Men's Cross Country

• Men's Cross Country
• November 10, 2024

RICHMOND, Va. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams had a great day Saturday afternoon at the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championships hosted at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Va. Both of the VU men’s and women’s teams finished higher than their National ranking heading into the Championship race with the VU men’s team finishing 14th overall and the Vincennes women’s team placing 19th overall. The day began with the women’s 5k race where the Trailblazers were once again led by freshman Sarra Belgacem (Tunis, Tunisia) who placed 64th overall with a final time of 19:27.7.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 30, 2024

NORMAL, Ill. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams successfully defended their Region 24 crowns last week at the 2024 NJCAA Region 24 Championships at Maxwell Park in Normal, Ill. The Trailblazers were competing as the only NJCAA Division I team at the Championships but were boosted by freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) who paced the field in the Men’s 8K race with a final time of 25:52 to claim the men’s individual Region Championship. “The Regional meet is always very different from the other races during the season,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “It was a much smaller field than we are used to and this year it was only six days after our last meet. With the short turnaround and our goal being to be at our best for the National meet, our top five guys played things a little more conservative today. They were instructed to go out easy and keep things very relaxed through the first three miles and then speed up the last two if they were feeling good or maintain their pace into the finish.”

• Men's Cross Country
• October 18, 2024

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams closed out the 2024 regular season Friday morning at the 2024 Angel Mounds Invitational hosted by the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. The Trailblazers ended the regular season on a high note in a large field of four-year schools, including many NCAA Division I teams competing. The morning began with the Men’s 8k race, where VU freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) led the way for the Blue and Gold, finishing with a time of 25:18.2 and taking 31st place overall.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 05, 2024

Terre Haute, Ind. and Louisville, Ky. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams pulled double duty this weekend as members of the VU men’s team took part in the Nike XC Town Twilight at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute Friday night, while the rest of the men’s and women’s teams headed to Louisville for the 2024 Live in Lou Classic Saturday. The weekend started with members of the men’s team taking the short trip to Terre Haute for a unique cross country race, racing under the lights at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. Vincennes was paced on the day by freshman Stephen Hershberger (Fowler, Ind.) who finished with a time of 29:04.25 to place 148th overall.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 21, 2024

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Cross Country teams were eager to get back on the course Saturday morning, competing for the first time in over three weeks at the 2024 John McNichols Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute. The Trailblazers were part of a very large field of four-year schools, being one of only two two-year programs to compete in the event. “The team was looking forward to getting back to racing after three weeks off of competition,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “This was the first 8k for a lot of the men and 6k for the women.”

• Men's Cross Country
• August 31, 2024

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Cross Country season got off to an interesting start Friday afternoon at the 2024 Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois University. High temperatures and a lightning delay forced changes to the schedule, which caused the men’s and women’s races to be run at the same time and the men’s race to be changed to a 5K race instead of the usual 8K. “The meet got pushed back an hour on Thursday due to the hot weather,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “An hour before the women’s race on Friday, there was lightning in the area, so we had to take shelter inside. We waited about an hour and then all of the coaches got told that we were going to run the men and women together with both doing a 5K. It got a little chaotic as that gave everyone less than 20 minutes to get to the line in order to get the race in before more potential storms. To add to the chaos it was 90 degrees at the start, with a real feel of 98 degrees.”

• Baseball
• August 21, 2024

VINCENNES, Ind. - John Meeks, an experienced athletics administrator with an academic ethos, is the new Vincennes University Director of Athletics. VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson proudly announced the appointment of Meeks on Wednesday, August 21, during a VU Board of Trustees meeting.  Meeks is a former college basketball coach currently serving as the Director of Athletics at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington. He will begin his role leading VU Athletics on Monday, Sept. 9.

• Baseball
• July 18, 2024

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 2023-24 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Academic awards were announced Thursday, with Vincennes University well represented. First came the announcement of the 2023-24 Academic Teams of the Year, with teams needing to hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better to be honored. Nearly 1,200 teams were named across the NJCAA members colleges and sports, with Vincennes University being named twice.

• Men's Cross Country
• November 15, 2023

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The 2023 Vincennes University Cross Country season came to a close Tuesday with the running of the 2023 NJCAA Half Marathon National Championships at John Hunt Park. Members of the VU men’s and women’s Cross Country teams took part in the grueling 13.1 mile run and came away with an 18th place finish for the men’s team and an outstanding 10th place finish for the VU women’s team. The VU men’s team was led by freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) who finished with a time of 1:16:45.9, finishing 56th overall out of 155 runners.

