LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Another weekend of outdoor competition is in the books for UIndy track & field as they split between the Jim Vargo Invitational at Bellarmine University over Friday and Saturday, and the Flames Invitational, hosted by Lee University on Saturday alone.

FLAMES INVITE
A small but mighty group made the trip to Cleveland, Tenn., for the Flames Invite, and they were rewarded well. Ben Nagel reset his mark in the 800 meter with a time of 1:50.66, just one second off the top spot on the podium. In the process of that he also raced the 12th fastest 800 so far this outdoor season, eclipsing the NCAA provisional mark of 1:51.64 in the process.

Will Reid and AJ Goecker joined Nagel at the Flames Invite for the 3000 steeplechase; Reid came in 12th while Goecker was seconds behind in 15th.

JIM VARGO
The highlights of the trip to former GLVC-rival Bellarmine's campus came in both the 400 and the high jump, with the Greyhounds earning podium spots in both. In the men's 400-meter, Josiah Adams took home first with a time of 49.94, his second straight week under the 50-second mark. Mary Watts on the women's side was just .29 seconds from a sub-one-minute 400, but nonetheless she won her event.

High jump saw Chandler Martin return to form with a first-place finish off a 1.95-meter leap on his first attempt. He shot for the moon challenging 2 meters three times, but he would not quite clear it. Ellie Lengerich, the school's current indoor record holder for the high jump, took the top spot on the women's side with a 1.55-meter leap.

The sprinters had a quality day with Hallie Montgomery bringing home fifth place in the 100 meter and the 200 meter. Adams crossed in fifth for the 200 meter for the men's side with a time of 23.19, which is within a second of his best 200.

The 800 saw competition on Friday and Saturday respectively. Friday's finals had Devon Whitaker in fourth and Emily Sonderman in fifth. Saturday kept the ball rolling with Lengerich hitting a PR of 2.22.20 alongside a fourth-place finish. Jazlyn Gallardo-Cortez also crossed the line with a PR.

As the distances got longer the Hounds kept bringing in PRs. The 1500 was also ran on both Friday and Saturday; Eline Pinter was the highlight with a fourth-place finish in 4:37.78, earning herself a PR. Logan Wong and Mariah Judy both hit PRs on Friday's races. On Saturday that kept rolling with the trio of Dryden Dodson-Thomas, Nico Barrett and Aaron Trejo all hitting personal bests.  

The last of the distances was the big one, the 10K. Andrew Bixler had a career day, running his fastest-ever 10K, while Hanna Stamm and Gabrielle Harrell joined him in the PR train.

Sam DeWitt kept his reign terror going in the hurdles, nabbing his second straight victory in the 110 hurdles. He was faster than last weeks at the Knights Open by nearly a second, DeWitt remains unbeaten in hurdles since Feb. 12. Lindsey Wormuth on 100 hurdles crossed in third and Deandre Stroud crossed in second for the men's 400 hurdles.

Rebekah Mappes, in the long jump, and Sabrina Robison, in the triple jump, both earned second place.

The throwers left Louisville with a slew of PRs to their name. The Greyhound newcomer Emily Bonser, kept the momentum rolling in shot put, finishing in second place. Brock King matched that on the men's side, even besting his own coach in the process. Audra Hogan landed herself a PR in shot put by hitting her first ever 10-plus-meter toss.

Meanwhile, Bonser also took fifth in the discuss. MaKenna Maschino, Evan Gaylor and Cristobal Munoz-Manzor all threw the discus further than they ever had before.

In the hammer throw, Bonser earned third place and a PR. That PR party kept rocking with Taylor Sadkowski, Tyler Gilbert, Cameron Smith, Hogan and Claire Tabbit all having quality days.

UP NEXT
Easter weekend is a busy one with the Hounds being split once again, this time between the Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif., and the Ball State Outdoor Track & Field Meet in nearby Muncie, Ind.