BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Evansville track and field team earned its first podium finish along with four more program records on the first day of the Indiana Invitational.

Sprinter Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) placed second with a program record of 21.89 in the 200-meters race for the Purple Aces only podium finish of the day. UE had five other Top 10 finishes including another from Felton III in the 60-meter dash at 7.01 seconds. Two of Evansville's Top 10 finishes included new program records in both the men's and women's 600-meter race from the Aces Polish mid-distance runners Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) at 1:23.49 and Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) at 1:36.95.

UE's other program record was broken in a field event by sophomore thrower Gwen Darrah (Cleveland, Ohio / Orange HS). Darrah threw a PR 13.50 meters in the women's weight throw to break the 2023 records by just under a quarter of a meter. Darrah was the only thrower on the women's side on Friday for Evansville while Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) and Jaden Hayes (Huningtonburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) competed in the weight throw on the men's side. Hayes threw a PR of 16.71-meters to place 10th and Dove threw 16.06-meters to finish just behind in 11th.

Most of the Aces competition on Friday came on the track with multiple runners in the men's 200-meters, both 600-meters, and both mile races. Along with Felton III podium finish in the 200-meters, Bloomington native Connor Shin (Bloomington South HS) placed 17th at 22.96 seconds while also competing in the 60-meter dash at 7.29 seconds. UE had two runners in both 600-meter races with Urbaniak and Nowicki's record finishes along with Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway) in 10th with a time of 1:40.37 and Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italiy) in 13th with a time of 1:26.01. 

Three runners competed in the men's and women's mile race for Evansville as Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria) had the best finish at sixth with a time of 5:00.03. Prauchner was followed on the women's side by Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada) in 12th with a time of 5:11.06 and Kyndall Anthis (Pakota, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) in 24th with a time of 5:46.08. On the men's side, Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain) had the best mile finish at 17th with a time of 4:19.44. Also finishing were Owen Cuplin (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire HS) with a PR of 4:29.42 and Alvaro Monfort (Castile Y Leon, Spain) with a time of 4:36.01. 

The Aces have one more day of the Indiana Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 20. Events for UE begin at 9:45 a.m. with the women's shot put.