SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Feb. 3, 2024) – The UIC track and field teams wrapped up a two-day competition at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational on Saturday. The Flames had the opportunity to compete against several of the region's top programs, such as Indiana, Iowa, Louisville and Michigan State. Junior Max Rivera (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and senior Anthony Gordon (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) crossed the finish line in the top 10 of their events to highlight the UIC effort.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"This weekend, our team competed against the best programs in the Midwest and left the competition with several memorable performances," said head coach Paul Zavala. "With new personal bests and additions to our top-10 all time lists, our team is feeling strong as we head into the championship portion of our indoor season."
 
TOP FINISHERS
Men:

• Rivera advanced to the finals in the 60m dash, finishing in sixth place in 6.89 seconds. Classmate Paul Sackman (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) came in 10^th in the same race (7.04).

Update from the ???????? ???????????????????????? ??

Junior Max Rivera qualifies for the 60m Finals after taking 2nd Pl. in Ht 1 of the Semi (6.92) ??

Watch the Final of the Men's 60m Live on ESPN at 2:10 PM ET ??: https://t.co/jgQZ9xpbGv#ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/9iunF62yam

— UIC XC_T&F ???????????? (@UIC_XCTF) February 3, 2024

• Gordon also performed well in long jump, placing sixth (6.37 meters).
• In the distance events, sophomore Daniel Chavez (Berwyn, Ill./Morton) ran the 5,000 meters in 14:34.99, finishing 11^th. That time puts him third on UIC's all-time lists. Meanwhile, senior Mark Lemke (Carpentersville, Ill./Jacobs) was not too far behind, coming in 14^th place (14:37.76). He also moved up the ranks in Flames' record books at fifth all-time.

New Indoor T&F Top-10 Performance ?? With a 14:34.99 - 5000m this weekend at the Notre Dame Meyo Invite, Daniel Chavez is now #3 All-Time ?????#ChicagosCollegeTeam | #FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/8Z9v02Eyqn

— UIC XC_T&F ???????????? (@UIC_XCTF) February 4, 2024

Women:

• In the relays, UIC took 10^th in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of senior Haley Dahl (Belvidere, lll./Belvidere North), freshman Chinenye Ifeajekwu (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), senior Brooke Klatkiewicz (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnell) and freshman Praise Oyebanji (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) clocked in at 3:57.37.
• Freshman Makaya Phillips (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington), who holds the fifth-best mark in program history for long jump, placed 11^th, jumping 5.20 meters on Friday.
• Junior Nyarai Terry (Chicago, Ill./Thornton) finished 15^th in the 60-meter hurdles (9.16 seconds).

 
UP NEXT
The Flames head to Allendale, Mich. on Friday (Feb. 9) for Grand Valley State's Big Meet. More information will come as the invitational nears.
 
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).