WICHITA, Kan. – Indiana State men's and women's track & field both finished fourth after a hard-fought weekend and a superb final day of competition at the 2017 MVC Outdoor Championships on Sunday.
 
Both the Sycamore men and women scored 104 points to facilitate their fourth-place finishes, with the men trailing Wichita State (181.5), Northern Iowa (166) and Southern Illinois (143.5), and the women behind Wichita State (226), Illinois State (137) and Southern Illinois (107). The Shockers completed the indoor-outdoor sweep of both the men's and women's titles, and repeated the outdoor sweep for the second straight season.
 
"I think a successful year as a team for us is finishing in the top-three every year," said ISU head coach Angela Martin. "We fell a little shy of that. We had a chance to sneak up there, but things didn't quite go our way. But, we had so many good performances today, and I think those good performances outweigh a little bit of that disappointment."
 
The Sycamore women fell to fourth on the final event of the day – the 4x400-meter relay – but it wasn't due to lack of trying, as the ISU women's squad had a superb day.
 
Senior All-American Alethia Marrero led the way for the Sycamore women with a dominant win in the 400-meter hurdles. Marrero, an Indianapolis native that was an All-American in the 800-meter outdoors in 2015, cruised to victory at a career-best time of 57.63 – the 16th-best time in the NCAA and 10th-best in the East Region this season. Marrero improves on her previous best of 57.71 from 2015, which was already third all-time at ISU.
 
"This is my third event that I've won a title in, so it's just really nice to have been able to do that," Marrero said. "I came into this weekend knowing that 400 hurdles isn't my specialty this season, so to run 57 – that was a PR. This was supposed to just be a speed workout for the 800. I didn't know I was going to run 57."
 
Marrero was also the anchor leg on the aforementioned 4x400-meter relay, which finished fifth overall at 3:45.72.
 
However, the Sycamore women started the day off with an impressive win in the 1500-meter run, courtesy of sophomore Brooke Moore. The Elkhart, Ind., native entered the meet with the Valley's top time of 4:20.02 (an ISU record by seven seconds), and she came into Wichita this weekend and took care of business, running the top prelim time and then taking the MVC title in finals at 4:35.53 – Moore's first-career MVC title.
 
Also scoring in the 1500 was fellow sophomore Abigail Grider, who ran 4:42.49 for fifth place.
 
Moore came dangerously close to doubling with a victory in the 800 not much later, coming up just short of UNI's Lindsey Kite after a gutsy close at 2:14.77. Freshman Imani Davis scored in fifth place at 2:15.90.
 
Junior Taylor Austin, who won the MVC steeplechase title on Saturday evening, came back and nearly took the 5K title on Sunday. Austin was leading heading into the final lap, but Wichita State sophomore Rebekah Topham – who Austin beat by 19 seconds in the steeple the previous night – took a commanding lead to relegate Austin to a runner-up finish at 17:31.37
 
Junior Oschtisha Jackson had an impressive outing in the 400-meter dash finals as well, closing from eighth place to fourth in the final 100 meters at a new career-best time of 54.92 – one-hundredth of a second off of the all-time top-10 at Indiana State.
 
Other women's individual scorers on the day included Jasmine Noel in the discus (fourth, 47.63m/156-03) and Patrycja Dziekonska in the 100-meter hurdles (sixth, 13.73, wind-aided PR).
 
The Sycamore men had their share of incredible performances as well, chief among them the continuation of the late John McNichols' Hurdle U legacy with the fifth-straight season of at least two All-MVC performances in the 110-meter hurdles.
 
Seniors Marcus Neely and Daley Carter kept the tradition alive, with Neely winning the sixth-straight outdoor 110-meter hurdles title for the Sycamore men at a wind-aided (4.0) PR time of 13.62 seconds. Indiana State is the first Valley school to win six straight since Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) won nine from 1937-48 (there were no contests from 1943-45 due to the Second World War).
 
"It's a great opportunity to be part of a great tradition, to be able to continue something on," Neely said. "There was a lot of pressure to be able to keep doing it, but we just kept doing the same things we've been doing all year."
 
Carter was equally as impressive with a massive (but wind-aided) PR time of 13.78 seconds for his All-MVC runner-up finish.
 
