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Vincennes University

Trailblazers Post Wins, PRs at Big Blue Alumni Invite

Trailblazers Post Wins, PRs at Big Blue Alumni Invite
Results
April 24, 2026

DECATUR, Ill. — Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field turned in a strong all-around performance Friday at the Big Blue Alumni Invite, hosted by Millikin University, capitalizing on favorable conditions to produce multiple personal records, event wins, and a national qualifier. First-year Head Coach Michael Mangan pointed to the impact of the conditions on the team's performance, saying, "Finally, a good weather day for our Blazers, and the performances showed."

Men

The Trailblazers were led by freshman Travon Lane, who delivered a breakout performance in the 400 meters, winning the event in a personal-best 48.66. Sophomore ArTezz Butler-Sanders followed in third place with a personal-best 50.79, continuing the sprint group's progression.

In the short sprints, sophomore Devin Wilson recorded a personal-best 10.88 in the 100 meters, while freshman James Howard posted a personal-best 22.90 in the 200 meters.

The hurdles group also showed improvement, as freshman Avery Lambirth ran a personal-best 56.89 in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing second overall, while freshman Noah Marshall added a personal-best 1:01.98.

In the distance events, the Trailblazers saw strong progression across the board in the 1500 meters. Freshman Youssef Dridi led the group with a season-best 4:06.20, while sophomore Lane Connaway posted a personal-best 4:13.42. Freshman Evan Dailey followed with a personal-best 4:18.33, winning his heat, and freshman Henry Dybsetter added a personal-best 4:38.01. Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga detailed the group's effort, saying, "Youssef went out aggressively behind the pacer and fought to hold on for a season best. Lane stayed more controlled early and came away with a big PR, and Evan closed hard to win his heat with another personal best."

In the field events, the throws group delivered a strong collective showing. Freshman Jesus Castillo recorded personal-best marks across the shot put (12.38 meters), discus (35.97 meters), and hammer (27.31 meters), while freshman Jesse Huff added personal bests in both the discus (42.39 meters) and hammer (37.52 meters). Freshman Preston Stokell posted a personal-best 40.11 meters in the javelin, continuing the group's steady development.

In the pole vault, freshman Logan Tucker captured first place with a height of 4.50 meters while securing a national qualifying mark, a breakthrough performance for the Trailblazers. Mangan emphasized the significance of the result, saying, "Logan has been right on the edge of a qualifier, and it was great to see him get it done. We're continuing to build depth in the pole vault heading into nationals."

Women

The women's side was highlighted by freshman Brielle Seiler, who won the 400-meter hurdles in a personal-best 1:05.50, moving into fourth in program history. Mangan praised Seiler's continued development, saying, "I was really impressed with Brielle's 400 hurdles. She's very close to a national qualifier, and next week will be another great opportunity."

In the middle distance events, sophomore Sarra Belgacem earned a first-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:21.49, while sophomore Alexis Hale recorded a personal-best 2:31.06 in the same event.

The distance group continued to show depth in the 1500 meters, where freshmen Rorri Bottum and Josie Lade each recorded personal-best performances of 5:31.91 and 5:35.19, respectively. Steigenga highlighted their efforts, saying, "Rorri controlled her race from the start and led her heat all the way through for a strong PR. Josie took the race out faster than she ever has and finished well, closing on two runners over the final 200 meters to secure another personal best."

In the sprints, freshman Cinnamon Harris posted a personal-best 15.35 in the 100 meters and added a personal-best mark of 16.56 meters in the javelin, continuing her progress across multiple events.

In the throws, freshman Elena Gabellini delivered one of the top performances of the meet, winning the hammer throw with a personal-best mark of 50.89 meters, surpassing the 50-meter barrier for the first time and moving to second in program history. Mangan highlighted the significance of the mark, saying, "Our throwers had a great day overall, but Elena's performance stood out. Breaking 50 meters in the hammer and moving to second all-time at VU is a major step forward."

In the pole vault, freshman Kapri Granger added another event win, clearing 3.55 meters to continue her strong outdoor campaign.

VU returns to action May 1 at the Music City Challenge, hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Trailblazers continue to build momentum through the outdoor season.

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: