Beacons Take Four Events at Bill Cornell Spring Classic

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Simeon Ehm cracked the top 5 in program history in the outdoor 1,500 this weekend.

The Valparaiso University track & field team captured four event wins including a pair of victories by Simeon Ehm (Castle Rock, Colo. / Heritage) to highlight the weekend at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic, hosted by Southern Illinois University on Friday and Saturday in Carbondale, Ill.

How It Happened

In the javelin, junior Ethan Litavecz (Highland, Ind. / Highland) won the event with a distance of 54.62 meters (179-3). This not only marked his personal best in the event, but it cracked the top five in program history, outdoing Dylan Antonides’ 2015 toss of 178-11 for the fifth-best of all time.
Another event win came from sophomore Micah Mullings (Minesing, Ontario, Canada / Barrie North) in the long jump as he topped the field with a leap of 7.13m (23-4.75).
Valpo also captured the top spot in the men’s 1,500 as Ehm finished in 3:54.0. Valpo alum Ignacio Veloz Bonilla ran unattached and finished in 3:53.63, the only time faster than Ehm, whose personal-best time cracked the top five in program history. Ehm outdid Jeremy Duff’s 2000 time of 3:54.44 for a spot in the top five.
Ehm also prevailed in the 800 among those running with school affiliation. His time of 1:57.36 was behind only Veloz Bonilla at 1:57.03. Beacons took the top three spots in that event at Joseph Scheele (Mahomet, Ill. / Mahomet-Seymour) finished in 2:01.53. Ehm and Scheele both set outdoor PRs.
Valpo’s best pole vault came from sophomore Chris Fleschut (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville Central), who placed third at 4.20m (13-9.25), a PR.
Junior Will Rinker (Valparaiso, Ind. / Chesterton) ranked third in the hammer throw at 46.33m (152-0). He had outdoor PRs in three events this weekend.
In the shot, it was Nate Smith (Lake Station, Ind. / Lake Station) who topped the team with a distance of 14.41 (47-3.5). He was the runner-up in the event and also achieved a fourth-place finish in the discus with a personal best of 41.92m (137-6).
In the women’s javelin, Rhena Kiger (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) led the team with a sixth-place toss of 28.42m (93-3), her personal best.
In the women’s hammer, the team’s top heave came from Lena Luebbering (Heyworth, Ill. / Heyworth) at 41.93m (137-7). In the shot put, Tori Gerhardt (Westville, Ind. / Chesterton) checked in at 10.75m (35-3.25). She also led the team in the discus with a fifth-place mark of 35.73m (117-3).
Sophomore Alex Valerio (Rockford, Ill. / Boylan Catholic) competed in the 3,000 steeplechase and placed second in 10:03.10.
In the women’s 1500, Grace Aurand (Highland, Ind. / Highland) placed seventh of 17 in 4:48.94. In the 5000, Joleyn Overstreet (Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston) had a fourth-place time of 18:51.47.
In the sprints, Taylor Pusateri (Portage, Ind. / Portage) led the team in the 100 with a time of 13.06, placing ninth overall. She also paced the team in the 200 at 26.47, setting PRs in both events. On the men’s side, it was Tim Whitelaw (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) who achieved a 10^th-place finish in the 100 at 11.29 and also PR’d in the 200 at 22.28.