ALLENDALE, Mich. – Behind an event title from Alex Bashqawi and a strong performance from the freshmen, the UIC track & field squad opened the 2019-20 indoor season Friday (Dec. 6) at the GVSU Holiday Classic.
 
On the men's side, Alex Bashqawi brought home the teams' lone event title, winning the men's mile in a time of 4:16.85.
 
Freshman Temi Osobamiro had a strong debut for the Flames, collecting three top-10 finishes. Osobamiro took second in the long jump with a mark of 7.25m, one-tenth of a meter off of the top spot. He also posted a fourth-place finish in the triple jump (13.83m) and a seventh-place effort in the 60m dash (7.05). Fellow freshman Jahari Stubbs also recorded a top-10 finish in the 60m hurdles, claiming eighth overall (8.60).
 
The UIC women received a back-to-back finish in the women's 400m, as freshmen Brenda Nguyen (1:00.39) and Bailey Moran (1:00.40) finished within one one-hundredth of each other to take 17^th and 18^th place, respectively.
 
UIC's top 4x400 relay team was comprised of all freshmen on the women's side, with Renata Wingert, Honesty Sandlin, Nguyen and Moran finishing in a time of 4:08.9.
 
Friday's meet was the lone indoor meet of the 2019 season. The Flames will be back in action on Friday, returning to Grand Valley State for the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic.