throw of 10.41 meters.

"We missed the boat quite literally for this meet," VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. "We completely just looked flat all day. The one bright spot, as is normally the case, was Olegs. As a decathlete competing against some very good pole vaulters, he finished sixth. His 4.75 meters vault has him ranked as the top vaulter in the NJCAA this season. Along with his top ranking in the Heptathlon, he has set himself apart as possibly one of the best athletes in the program's history."

The weekend focus then shifted to some of the Trailblazers distance runners who headed to Indiana Wesleyan University Saturday for the IWU Midwest Classic.

The teams were led by sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) who placed seventh in the 1000 meters, posting a National qualifying time of 2:32.83.

The VU women's distance runners were led by freshman Emilly Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who also punched her ticket to Indoor Nationals with a time of 3:10.92 in the women's 1000 meters, placing ninth overall.

Freshmen Brahym Sakka (Tunisia), Bryaun Manuel (East St. Louis, Ill.), Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.), Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) and Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) also competed in the men's 1000 meter race with Stanford.

Sakka placed 13th overall with a time of 2:40.17, while Manuel ended at 2:42.17 in 16th, Hostetler took home 19th at 2:44.89, Spence placed 24th at 2:48.83 and Noel placed 25th at 2:48.88.

Hostetler and Noel also later competed in the men's mile race with Hostetler placing 27th at 4:37.86 and Noel ending at 4:38.74 and placing 28th.

Freshman Zion Pruitt competed in the 200 meter sprint, placing 11th overall with a time of 23.09.

The Vincennes Distance Medley Relay team of Spence, Pruitt, Manuel and Sakka then took to the track, finishing fifth overall with a time of 10:38.11.

For the women's team, Barbosa was joined by freshmen Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.), Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) and Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) in the 1000 meter race.

Self placed 20th with a time of 3:29.87, Fuller ended with a time of 3:32.51 and placed 21st and Haynes ended with a time of 3:47.03 in 29th place.

The four then combined in the Distance Medley Relay to place third on the day, with a final time of 13:25.46.

"A mostly distance runner squad headed up to Indiana Wesleyan with the goal of qualifying for Nationals in both the men's and women's 1000 meters and DMR," VU Assistant Track and Field Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "The women finished 10 seconds off the standard, while the men were 3.5 seconds off. Emily and Isaac both got their first qualifier of the season after missing the last two meets due to illness."

The Trailblazers Track and Field teams will look to continue to add National qualifiers when VU heads into another big weekend Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 when Vincennes heads to Allendale, Mich. to take part in the 2023 Grand Valley State University Big Meet.

This is VU's penultimate meet of the Indoor regular season with the 2024 VU Indoor Track regular season concluding Saturday, Feb. 17 when VU takes part in the Indiana State Open hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

"We only have two more meets to get the qualifying standards," Steigenga added. "But we are in a good spot with everyone finally back to racing that has been sick over the past two weeks."

VINCENNES RESULTS

PNC BELLARMINE CLASSIC RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

60 meters

Cohen Gallant – 16, 7.06

Olamipo Ladipo – 17, 7.08

200 meters

Cohen Gallant – 46, 23.51

400 meters

Olamipo Ladipo – 22, 50.67

800 meters

Matthew Gray – 39, 2:03.97

Nathan Whitehead – 48, 2:10.28

Alex Kwizera – 54, 2:16.99

Pole Vault

Olegs Kozjakovs – 6, 4.75m

Shot Put

Jacob Wickman – 21, 12.46m

Weight Throw

Jacob Wickman – 28, 11.62m

Jacob Smith – 29, 10.41m

IWU MIDWEST CLASSIC RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

200 meters

Zion Pruitt – 11, 23.09

1000 meters

Isaac Stanford – 7, 2:32.83

Brahym Sakka – 13, 2:40.17

Bryaun Manuel – 16, 2:42.17

Caden Hostetler – 19, 2:44.89

Tanner Spence – 24, 2:48.83

Cody Noel – 25, 2:48.88

Mile

Caden Hostetler – 27, 4:37.86

Cody Noel – 28, 4:38.74

DMR

VU (Spence, Pruitt, Manuel, Sakka) – 5, 10:38.11

WOMEN'S RESULTS

Emilly Barbosa – 9, 3:10.92

Jasmyn Self – 20, 3:29.87

Adi Fuller – 21, 3:32.51

Grayson Haynes – 29, 3:47.03

DMR

VU (Barbosa, Haynes, Self, Fuller) – 3, 13:25.46