The Valparaiso University track & field program had a number of strong performances as the Beacons lifted the lid on the outdoor season with this weekend's Redbird Challenge, hosted by Illinois State in Normal, Ill.
How It Happened
- In the throws, Reid Davis (Nashville, Ind. / Brown County) and Amelia Tandy (New Albany, Ind. / New Albany) had strong performances for the men and women, respectively. Davis paced the team in the hammer throw with a mark of 48.06m (157-8) that was eighth of 24. He also led the squad in the discus at 42.63m (139-10), placing fifth of 24.
- Tandy started her weekend with a PR in the hammer at 37.76m (123-10) on Friday before also achieving a personal best in the discus at 38.7m (126-11) on Saturday. She placed in the top half of the discus field, earning eighth. However, Tandy's best finish of the weekend came in Saturday's shot put, as she was the runner-up in an 18-athlete field at 12.17m (39-11.25).
- On the men's side, Nate Smith (Lake Station, Ind. / Lake Station) heaved the shot 14.50m (47-7), placing sixth of 21.
- On the track, Noah Meacham (Tulsa, Okla. / Broken Arrow) earned six points for the team by placing third of 20 in the men's 800. He froze the clock at 1:57.03. Karson Hollander (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake) bettered his 1,500 PR at 4:02.54, placing eighth of 32.
- In the women's 400, Talia Morgan (Muncie, Ind. / Yorktown) established a personal best at 1:02.09.
- In the sprints, Tim Whitelaw (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 100, crossing the line eighth of 33 in the prelims at 11.05. On the women's side, Taylor Pusateri (Portage, Ind. / Genoa-Kingston) ran the 100 in 12.53 seconds, two one-hundredths better than her own mark that already ranked fourth in outdoor program history.
- In the 200, Anthony Vassolo (Tinley Park, Ill. / Andrew) placed in the top 10 of 38 at 22.40.
- The men's javelin was a productive event for the Beacons as three athletes scored points by finishing in the top eight. Brian Sponaugle (Milton, De. / Cape Henlopen) was the runner-up, tallying eight points for the Brown & Gold at 52.52m (172-3), while Ethan Litavecz (Highland, Ind. / Highland) finished fourth at 50.40m (165-4) to garner five points in the team score. In addition, AJ Walsh (Lombard, Ill. / IC Catholic Prep) made it three Beacons in the top eight, notching an additional point with his mark of 43.33m (142-02).
- In the men's pole vault, Chris Fleschut (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville Central) scored two points for the team with a seventh-place clearance of 4.17m (13-8.25).
- The Valpo men scored 38 points and the women scored 16.
Click here for full results.
Up Next
The Beacons will participate in the Tennessee Invite next weekend in Knoxville, Tenn.
