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Vincennes University

Trailblazers Surge Late with Relay Victory, Discus Win at Little State

Trailblazers Surge Late with Relay Victory, Discus Win at Little State
Results
April 18, 2026

MARION, Ind. — Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field competed April 17–18 at the Indiana Little State Championships, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University, battling extreme conditions across both days while producing multiple national qualifiers, personal bests, and top program marks.

Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga emphasized the team's response to the environment, saying, "Friday was extremely hot and challenging, especially for the distance runners, and Saturday brought cold, wind, and rain. Our group competed well with the cards we were dealt and came away with a lot of strong performances."

Men

The Trailblazers opened the meet with a strong showing in the 4x800 relay, as the quartet of freshman Travon Lane, sophomore Anis Abdaoui, freshman Jacob Kusbel, and freshman Iheb Slimani posted a national qualifying time of 7:44.47, finishing sixth overall and recording the second-fastest time in program history. "The men came within .11 seconds of the school record," Steigenga said. "Anis and Iheb both ran impressive 1:51 splits, which really carried the group."

In the 1500 meters, Slimani and Abdaoui delivered a dominant performance, finishing first and second overall in 3:50.06 and 3:50.64, respectively, both earning national qualifying marks and separating themselves by more than seven seconds from the rest of the field. "They took control of the race from the start and never looked back," Steigenga said. "With the wind early on, it was impressive they still ran as fast as they did."

Both returned later in the meet in the 800 meters, with Abdaoui (1:53.78) placing second and Slimani (1:54.04) third overall on tired legs. "They had a quick turnaround after the 1500 and still competed at a high level," Steigenga added. "That was a really strong effort to cap their weekend."

In the distance events, freshman Henry Dybsetter recorded a personal-best 16:56.36 in the 5000 meters, breaking the 17-minute barrier for the first time.

In the 10,000 meters, sophomore Lane Connaway posted a personal-best 33:35.13, finishing sixth overall, while freshman Evan Dailey added a strong debut performance of 33:49.06, finishing eighth. "The 10K is always a tough race, and the heat made it even more challenging," Steigenga said. "Lane, Evan, and Alexis (Hale-women's 10,000 meters) all competed well, managed the conditions, and made the most of their opportunity at the distance."

On the track, Lane recorded a season-best effort in the 400 meters, finishing fourth overall with a time of 49.03. "Travon ran his most complete race of the season," Steigenga said. "Coming in ranked last in his heat and finishing fourth overall says a lot about how he competed."

The meet concluded with a standout performance in the 4x400 relay, as the Trailblazers closed the weekend with a win. The quartet of sophomore Artezz Butler-Sanders, Lane, sophomore Devin Wilson, and Kusbel took first place with a time of 3:22.31. "The group really stepped up to finish the meet," Steigenga said. "A couple of them didn't have their best open 400s, but they bounced back and delivered a strong team performance when it mattered most."

In the field events, freshman Nate Robertson delivered one of the top performances of the meet, winning the discus with a throw of 49.45 meters, nearly three meters farther than the runner-up. Freshman Jesse Huff added a mark of 41.15 meters in the event. "We knew Nate was capable of a big throw, and it was impressive to see him deliver and separate from the field like that," Steigenga said.

Freshman Zackary Hembree added a 38.81-meter mark in the hammer throw, continuing the throws group's progression.

Women

The women's 4x800 relay — sophomore Sarra Belgacem, freshman Elizabeth Smith, freshman Madison Senne, and freshman Ikram Dorai — posted a national qualifying time of 9:44.47, finishing seventh overall and recording the second-fastest time in program history. "It wasn't quite the same performance as indoor nationals, but Madison had a standout leg with a 2:27 split, which was her fastest ever," Steigenga said.

In the 1500 meters, Dorai placed second overall in 4:54.05, while Smith followed in 5:07.42. Freshmen Rorri Bottum (5:40.93), Josie Lade (5:43.11), Allie Knepp (5:59.58), and Cabella Lemberg (6:27.15) each recorded personal-best performances.

In the distance events, sophomore Alexis Hale made her debut in the 10,000 meters, recording a 41:45.41 mark that ranks eighth in program history, continuing her progression across longer events.

In the 800 meters, Belgacem (2:21.90) finished fourth overall, while Dorai (2:22.62) won her heat with a strong closing effort after taking the lead midway through the race. Senne continued her strong outdoor campaign with another personal-best performance, running 2:27.68 to match her relay split from the previous day. "Madison has been on a tear this outdoor season," Steigenga said. "She's PR'd in every race and is competing at a really high level right now."

In the 100 meters, freshman Cinnamon Harris recorded a personal-best performance of 15.63.

Freshman Brielle Seiler made her collegiate debut in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing eighth overall with a time of 1:08.61 and moving to sixth in program history. "Brielle handled the transition to the 400 hurdles really well," Steigenga said. "It's a demanding event, but this should give her confidence moving forward."

In the field events, freshman Kapri Granger placed second overall in the pole vault, delivering her second-best clearance and taking strong attempts at a new personal record. Freshman McKenna Poyser also had a strong showing, narrowly missing a personal best and national qualifying mark. Pole Vault Coach Travis Herb highlighted Poyser's development, saying, "McKenna showed a lot of improvement, especially with her consistency on some new poles. She's getting more comfortable, which is a big step. She'll have good opportunities to hit the outdoor national qualifying mark and still has room to clear higher bars."

The meet closed with a surge of momentum for the Trailblazers, highlighted by Robertson's discus win and the men's 4x400 relay victory moments later. "It was an exciting final stretch to the meet," first-year Track and Field Head Coach Michael Mangan said. "Nate gets the win in the discus, and then the 4x400 takes over right after. Travon had a great anchor leg to finish it off."

VU returns to action April 24 at the Big Blue Alumni Invite, hosted by Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. "We're looking forward to getting back on the road and continuing to build momentum," Mangan said.

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: