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Vincennes University

Early National Qualifiers Highlight Trailblazers’ Indoor Opener

Early National Qualifiers Highlight Trailblazers’ Indoor Opener
Results
January 16, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field teams opened the 2026 indoor season Friday at the Bellarmine Open at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville, Kentucky, competing against a field made up largely of NCAA Division I programs. The season-opening meet produced four nationally qualifying marks and nine top-10 NJCAA performances, setting an early tone for the Trailblazers across event groups.

The men were led by freshman Iheb Slimani, who won the mile with a time of 4:13.43, an early-season national qualifying performance. First-year Head Coach Michael Mangan emphasized the broader importance of the result. "Iheb's performance in the mile was exciting to see and confirms that we have a second elite male distance runner within our program," Mangan said.

In the men's 3,000 meters, freshman Anis Abdaoui finished second overall with a national qualifying time of 6:14.54. Freshman Evan Dailey also placed in the top half of the field, recording a personal-best performance (6:58.24) in the same event.

The men's sprint group was highlighted by sophomore Devin Wilson, who finished 7th in the 60 meters (6.97) and 5th in the 200 meters (22.23). "Devin's hard work this fall and his willingness to willingness to fully embrace a new training philosophy reaped benefits with his outstanding performance," Mangan stated.

On the women's side, freshman Ikram Dorai delivered one of the top distance performances of the meet, finishing second overall in the 3,000 meters with a national qualifying time of 10:07.73. Freshman Alexis Hale also placed in the top half of the field, finishing 16th with a personal-best effort (8:11.32), while freshman Sara Belgacem recorded a top-half finish in the 800 meters, placing 4th with a time of 1:45.02.

In the hurdles and sprints, freshman Brielle Seiler finished in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 10.13, and followed with a 9th-place finish in the 200 meters at 26.76.

The field events produced additional highlights. Freshman Kapri Granger finishing with an eighth place finish in pole vault with a national qualifying standard of 3.03m. Freshman McKenna Poyser also recorded a top NJCAA performance in the pole vault, clearing a height of 2.93m that placed her among the meet's top finishers. Mangan praised her competitive approach, saying, "I was extremely impressed with McKenna's willingness to open the competition a full foot above her previous personal best. That level of trust in Coach Herb (VU Assistant Coach-Pole Vault) will pay immediate dividends."

Freshman Greer Hardin also turned in a strong showing in the high jump, clearing 1.55 meters to finish 5th overall, narrowly missing the national qualifying standard.

Mangan also pointed to the overall environment surrounding the opener as a positive indicator moving forward. "With this being my first meet as a coach at Vincennes, I was extremely impressed with the camaraderie and support displayed by the team," he said.

The Trailblazers return to action on January 23 at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic, again hosted by Bellarmine University at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Join the Journey

As always, fans can keep up with the Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field squads all year long through a number of ways: