INDIANAPOLIS -- In the first indoor meet of the 2024-25 season the University of Evansville track and field team had multiple Top Three finishes and new program records.

Three Purple Aces set new indoor program records while a variety of athletes earned podium finishes at the Scott Fangman Invitational hosted by the University of Indianapolis. All three records set on Saturday by UE came on the women's side as junior hurdler Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) and junior thrower Gwen Darrah (Cleveland / Orange HS) reset their 2024 season records. While freshman thrower Emma Bertel (Franklin, Ind. / Franklin Community HS) broke Evansville's 2023 women's shot put record in her first collegiate meet. 

SPRINTS & HURDLES:
The Aces began their day with the women's 60-meter hurdles where Walke ran a program best 9.30 in the preliminary round. Walke placed second in the finals of the event with a time of 9.36 for UE's first podium finish of the day. On the men's side sophomore Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) placed third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.98. It was the first of three podium finishes for Felton as he took first in the 200-meters with a time of 22.21 and was part of Evansville's winning 4x400 relay team. 

Freshman sprinter Myles Terry (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) also grabbed a podium spot in the 200-meter race placing right behind Felton with a time of 22.63. The Aces women's sprinters also had a strong first meet as sophomore Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) placed second in the 400-meter race with a time of 59.34. 

MID-DISTANCE & DISTANCE:
Coming off the end of cross country season UE's mid-distance and distance runners showed out in the Circle City. In the mile races Evansville took the top three spots on the men's side and second on the women's side. While the Aces women had a runner place first in the 800-meter and 3000-meter races. UE also took the top two spots in the men's 3000-meter race.

During the mile senior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) ran a PR 4:21.25 for first and was followed by sophomores Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) and Owen Cuplin (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire HS) in second and third. In the men's 3000-meter sophomore Tomasso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) pulled just ahead of sophomore Woody Burrell (Ceaderburg, Wis. / Ceaderburg HS) for first with a time of 8:58.15. Four of the five podium finishes for Evansville on the men's side in the mid-distance and distance races were personal records.

In the women's 800-meter race sophomore Chase Hayes (Noblesville, Ind. / Western HS) took first with a PR of 2:33.44. She was closely followed by senior Hannah Bryan (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) in second with a time of 2:38.12. Also placing second for the Aces women was freshman Rebekah Sachs in the mile with a time of 6:18.10. UE's distance runners had one more first place finish as sophomore Avery Stephens (Newburg, Ind. / Castle HS) had a PR of 10:45.00 in the 3000-meter race. Evansville had three others finish in the top 10 of the 3000-meter in freshmen Lauren Bradley (Russiaville, Ind. / Western HS) and Skyler Dickenson (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg HS) and sophomore Kyndall Anthis (Patoka, Ind. / Princeton Community HS). 

JUMPS:
The Aces had their first high jump entry in three seasons as freshman Samuel Mubiamunda (Hurst, Texas / L.D. Bell HS) earned a podium finish in his first collegiate meet. Mubiamunda came just five centimeters shy of a first place finish as he recorded a 1.88 meter clear on Saturday. His first result with UE was Evansville's best high jump mark since 1977 when Ken Rirordan cleared 1.98 meters. 

THROWS:
Two program records fell in the Aces first throws performance of the 2024-25 indoor season. Darrah threw a PR 14.62 meters in the women's weight throw to reset her program record from last season. While Bertel was UE's only thrower to make the final flight in the women's shot put with a program record of 11.62 meters. Evansville's male throwers on Saturday were all freshman competing in their first collegiate meets as Beau Baldwin (Mt. Vernon HS) set a PR in both the weight throw and the shot put while Jack Hawkins set a PR in the shot put at 10.60 meters. 

UP NEXT:
The Aces will compete in one more meet in the 2024 calendar year on Friday. UE will participate in the Indiana Early Bird meet on Friday, December 13th. The meet will begin at 2 p.m. CT with the men's and women's weight throws.