"That's an event this year that's been so emotional, and those guys have done such good things," Martin said. "(Volunteer coaches and former Sycamores) Max (Tuttle) and Greggmar (Swift) are two of our alums that have helped a lot this year with their positivity and leadership. I'm thankful to have those two guys around helping out."
 
Senior All-American David Timlin also made some history, becoming the first in Indiana State history to win three MVC titles in the 1500-meter run, as well as the first in the Valley at all since Illinois State's Christian Goy won three from 1999-2001.
 
Timlin, known for his signature sit-and-kick style in both the 800 and 1500 races, sat back, but it was a close shave when he started his kick with 200 meters to go – edging out Bradley's Daniel Gagne by just more than a tenth of a second at 4:07.60.
 
"I told myself on a lap out to get in position, but I was in dead last," Timlin said. "I knew with 200 to go that it wasn't too late."
 
Junior Blake Kramer followed Timlin over the final stretch, capturing his first-career All-MVC finish in third place at 4:08.09. Sophomore Quentin Pierce scored in sixth at 4:09.23.
 
However, the most productive Sycamore male on the day was by far junior sprinter Tristan Parmley. The French Lick, Ind., native scored 12.5 points to lead the Sycamore men and rank 13th among all MVC participants this weekend.
 
"Tristan Parmley had a huge meet," Martin said. "He had a lot of confidence, and I can't say enough good things about his competitive effort this weekend."
 
He opened the weekend with an All-MVC finish as the anchor on the men's 4x100-meter relay team that finished third at 40.70. Also on the relay were Scott Schreiber, Adrian Gibson and Devyn Mikell.
 
Parmley's crowning achievement of the weekend came in a historically fast men's 100-meter dash. Parmley finished third at a new school-record 10.29 seconds at an NCAA wind-legal 10.29 seconds, which puts him into a tie for 26th in the East Region. Parmley breaks Tony Tate's 1993 record of 10.33 with today's performance.
 
He also scored high in the 200-meter dash finals, running a wind-aided PR of 20.91 seconds to finish fourth overall.
 
Senior Tyrell Dowdell earned All-MVC honors with a career day in the 400-meter dash, running 47.20 to finish runner-up and improve on his standing in fourth all-time. Dowdell was also the second leg on the men's 4x400-meter relay that just missed the podium, finishing fourth at a six-second season-best of 3:12.50. Dowdell was joined by Liam McGrath, Daley Carter and Charles Sykes.
 
Junior pole vaulter Trey Kennedy also earned All-MVC, finishing third at a PR height of 4.97m (16-03.50).
 
Other Sycamore men's scorers included Devyn Mikell (fifth, 14.74m/48-04.50) and Gino Brown (seventh, 14.35m/47-01.00) in the triple jump, and sophomore Akis Medrano in the 5K (sixth, 15:01.00).
 
In all, Indiana State came away with five MVC titles and 19 All-MVC finishers on the weekend.
 
Indiana State will make declarations for those ranked within the Top-48 in the NCAA East Region tomorrow night and await the qualifier lists.
 
"We've got a good group going, and I think they all have a legitimate shot," Martin said. "That meet is tough and it's a huge competition, but we get to start from scratch and everybody has to compete."
 
Final Women's Team Scores:
1. Wichita State – 226
2. Illinois State – 137
3. Southern Illinois – 107
4. Indiana State – 104
5. Northern Iowa – 90
6. Missouri State – 70
7. Loyola – 38
7. Drake – 38
9. Bradley – 8
 
Final Men's Team Scores:
1. Wichita State – 181.5
2. Northern Iowa – 166
3. Southern Illinois – 143.5
4. Indiana State – 104
5. Illinois State – 96
6. Bradley – 43
6. Loyola – 43
8. Drake - 42
 
Specialty Awards:
 
Most Valuable Athlete (most points scored):
Women: Nikki Larch-Miller, Wichita State
Men: Kyle Landon, Southern Illinois
 
Most Outstanding Track Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list):
Women: Alethia Marrero, Indiana State
Men: Brandon Carnes, Northern Iowa
 