• Men's Cross Country
• November 12, 2023

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams entered the NJCAA Division I National Championship meet Saturday morning ranked No. 24 and No. 21 respectively. Both teams were able to place ahead of these rankings Saturday morning at John Hunt Park in Alabama, with VU women’s team taking home 18th overall and the VU men’s team placing 23rd overall. The No. 24 VU men’s team got the day started with the Men’s 8K and were led by a very strong finish by freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) who finished with a time of 26:22.5 to place 71st overall out of 208 runners.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 26, 2023

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The No. 21-ranked Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams began their 2023 postseason Thursday afternoon with the 2023 NJCAA Region 24 Championships hosted at Eastern Illinois University. The Blazers were one of three teams competing Thursday but were again in a unique situation, being the only Division I team competing, with Heartland CC and Kaskaskia College both being Division II in Cross Country. The day began with the women’s 5k and the No. 21 VU women’s team more than held their own, with four of the Blazers’ six runners posting season best times.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 13, 2023

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 20-ranked Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams bounced back after a tough meet two weeks ago in Louisville with a solid performance Friday morning at the Angel Mounds Invitational hosted by the University of Evansville. The day began with the women’s race, which was one kilometer longer than the usual cross country races on VU’s schedule this season, running a 6k race Friday morning. The Trailblazers women’s team was led by freshman Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) who put together a really good race in front of her hometown crowd.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 30, 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Nationally ranked Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams were back in action Saturday afternoon at the Live in Lou Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park. The No. 12-ranked VU men’s team and No. 24-ranked VU women’s team were part of two massive races, including about 400 runners each. The Trailblazers men’s team got the day started and quickly suffered a setback with sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) suffering an injury at the first start of the race and was unable to continue when the race was restarted.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 16, 2023

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams looked to take advantage of near perfect conditions Saturday morning when the Blazers took part in the John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. VU was one of 18 teams participating in a very stacked field, which included 14 NCAA Division I teams, one NCAA Division II team and two NCAA Division III teams, with the Blazers being the only two-year team running. The No. 24-ranked VU men’s team got the morning started off in a big way with eight of VU’s 10 runners setting new PRs.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 02, 2023

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams began their 2023 season Friday afternoon, taking part in the annual Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois University. The day began with the women’s 5k race, where VU more than held their own against a field of two NCAA Division I programs in Eastern Illinois and Indiana State. The Trailblazers women’s team was led by freshman Emily Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who paced the VU runners to take 26th overall with a time of 21:21.3.

• Baseball
• July 17, 2023

VINCENNES, Ind. – The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced their 2022-23 All-Academic Teams Monday morning and the list of over 10,000 student-athletes featured 21 Vincennes University Trailblazers. VU had six student-athletes named to the All-Academic First Team, earning a GPA of 4.00 during the 2022-23 academic year. Eight student-athletes were named to the Second Team with a GPA between 3.80 and 3.99 and seven named to the Third Team with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79. Vincennes University and the VU Athletic Department are proud of the hard work and dedication these student-athletes have shown not only on the competition field, but in the classroom as well.

• Baseball
• May 19, 2023

VINCENNES, Ind. – 30 Vincennes University student athletes were recognized Friday morning with the release of the Vincennes University Dean’s List for the Spring 2023 semester. To be recognized on this list, each student must be enrolled in at least 21 credit hours and earn a grade point average of 3.50 or high during the Spring semester. The Vincennes University Athletic Department is proud to recognize the following student-athletes named to the Spring 2023 Dean’s List.

• Men's Cross Country
• November 15, 2022

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Six members of the Vincennes University men’s Cross Country team competed Tuesday morning in the 2022 NJCAA Men’s Half Marathon Championships at Miller’s Landing Road in Tallahassee. Vincennes as a team finished seventh out of 21 teams competing in the 13.1 mile race, more than double the normal cross country distance of eight kilometers, which is just under five miles. The Blazers were led by very strong showings from sophomores Mathew Keitany (Kenya) and Ian Boit (Kimilili, Kenya).

• Men's Cross Country
• November 12, 2022

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams took part in the NJCAA Division I National Championships Saturday morning at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. The No.16-ranked VU women’s team kicked off the day with the 5k and came away with a 16th place finish as a team. The Trailblazer women were led by sophomore Daisie Kinnett (Wheatland, Ind.) who placed 47th overall with a time of 20:18.6.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 27, 2022

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams took part in the NJCAA Region 24 Championships Thursday afternoon hosted by Eastern Illinois University. The day ended with a bang for the Trailblazers as sophomore runner Mathew Keitany (Kenya) completed a late race comeback to edge out the individual Region 24 Championship by one-tenth of a second. VU’s men’s and women’s teams each were named the NJCAA Division Region 24 Champions, as Vincennes was the only Division I program competing, while Heartland Community College, Kaskaskia College and Danville Area Community College all had races competing for the Division II title.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 14, 2022

PEORIA, Ill. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams took part in their final tune up before postseason competition begins at the Bradley Pink Classic Friday afternoon. Several Trailblazers set new personal best times as the VU teams look to really be rounding into shape at the right time. The day began with the VU women’s team running a 6k race instead of their normal 5k that they have been running all season.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 01, 2022

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams competed in a packed field at Tom Sawyer State Park for the annual Live in Lou Cross Country Classic Saturday afternoon. The VU men’s team competed in a field of 412 runners from 59 different schools and 45 teams. The Trailblazers men’s team got the day started with their 8k race and were paced by sophomore Mathew Keitany (Kenya) who finished with a time of 26:15.2.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 17, 2022

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams continue to show improvement after competing in the John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Course Saturday morning. The VU men’s team was led by freshman Mathew Keitany (Kenya) who led the Trailblazers again with a time of 27:16.6. Freshman Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) and sophomore Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) followed closely behind with Stanford crossing the line at 27:30.5 and Momodu finishing at 27:37.0.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 03, 2022

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams began their 2022 season Friday afternoon with the Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois University. The Trailblazers faced some tough competition out of the gates, going up against four NCAA Division I programs in their first meet of the year. The VU women’s team got the day started and Vincennes was led by sophomore Daisie Kinnett (Wheatland, Ind.), who came in as the 30th-place finisher with a solid time of 20:19.8.

• Men's Cross Country
• July 19, 2022

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Cross Country and Track and Field coaches have had a very busy summer hitting the road, looking to sign the next great VU runner for next season. Assistant Cross Country/Distance Running Coach Tyler Steigenga has helped sign nine middle and distance runners for the 2022-23 season. “We are bringing in a lot of talent with this year’s recruiting class, especially on the middle distance side,” VU Assistant Track and Field/Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “It will give us a lot more flexibility with different events on the track. This fall in Cross Country we are looking forward to finishing a lot higher at the National meet than we did last year. Our depth is tremendously better and our frontrunners will allow us to be a lot more competitive this fall. I am very excited to see what we can do.”

• Baseball
• July 11, 2022

VINCENNES, Ind. – The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced their 2021-22 All-Academic Teams Monday afternoon and the list of nearly 10,000 student-athletes featured 18 Vincennes University Trailblazers. VU had five student-athletes named to the All-Academic First Team, earning a GPA of 4.00 during the 2021-22 academic year. Four student-athletes named to the Second Team, with a GPA between 3.80 and 3.99 and nine named to the Third Team with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79. Vincennes University and the VU Athletic Department are proud of the hard work and dedication these student-athletes have shown not only on the competition field, but in the classroom as well.

• Men's Track
• April 13, 2022

VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore Cross Country/Track and Field runner Walter Tanui (Eldoret, Kenya) signed his letter of intent Wednesday afternoon to continue his academic and athletic careers at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn. “I chose Cumberland because they have a really great athletics program,” Tanui said. “That is one of the things that really attracted me to that school. The academics at Cumberland are also very highly ranked, especially their nursing program, which I plan to join. The student community and the student life in general also seems to be really nice, which led me to choose to sign with them.” Tanui has been a member of the Vincennes University Cross Country and Track and Field teams for the past three years.

• Men's Cross Country
• November 14, 2021

RICHMOND, Va. – The VU Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams both placed above their respective rankings at the 2021 NJCAA Cross Country National Championships in Richmond Saturday morning. The Trailblazer men’s team, ranked 23rd, placed 19th and the women’s team, ranked 19th, placed 17th. The VU men’s team was paced by Ian Boit who came away with a 75th place finish with a time of 27:15.4.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 29, 2021

Charleston, Ill. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer Cross Country teams finally took part in a race where the majority of the runners were from other junior colleges in the 2021 Region 24 Cross Country Championships hosted by Eastern Illinois University. VU sophomores Kyra Young and Manamanya Opiew each took home the NJCAA Division I Region 24 Individual Championships, with Young finishing with a time of 20:49.2 and Opiew ending at 27:41.3 in muddy conditions at Tom Woodall Panther Trail. Vincennes as a team finished behind Division II Heartland, with the Hawks having five of the first six finishers in the Men’s 8k race.

• Men's Cross Country
• October 18, 2021

NEWBURGH, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams closed out their 2021 regular seasons at the University of Evansville Invitational at Angel Mounds in Newburgh Saturday morning. The Trailblazer Men’s team came away with a second-place finish and three Top-15 finishes, while the VU Women’s team was again unable to post a team score for the second event in a row, but did manage to come away with one Top-15 finisher as an individual. “The women’s team wasn’t able to finish as a team, but we are hoping to be able to by the Region Meet in two weeks,” VU Assistant Cross Country coach Tyler Steigenga said. “It was a different experience for the women, as they ran a 6k, which none of them have done before.”

• Men's Cross Country
• October 02, 2021

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Cross Country team hit the course Saturday morning to take part in the Greater Louisville Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park. While the VU men’s team placed 46th out of 62 teams competing, the Trailblazers were once again one of only a few two-year schools competing in this race. Including going up against many NCAA Division I programs. Ian Boit was the pace setter for the Blazers Saturday morning, finishing the race with a time of 27:26.0.

• Men's Cross Country
• September 18, 2021

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Trailblazer Cross Country teams hit the course again this weekend as VU took part in the John McNichols Invitational at Lavern Gibson in Terre Haute Saturday morning. Vincennes was again one of only two-year schools competing in the event, facing off with many NCAA Division I teams such as Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State, Western Michigan and host Indiana State University. “I thought we ran well today,” VU Interim Cross Country head coach Marty Rogier said. “It is a very challenging course but really amazing to have that venue so close.”