John McNichols Training Track at Athletic Indoor Facility

The John McNichols Training Track, located at the Athletic Indoor Facility is an indoor track which provides 14 lanes (which are the widest allowable of 42 inches) of indoor running room, including enough room to properly train indoors for hurdles races as the legacy of Coach McNichols and #HurdleU continues into the future. There is also a full pole vault runway and room for other events such as the high jump to train during the winter months. The legendary Sycamore throws program will also use the indoor facility to throw into nets in the corner of the building which will safely allow the student-athletes to train for competition.

The Athletic Indoor Facility also serves as the indoor training home of several Sycamore sports and is the location of the Sycamore Track and Field coaches office suite. The facility is near the intersection of 1st and Eagle Street in Terre Haute directly next door to the brand new Gibson Track and Field Complex.

"The best thing about this facility is that it is literally right next to our offices so if our student-athletes need to train in between classes, our coaches can just step out of our offices and run them through a session," Martin said. "We will also be able to share this space with other sports which I think is great because it is important for all our student-athletes to interact with each other."

During the spring, the John McNichols Training Track will be used as a state-of-the-art indoor warm up area for student-athletes who are preparing to compete at the Gibson Track Complex. Many other Sycamore sports whose student-athletes currently use the outdoor track for training exercises will also be able to use the area as part of their strength and conditioning work.

The need for the John McNichols Training Track became even more elevated with the closing of the Sycamores' current indoor facility due to on-going renovations of that building as part of the multi-million dollar construction project for the College of Health and Human Services.

"With the renovation of the Health and Human Services Building, the area that we have used for many years to train during the winter months (ISU North Gym) is going to be unavailable," Martin said. "Prior to his passing, Coach McNichols had the great idea to put down a running surface in the Athletic Indoor Facility so we would have an area where our sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers could train at a fast pace when the weather turns cold. With the help of the university and great people who support of our program we are able to debut this awesome surface which will greatly benefit our program in the future."

Finally, its fitting that this facility is named after John McNichols because its another way that the track program has been able to build something spectacular that other programs can only dream of having because of his great gift of envisioning ways to use otherwise unused spaces. The most notable, of course, was Coach McNichols vision of a championship cross country course on wasteland in Eastern Vigo County. Through his vision and the support of the community, the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course has hosted a majority of the NCAA Division I Championships since its first one in 2002. Now, his vision for 14 lanes for indoor workouts on a space that was simply concrete floor and storage space has come to reality and will benefit the program for many years to come.

"Coach McNichols is a legend here and around the world," Martin said. "He started the true success of this program with not much. He fought hard to build a proper staff. He fought hard to obtain first class facilities. I think that Coach McNichols legacy will keep growing because of all things he accomplished during his career at Indiana State. I'm thankful to everyone who made the John McNichols Training Track a reality and it will be a huge part of our program moving forward."