EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville track and field team will return to action on Saturday, as the Purple Aces will travel north to Terre Haute to take part in the Indiana State Open.  The meet will begin at 11 a.m. central time with the field events, with action on the track beginning at 11:40 a.m.

Saturday's meet will be the final tune-up for UE before the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships next weekend.  The meet will feature competitors from UE, Indiana State, Southern Indiana, Webster, Rose-Hulman and Vincennes University.

UE last competed as a full squad on February 3 as part of the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.  Four Purple Aces also took part in last Friday's Hoosier Hills Invitational hosted by Indiana University, where senior throwers Zach Dove and Jaden Hayes both posted indoor personal-best marks, and sophomore Adam Oulgout posted one of the fastest indoor mile times on record at UE.

From a track perspective, Oulgout has been one of UE's biggest stories this season on the men's side, as he has closed to within just seven seconds of David Denny's school record in the indoor mile, and broke the school record in the 1,000-meter race earlier this year.  Dove has consistently finished inside the top 10 in the throwing events this year for UE, while Hayes has emerged in his first season of collegiate competition, posting personal-best marks in back-to-back meets in the shot put.

On the women's side, graduate student Melanie Helder has been rounding into form in February, after being slowed by injury at the start of the indoor season.  Helder advanced to the NCAA Regional Meet in outdoor track last season at Michigan State.  Fellow graduate student Antonia Lamond has been a steady force for UE in the women's throwing events, breaking the school record in both the shot put and weight throw already this year.