Full Meet Results (M/W)
CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Evansville track and field team broke another school record and set four more personal records on Monday at the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships at Gately Park Track & Field Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Senior Joey Rucinski (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) broke Evansville's scoring record in the heptathlon with a total of 4,377 points to place eighth overall. Rucinski set personal-best marks in both the 60-meter hurdles (9.34) and the 1,000-meter race (2:47.71) of the heptathlon on the afternoon. Rucinski blew away the field by over 13 seconds in the 1,000-meters, while also placing fourth in the pole vault event on Monday to record the points necessary to break the UE record.
Freshman Denzel Lasam (St. Louis, Mo./De Smet Jesuit) also set a personal-best mark in the triple jump, as he recorded a mark of 13.31 meters. The four PR marks on the day capped a Valley Championship performance by Evansville in which UE set five total school records and 20 personal-best marks.
"I could not be prouder of how hard the team competed this weekend," said UE track and field head coach Don Walters. "Up and down the roster, we had people set PRs, which was our focus going into the meet.
"But, the thing that I was even more proud about was the togetherness and the fight that we showed for each other during the meet. In every event, we had teammates really cheering on other teammates, and it helped produce the results that we did this weekend.
"Now, we move on to the outdoor season, and I am really looking forward to the results that we will be able to produce outdoors."
Senior Trey Riggs (Ft. Branch, Ind./Gibson Southern) posted an eighth place finish in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.36 seconds. Evansville also placed eighth overall in both the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay events.
Overall, Evansville finished ninth as a team on both the men's and women's sides. The Purple Aces will now take two weeks off before heading outdoors to compete in the Blizzard Buster Meet at Miami University of Ohio on Friday, March 18.
