Trailblazer Track and Field shines at NJCAA Outdoor Nationals

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track team had several athletes compete at the 2022 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Nationals hosted by Hutchinson Community College.

The three-day event began on Thursday, with many Trailblazers active, led by the Women's 4x800 meter relay team of freshmen Brittany Page (Bicknell, Ind.) and Hope Laughlin (Olney, Ill.) and sophomores Chloe Knepp (Montgomery, Ind.) and Kyra Young (South Bend, Ind.) finished 12th with a finishing time of 10:46.54.

Kyra Young then competed in the 1500 meter on her own, finishing 13th place, one spot short of running in the finals, with a final time of 5:15.01.

The Men's 4x800 team of sophomores Trenton Faulkner (Vincennes, Ind.) and Manamanya Opiew (Indianapolis, Ind.) and freshmen Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Mathew Keitany (Kenya) placed 13th, crossing the line at 7:54.22.

Sophomore Kyle Stewart (Evansville, Ind.) got the opening day started in the long jump pit, ending with a jump of 7.14 meters, good for 14th place.

The 4x100 meter relay team of freshmen Jalen Bowman (Evansville, Ind.) and Collin Sutton (New Albany, Ind.) and sophomores Damien Ross (East St. Louis, Ill.) and Kyle Stewart placed 19th with a run of 42.17 seconds.

The day was capped off with the first half of the Decathlon events with VU freshman Nicholas Stanislaus (Grenada) having an impressive first day, ending with 3242 points and holding the 10th spot on the leaderboard after the first five events.

"Kyle got things started with a 14th place finish in the long jump," VU Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. "He again jumped over seven meters hitting 7.14. It took 7.32 to place, but it was a very deep and talented field of jumpers."

"Nicholas had a good first day in the Decathlon, sitting in 10th place with some of his better events set for day two," Rogier added. "He finished with 11.69 seconds in the 100 meter, 6.65 meters in the long jump, 11.05 meters in the shot put, 1.7 meters in the high jump and 52.48 seconds in the 400 meters."

"The Men's 4x800 team improved on their season best and ran the third fastest time in program history to place 13th," VU Assistant Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "Manny did a great job of anchoring the relay with a 1:56.1 split in one of his last races at VU. This group have been real work horses all year and have really been the backbone of this team."

"Kyra did well in a very slow, tactical race and ran down two girls in her heat," Steigenga added. "But she didn't have enough to get past one more, which would have qualified her for the final. She finished 13th and it was frustrating to be so close, but I am proud of the way she fought in her last race in a VU singlet."

"The women also ran the 4x800 Thursday but might have been a little affected by the heat and ran off their normal times," Rogier added. "But these girls, Kyra, Brittany, Hope and Chloe, worked hard all year and I am very proud of them."

"The men's 4x100 relay also ran Thursday but failed to make the finals," Rogier said. "The team of Jalen, Collin, Damien and Kyle ran very well but just missed on an exchange and ran just off their season best time."

The number of events slowed for the Trailblazers on the second day on Friday, with Stanislaus finishing the final five events of the Decathlon with 5771 points and an 11th place finish.

Freshman Mathew Keitany was the highest VU finisher of the weekend, placing fourth in the men's 3000 meter Steeplechase with a time of 9:23.14.

The Men's 4x400 meter relay team of Yamar Lyons (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Collin Sutton, Manamanya Opiew and Jalen Bowman placed 17th with a final time of 3:19.47.

Brittany Page also got her chance to run on the second day of competition, placing 21st in the 800 meter race with a final time of 2:32.46.

"Day two was another overall good day," Rogier added. "Nicholas completed the Decathlon in 11th place. He had a good start with a PR in the 110 hurdles and a big PR in the pole vault with a jump of 4.30 meters. But the throws did not go as planned and he lost ground in the scoring. I am very excited for where he could be next season. We only decided to move to the multi-events after the Indoor Season, so he had very little time to prepare for such a demanding event."

"Mathew executed his race very well," Steigenga added. "He came into Nationals ranked seventh, but the goal was to finish fourth and he did that. Mathew held his position most of the race and had a great kick in the final straightaway to hold off two charging runners to solidify his position. It was a fantastic way to cap off the season."

"The Men's 4x400 team ran their best time of the season," Rogier said. "I knew they were up against a very fast field but I was hoping we could put down a good time so I was very happy for the guys. Collin and Jalen both split 48 seconds, which is very fast and a great way to end the season."

The VU Track and Field teams closed out the third and final day of the National Championship meet with a pair of field events.

Sophomore thrower Mason Harmes (Borden, Ind.) placed 12th in the men's discus with a longest throw of 44.99 meters.

Freshman Giorgia Fino (Italy) finished out Saturday with the women's Javelin throw. Fino's throw of 35.08 meters was good for a 13th place finish.

"We did not have a lot on the third day," Rogier said. "Giorgia finished 13th after being seeded fifth, which was a little disappointing. I believe her warmup throws would have got her in the top three but she just didn't get it when she needed it."

"Mason had a big PR, throwing 44.99 in the discus to finish 12th which was a great effort," Rogier added. "I am really looking forward to what he might do next season."

VINCENNES RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

3000m Steeplechase

Mathew Keitany – 4, 9:23.14.

4x100 Relay

(Bowman, Sutton, Ross, Stewart) – 19, 42.17.

4x400 Relay

(Lyons, Sutton, Opiew, Bowman) – 17, 3:19.47.

4x800 Relay

(Faulkner, Momodu, Keitany, Opiew) – 13, 7:54.22.

Long Jump

Kyle Stewart – 14, 7.14m.

Discus

Mason Harmes – 12, 44.99m.

Decathlon

Nicholas Stanislaus – 11, 5771 points.

WOMEN'S RESULTS

800m

Brittany Page – 21, 2:32.46.

1500m

Kyra Young – 13, 5:15.01.

4x800 Relay

(Page, Knepp, Laughlin, Young) – 12, 10:46.54.

Javelin

Giorgia Fino – 13, 35.08m.