Day One Results (M/W)
CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Evansville track and field team set four school records and 16 personal-best marks on Sunday in the first day of action at the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships at Gately Park Track & Field Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Senior Skylar Tucker (Linton, Ind./Linton-Stockton) pulled off a rare double to lead the way for UE, as she tied the indoor school record in the long jump with a leap of 5.15 meters, while also setting a new school mark in the 200-meters at 26.86 on Sunday. Fellow senior Taiza Alexander (Berea, Ky./Berea Community) also lowered her own school record in the 60-meter dash to 8.00, while junior Giovanni Purser (Port Maria, Jamaica) broke the men's 200-meter record with a time of 22.67.
"I am really proud of the job the team did today," said UE track and field head coach Don Walters. "Our focus was to try and set PRs today, and we were able to achieve that goal with 16 different PRs. Up and down the roster, we had people step up and give it their all, and I am proud of the effort today.
"We have the opportunity tomorrow to set some more PRs, and I am looking for the team to keep that same mentality tomorrow."
Senior Trey Riggs (Ft. Branch, Ind./Gibson Southern) did not set a PR, but he did advance to the event finals in the 60-meter hurdles with a qualifying time of 8.31. He will enter Monday's finals ranked sixth in the event, just 0.22 behind the top qualifier from Sunday's preliminary round.
The UE men set nine PRs, including two of the fastest runs in program history in both the 400- and 800-meter races. Junior Steven Burkhart (South Knox HS) ran the fastest indoor 400-meter time on record at UE since 1977 with a personal-best mark of 50.70. Freshman Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn./Central) also ran the fastest 800-meter time on record at UE since 1983 with a time of 1:57.45.
Senior Carson Kline (Terre Haute, Ind./South) turned in his fastest 800-meter time as a Purple Ace (2:03.06), while fellow senior Joey Rucinski (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) ran his fastest 60-meter time (7.67) as part of the heptathlon. Senior thrower Andrew Schuler (Ferdinand, Ind./Forest Park) also set a new PR in the weight throw (14.14 meters). Junior Jackson Maurer (Evansville, Ind./Gibson Southern) and sophomore Geordan Blades (Avon, Ind./Avon) set indoor PR marks in the 400 (54.24) and 200-meters (22.96), respectively.
In addition to the three school records set by Alexander and Tucker, the UE women set four additional PR marks. Senior Haley Dean (Lacombe, La./Lakeshore) posted the third-fastest indoor 400-meter time by athlete at UE with a time of 1:01.76, while junior Claire Griffy set a new personal standard in the 800-meters. Freshman Kara Yunker (Evansville, Ind./North) also set new personal-best marks in both the 60 (8.41) and 200-meter (28.56) events.
The 2022 MVC Indoor Championships will continue on Monday, with competition set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday's action can be seen on ESPN3, with the broadcast coverage beginning at 11:15 central.