Most Outstanding Field Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list):
Women: Freya Block, Southern Illinois
Men: Kyle Landon, Southern Illinois
 
Freshman of the Year (most points scored):
Women: D'Jenne Egharevba, Illinois State
Men: Derrius Rodgers, Illinois State
 
Elite 18:
Women: Jessica Allen, Missouri State
Men: Josh Maier, Southern Illinois
 
Coach of the Year:
Women: Steve Rainbolt, Wichita State
Men: Steve Rainbolt, Wichita State
 
Day Three MVC Champions:
Alethia Marrero – 400-Meter Hurdles
Brooke Moore – 1500-Meter
Marcus Neely – 110-Meter Hurdles
David Timlin – 1500-Meter
 
Day Three All-MVC:
Alethia Marrero – 400-Meter Hurdles, 1st Place
Brooke Moore – 1500-Meter, 1st Place
Marcus Neely – 110-Meter Hurdles, 1st Place
David Timlin – 1500-Meter, 1st Place
Taylor Austin – 5,000-Meter, 2nd Place
Daley Carter – 110-Meter Hurdles, 2nd Place
Tyrell Dowdell – 400-Meter Dash, 2nd Place
Brooke Moore – 800-Meter, 2nd Place
Adrian Gibson – 4x100-Meter Relay, 3rd Place
Trey Kennedy – Pole Vault, 3rd Place
Blake Kramer – 1500-Meter, 3rd Place
Devyn Mikell – 4x100-Meter Relay, 3rd Place
Tristan Parmley – 100-Meter Dash, 3rd Place
Tristan Parmley – 4x100-Meter Relay, 3rd Place
Scott Schreiber – 4x100-Meter Relay, 3rd Place
 
Other Day Three Scorers:
Daley Carter – 4x400-Meter Relay, 4th Place
Tyrell Dowdell – 4x400-Meter Relay, 4th Place
Liam McGrath – 4x400-Meter Relay, 4th Place
Oschtisha Jackson – 400-Meter Dash, 4th Place
Jasmine Noel – Discus, 4th Place
Tristan Parmley – 200-Meter Dash, 4th Place
Charles Sykes – 4x400-Meter Relay, 4th Place
Imani Davis – 800-Meter, 5th Place
Imani Davis – 4x400-Meter Relay, 5th Place
Abigail Grider – 1500-Meter, 5th Place
Oschtisha Jackson – 4x400-Meter Relay, 5th Place
Alethia Marrero – 4x400-Meter Relay, 5th Place
Devyn Mikell – Triple Jump, 5th Place
Brittany Neeley – 4x400-Meter Relay, 5th Place
Patrycja Dziekonska – 100-Meter Hurdles, 6th Place
Akis Medrano – 5,000-Meter, 6th Place
Gino Brown – Triple Jump, 7th Place
Shana Cooper – 4x100-Meter Relay, 8th Place
Patrycja Dziekonska – 4x100-Meter Relay, 8th Place
Oschtisha Jackson – 4x100-Meter Relay, 8th Place
Ahmanah Woods – 4x100-Meter Relay, 8th Place
 
Day Two MVC Champions:
Taylor Austin – 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
 
Day Two All-MVC:
Taylor Austin – 3,000-Meter Steeplechase, 1st Place
Jaime Murtagh – High Jump, 2nd Place
Caitlyn Redmon – Long Jump, 3rd Place
 
Other Day Two Scorers:
Devyn Mikell – Long Jump, 4th Place
Cassaundra Roper – Shot Put, 4th Place
Kara Cooke – High Jump, 6th Place
Seth Cousins – 3,000-Meter Steeplechase, 8th Place
Tyler Owen – High Jump, 8th Place
 
Day One All-MVC:
Kaitlyn Moricz – Pole Vault, 3rd Place
 
Other Day One Scorers:
Cassaundra Roper – Hammer Throw, 4th Place
Emily Brady – Pole Vault, 5th Place
Ryan Chestnut – Hammer Throw, 6th Place
Akis Medrano – 10,000-Meter, 6th Place
Kim Jackson – Pole Vault, 7th Place
Jasmine Noel – Hammer Throw, 7th Place
 
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.