Complete Results

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Indiana State’s men came close to ending Northern Iowa’s seventh-straight MVC Indoor Championship streak, but settled for second place on Saturday with its highest point total (124) since 1990. The Sycamore women, picked sixth in the pre-championship poll, finished in the sixth position with a total of 45.

The women secured 20 of the overall 45 with the first place finishes of Yolanda Wright and Santia Spight in the triple jump and high jump on day two. Wright covered a UNI Dome record 41’5.25” in her first place distance in the triple jump, while Spight cleared the height of 5’8.75” in the highly contested high jump finals.

“The two first place finishes for us today were huge,” women’s head coach John Gartland said after the meet. “I was disappointed overall, and felt like we didn’t have the athletes to compete with the better teams in the conference.”

The men were led by the two first place finishes of Drew Traub in the shot put and the team making up the 4 x 400-meter relay. The Sycamores crossed the finish line .12 seconds ahead of Northern Iowa to secure the 10-point first-place finish in the relay event. Traub’s throw of 59’2.75” captured first place as well as cleared the NCAA provisional mark and moved the senior to third all-time in the event in ISU history.

Freshman Anthony Bertoli also set a new standard for Indiana State athletics with his fourth-place finish in the heptathlon with 4748 points which stands as the best point total in ISU history.

Indiana State tallied another block of points (18) in the 3,000-meter run from the two-three-four finish of Blaine Zimmerman, Kyle Walsh and Jordan Fife. Walsh would also score another four points for the Sycamores in the mile, with a 4:20.41 fourth-place finish.

Other Sycamores in the finals included Nigel Bigbee (2nd, 8.08) and Paladin Jordan (3rd, 8.29) in the 60-meter hurdles. Jordan would make a second appearance in the triple jump, finishing fifth with a jump of 50’4” behind teammate Steve Daniel’s NCAA provisionally qualifying jump of 51’0.75” third-place finish.

Myra Bess (6th, 60-meter hurdles), Tiffany Jelks (5th, 60-meter dash) and Mary Kate Conway (6th, 400-meter dash) rounded out the women’s finalists on the track on the final day of competition. The Sycamore women tallied their final six points from Nikki Royer and Randi Stephens’ finishes in the pole vault. Royer would tie for third in the event, gaining five points while Stephens’ sixth place finish garnered another point for ISU.

Curt Sunderland would be the final scorer for the men in the field events with his fourth-place finish in the high jump, jumping 6’4” on a sore knee. Sean Wright (2nd, 400-meter dash), Damani Morris (6th, 400-meter dash), Brad Ada (4th, 800-meter run) and Jerry Clopton (3rd, 200-meter dash) were the other scorers for the men on the track.

Indiana State will conclude the indoor season by competing at the Alex Wilson Invitational on the campus of Notre Dame in hopes of securing NCAA qualifying times. Those who qualify will travel the next weekend to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the NCAA Indoor National Championships.