CHARLESTON, Ill. – Indiana State men's and women's track and field both won team titles at the EIU Early Bird to open the indoor season at Eastern Illinois on Friday evening.
 
The Sycamores won by more than 40 points in both men's and women's competition, topping Illinois State 181.50-139 on the women's side and 175-133 on the men's.
 
Friday's top performance came from senior hurdler Marcus Neely, who picked up right where he left off in 2016 with a strong open in the 60-meter hurdles. In the finals-only race, Neely ran 7.91 seconds for the win, currently the second-fastest time in the nation. Neely has a career-best of 7.85 seconds, which ranks seventh all-time at Indiana State and was good for second at the 2016 MVC Indoor Championships behind All-American teammate Adarius Washington.
 
Teammate Daley Carter finished third at 8.20 seconds, his first race since being sidelined by an injury for the 2016 outdoor season.
 
Also putting up a high national performance was senior long jumper Devyn Mikell, who finished runner-up in the long jump this evening at 7.16m (23-06.00) – currently the 20th-best jump nationally in this early track season. Mikell has a career-best of 7.64m (25-00.75), the second-best leap in school history.
 
Sophomore Brooke Moore also got back into the swing of things quick with a career performance in the 800-meter run. Moore, who is coming off an All-MVC third-place finish at the MVC Cross Country Championships – won the 800 tonight at an indoor PR time of 2:12.65, the seventh-fastest time in school history.
 
Teammate and junior Taylor Austin also had a strong open in the mile, winning over teammate Abigail Grider (5:16.22) by 11 seconds at 5:05.02.
 
Sophomore Quentin Pierce didn't have All-American teammate David Timlin to tempo with tonight but was still able to impress with a very strong opener in the mile, winning at a near-PR time of 4:16.56. Blake Kramer followed in second at 4:20.92.
 
Fellow sophomore distance runner and All-MVC cross country finisher Akis Medrano also had a solid day, running a career-best as the victor in the 3K at 8:41.30.
 
Following an injury-riddled season in 2016, All-American Alethia Marrero returned in strong form for the Sycamores on Friday evening in the non-standard 600-meter race. Marrero won the event at 1:32.90, two seconds off of her PR set in 2015 – potentially a good sign of things to come as the 2015 outdoor First-Team All-American in the 800 looks to rebound in 2017.
 
Freshman Imani Davis was right behind Marrero, finishing runner-up at 1:33.68.
 
Speaking of freshmen, newcomer Shana Cooper had a dynamite day in the short sprints for her first-career meet as a Sycamore. Cooper finished third in the 200-meter dash at 25.70 seconds and was also the fourth-place finisher in the 60-meter dash at 7.72 seconds. Cooper's time in the 60 falls just four hundredths of a second shy of ISU's top-10 indoors, and would have scored in eighth place at the 2016 MVC Indoor Championships.
 
The women's hurdlers also had an impressive start to the indoor season. Juniors Micaela McLean and Patrycja Dziekonska both made the final and finished second and third, respectively. McLean ran a new career-best time of 8.69 seconds in the final to finish runner-up, which now ties her for fifth all-time with Erica Moore on ISU's indoor list. Dziekonska, meanwhile, finished third at 8.74.
 
In the men's 60-meter dash, junior Tristan Parmley set the tone for a solid indoor season with a third-place finish at a near-PR. Parmley clocked in at 6.90 in prelims and 6.92 in the final, with his prelim time falling just shy of his career-best of 6.88 from the MVC final last season.
 
The Sycamores also won four field events, sweeping both the men's and women's weight throw and pole vault.
 
Outdoor discus champion Jasmine Noel recorded a career-best in the weight throw en route to the win with a heave of 18.02m (59-01.50), which improves on her place in ninth all-time by three-quarters of an inch.
 
Ryan Chestnut had a tremendous open to his junior season in the weight throw, winning on a toss of 18.15m (59-06.75) – his best throw in two seasons.
 
Junior Breanna Herring won the women's pole vault on a big PR of 3.66m (12-00.00), which falls just two inches short of cracking into ISU's top-10. Junior transfer Trey Kennedy, meanwhile, won the men's vault at 4.69m (15-04.50).
 
The Sycamores will take the next month off for the holidays and return for a home dual meet vs. Illinois State on Fri., Jan. 13, at Rose-Hulman.
 
Women's Team Scores:
1. Indiana State – 181.50
2. Illinois State - 139
3. Eastern Illinois - 98
4. Western Illinois – 81.50
 
Men's Team Scores:
1. Indiana State - 175
2. Illinois State - 133
3. Eastern Illinois- 107
4. Western Illinois – 70
 
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
 
Men's 200:
3. Jaynard Keys – 22.55
 
Women's 400:
2. Oschtisha Jackson – 58.53
 
Men's 400:
3. Justin Wolz – 51.28
 
Women's 800:
3. Aleksey Green – 2:17.31
 
Men's 800:
1. Tony Rigoni – 1:58.63
 
Women's 3K:
1. Colleen Madden – 10:52.65
 
Women's 4x400:
1. Imani Davis, Marrero, Green, Jackson – 3:53.06
 
Women's High Jump:
T3. Carson Smith – 1.58m (5-02.25) - PR
 
Women's Long Jump:
3. Caitlyn Redmon – 5.64m (18-06.00)
 
Women's Triple Jump:
2. Jamie Newsome – 11.77m (38-07.50)                 
 
Men's Triple Jump:
2. Gino Brown – 14.47m (47-05.75)
 
Women's Shot Put:
3. Cassaundra Roper – 13.89m (45-07.00)
 
Men's Shot Put:
2. Hunter Schuman – 16.53m (54-02.75)
3. Vince Laconi – 15.51m (50-10.75) – Indoor PR
 
Women's Weight Throw:
3. Cassaundra Roper – 16.55m (54-03.75)
 
Men's Weight Throw:
2. Hunter Schuman – 17.07m (56-00.00)
3. Sam Overton – 16.58m (54-04.75)
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track and Field team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.