The Valparaiso University track & field team had numerous student-athletes stand out as the team competed in the GVSU Big Meet – Saturday hosted by Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. Junior Micah Mullings (Minesing, Ontario, Canada) won the long jump, while redshirt sophomore Silas Mathis (Gary, Ind. / Merrillville) was the runner-up in the high jump.
 
How It Happened

• Mullings took the top spot in a 42-athlete field in the long jump, posting a mark of 7.01m (23-0). He also had a fourth-place finish of 19 in the triple jump with a season-best of 13.26m (43-6).
• Elsewhere in the jumps, Mathis posted a personal-best of 1.93m in the high jump, finishing second of 17. On the women's side, junior Katie Koryczan (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point [Purdue Northwest]) had a long-jump PR of 5.13m (16-10), placing 13^th of 45. In the high jump, freshman Katelyn Jaster (Centennial, Colo. / Smoky Hill) was ninth of 29 at 1.53m (5-0.25).
• Sophomore Juliana Ferrara (Fox River Grove, Ill. / Cary-Grove) moved into fourth in program history in the 400 by stopping the clock in 58.82 seconds. She placed eighth in a 56-runner field while also notching Valpo's top time in that event since 2020.
• Ferrara also turned in a time of 8.02 seconds in the 60, placing 17^th of 64. She also participated in the 200, another event in which she ranks among the program's all-time top five, and finished 12^th of 68 at 26.01.
• The 200 on the men's side also features a Beacon who ranks among the program's all-time fastest in that event. Junior Anthony Vassolo (Tinley Park, Ill. / Andrew) stopped the clock in 22.88 seconds, placing 22^nd of 58.
• Koryczan finished the 60-meter hurdles in 9.47 seconds, placing 10^th of 40. She already ranks third in program history in that event.
• On the men's side, junior Brian Sponaugle (Milton, De. / Cape Henlopen) posted a PR of 9.73 seconds in the 60 hurdles. In the 60, it was freshman Bruce Johnson III (Marion, Ind. / Marion) leading the way with a time of 7.27 seconds. Junior Anthony Vassolo (Tinley Park, Ill. / Andrew) paced the Valpo men at 51.44 seconds in the 400, placing 20^th of 57.
• Sixth-year senior Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J. / Seneca [FGCU]) and freshman Ben Crombie (Lincoln, Ill. / Lincoln) led Valpo in the women's and men's 800, respectively. Ritter's time of 2:22.77 placed 17^th of 61 and was a personal best, while Crombie's season-best time of 2:01.78 ranked 35th out of 55.
• In the women's mile, fifth-year senior Chante Dixon (Benoni, South Africa / Kempton Park [UTSA]) ranked 13^th of 67 with a time of 5:10.76. On the men's side, a pair of Beacons finished the mile in the top 11 out of 93 entries, led by sophomore Karson Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake) at 4:18.57, who finished eighth.
• The Beacon women had a season-best time of 4:11.05 in the 4x400 relay.
• In the throws, junior Amelia Tandy (New Albany, Ind. / New Albany) was the women's standout. She finished 14^th of 50 in the weight at 15.32m (50-3.25) and seventh of 37 in the shot at 12.33m (40-5.5). The men were led by junior Nate Smith (Lake Station, Ind. / Lake Station), whose shot-put mark of 14.45m (47-5) ranked 15^th of 57.

Up Next
Valpo will make its way back to Allendale, Mich. for the GVSU Tune-Up on Friday, Feb. 21 for the final competition prior to the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships. A link to live results will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.