ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The UIC men's and women's track and field teams kicked off the 2020 season on Friday, Jan. 17 at the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic, hosted by Grand Valley State. The Flames' 36 competitors took to a field of over 1,300 athletes for the second meet of the season for UIC.
 
"We were definitely pretty rusty today," said head coach Ashley Lucas. "With such a freshman-heavy class, it's all about gaining race experience and building confidence to be able to compete at a high level. We had a handful of PRs, but we know we can do better."
 
Senior Alex Bashqawi led the way for the Flames, securing a pair of top-four finishes. Bashqawi finished third in the men's 800 meter run with a time of 1:54.44 while claiming fifth in the mile (4:14.89). Freshman Keylen Williams also recorded a top-10 finish in the high jump, placing eighth with a PR of 1.90m.
 
Kayla Isom posted the top mark on the women's side, finishing in ninth place in the 600 meter run in a time of 1:43.34. A quartet of freshmen finished in 11^th place in the 4x400 relay, with Honesty Sandlin, Bailey Moran, Brenda Nguyen and Renata Wingert combining for a time of 4:14.4.
 
Moran was UIC's top finisher in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:02.37 to place 23^rd overall. Following Moran in the race was Wingert (27^th – 1:02.96) and Nguyen (29^th – 1:03.21) while Rachel McKenzie posted a time of 1:04.50. Kaitlynn Rogers finished in 28^th place in the 60 meter dash, crossing the line in 8.34.
 
Freshman Dalton Burke advanced to the second round of qualifying for the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.28. He would then shave off .06 from his first-run time to finish 18^th in qualifying with a time of 7.22. The UIC newcomer went on to place 18^th in the 200 meter dash, registering a time of 23.07. The Flames received a second 18^th-place finish when freshman Jahari Stubbs crossed the line in 51.79 in the 400 meter dash. Freshman Aidan McCarthy claimed 15^th place in the 60 meter hurdles, breaking the line in 8.84.
 
UIC returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 25, competing at the Illini Invitational, hosted by the University of Illinois.