CHICAGO (Dec. 5, 2023) – The UIC track and field teams open their 2023-24 indoor seasons Friday, as the Flames are competing at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite in Chicago. The Flames will participate in seven meets during the 2023-24 indoor season and will co-host the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships for the second-straight season.

COACHES' COMMENT
"We are excited to showcase our track and field program with several competitions in the Chicagoland area along with co-hosting the MVC Indoor Championships for another season," said head coach Paul Zavala. "Our 2023-2024 schedule provides an opportunity to create a memorable experience for our student-athletes by competing against some of the best teams in the country. Our goal this season is to continue developing our program to reach a new level of success after setting several new school records and all-time performances a year ago."

?????????? ???? about this upcoming indoor season ???????????

Hear from head coach Paul Zavala, senior Max Rivera and junior Nyarai Terry about what they look forward to most!#FireUpFlames #ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/fhP30kDrU4

— UIC XC_T&F ???????????? (@UIC_XCTF) December 7, 2023

INDOOR SCHEDULE
The Flames will kick off their indoor season at DePaul's Blue Demon Holiday Invite on Friday. UIC will open 2024 at the nearby Aurora Grand Prix on Jan. 19. A week later, the Flames will compete at another the Blue Demon Alumni Classic, hosted by DePaul (Jan. 26-27). UIC will also make two trips to South Bend, Ind. for the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 2-3) and Alex Wilson Invitational (Feb. 17). On February 9^th, the Flames will compete against some of the top schools in the nation at the Big Meet at Grand Valley State University. UIC will stay in Chicago for the MVC Championships, which run from Feb. 25-26 at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park. This is the second year in a row the Flames are co-hosting the event alongside Valparaiso. The 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place Mar. 8-9 in Boston.

FLAMES TO WATCH
The Flames welcome back several key runners from the 2022-23 season, including senior Olivia Dumas (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and junior Max Rivera (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), who both broke school records last season. Both runners currently in first in UIC record books in the 60m, while Dumas also holds the school record in the 200m.
Dathan Maton (Chatham, Ill. Glenwood), who finished 9^th in the 3000m at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships last season, is another key returner for the Flames. UIC will have a bevy of new talent competing this indoor season, including Praise Oyebanji (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein), who recently concluded an impressive freshman cross country season, Sariyah Watson (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb), Chinenye Ifeajekwu (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), Amare Harris (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) and Joel Anyan (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville).
 
 PRESEASON POLL
In the 2023-24 Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, MVC coaches picked the UIC men's program to finish ninth and the women 10^th.

On the men's side, Indiana State claimed the top spot in the preseason poll with five first-place votes. Following its second-place finish at last year's MVC Indoor Championships, Illinois State was picked to finish in second place with 89 points and received three first-place votes. Northern Iowa was picked third in the poll with 81 points and two first-place votes. Southern Illinois claimed fourth place (68 points), followed by Drake (59 points), Bradley (52 points) and Belmont (45 points). Valparaiso received 28 points for eighth place, followed by UIC with 23 points. Evansville rounded out the MVC Coaches Poll with 10 points.  

For the women, Illinois State led the preseason poll with 141 points and 10 first-place votes. Indiana State was picked second with 128 points and one first-place vote. Having finished as runners-up at the 2023 MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships Murray State took third place with 123 points. Southern Illinois claimed fourth place with 91 points, while Belmont secured fifth with 89 points. Bradley was selected to finish sixth with 86 points, three points ahead of seventh-place Northern Iowa. Missouri State (64 points), Drake (61 points) and UIC (35 points) took eighth, ninth and 10^th places, respectively. Valparaiso and Evansville rounded out the preseason poll in 11^th and 12^th positions.

FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information on UIC's track & field and cross country programs, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_XCTF or @UICFlames) and Instagram (@UIC_XCTF or @uicflames).