CHICAGO (Jan. 19, 2023) – The UIC track and field teams started 2024 on a high note, with strong performances at the Aurora Grand Prix, held at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park.
The men's team placed second out of 16 teams, while the women finished fourth out of a pool of 12 teams. Individually, multiple Flames placed in the top-three in their respective events. Freshman
Praise Oyebanji (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) earned a first-place finish in the 800m, while the Flames men took the top five spots in the 3000m run, with senior
Luke Malone (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Adler) leading the way.
COACH'S COMMENT
"Today we had a great start to the new year with several new personal bests and high-level performances throughout the day," said head coach
Paul Zavala. "We look to forward to continuing our progress and building more positive momentum throughout the indoor season."
TOP FINISHERS
Women:
- Oyebanji was the first of all competitors to finish four laps around the track in the 800m. Her time of 2:13.55 placed her fifth on UIC's all-time list.
- Freshman Ava Maglaya (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 11.05m. She's now sixth all-time in program history
- Fellow freshman Makaya Phillips (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) also had a strong showing, placing second in the long jump (5.07m).
- Senior Haley Dahl (Belvidere, lll./Belvidere North) finished third in the 60-meter hurdles (9.36).
- Sophomore Deja Richardson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) started her afternoon strong in the 60m dash, placing fifth. Her finish of eight seconds flat is the ninth-fastest time in program history. Richardson also placed fifth in the 200m dash (26.54).
Men:
- The Flames had a dominant showing in the 3000m run, claiming the top five spots in the race. Malone (8:26.00) led the way, with Dathan Maton (Chatham, Ill./Glenwood) following closely behind (8:26.86). Senior Mark Lemke (Carpentersville, Ill./Jacobs) (8:27.46), sophomore Daniel Chavez (Berwyn, Ill./Morton) (8:32.02) and fellow classmate Alex Bacci (Lyons, Ill./Morton) (8:34.31) finished third, fourth and fifth respectively. Malone's time is the second-fastest time in program history in the event.
- In the long jump, senior Anthony Gordon (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) won the event with a jump of 6.57m. Sophomore Georgios Siomos (Chicago, Ill./Rolling Meadows) was on his heels, coming in third (6.39m).
- In the triple jump, freshman Bright Boasiako (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) (12.99m) and Stephen Kapumba III (Bloomingdale, Ill.) (12.98m) placed fourth and fifth respectively.
- Paul Sackman (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) was a top performer in the 60m dash. The junior clocked in at 7.03, taking home bronze for his third-place finish.
- Freshman Jose Lozano (Burbank, Ill./Reavis) finished fifth in the mile, crossing the finish line at 4:22.52.
UP NEXT
The Flames will compete next weekend at the Demon Alumni Classic, hosted by DePaul at Gately Park in Chicago. The two-day meet begins Friday, Jan. 26 and ends Saturday, Jan. 27.
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).
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