TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? Indiana State University will be represented by nine men and four women at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Mid-East Regional this weekend at the Walton Track Stadium on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbus, Mo.
“We would have liked to have more competiting in the regional this year,” said John Gartland, ISU women's coach. “And it is strange that we have two seniors and two freshmen competing. This is a great experience for all the kids and they all have a chance to advance to the national championships.”
Indiana State men's track and field coach John McNichols added that the team has to be ready to perform.
“This is a great track meet,” McNichols said. “At this time of year, everybody is at their peak. You have to race your way into the national championship and our guys have to be ready to perform.”
Competition for Indiana State begins at 11 a.m. Friday when Jason Carruthers (Marietta, Ga., senior) and Lyle Nolcox (Princeton, Ind., red-shirt freshman) compete in the men's hammer throw. Carruthers won the Missouri Valley Conference championship in the hammer throw earlier this month while Nolcox finished sixth. Carruthers will compete in his second event of the regionals, the discus throw, which begins at 3:30 p.m. Carruthers was third in the MVC Outdoor Championships. Carruthers, who will be competing in his third straight outdoor regional championship in the hammer throw, is ranked 13th in the hammer and 31st in the discus in the Mid-East Region while Nolcox is ranked 36th in the hammer.
Sean Wright (South Bend, Ind., sophomore) will be competing in the 400 meters for the second straight regional championships. Wright will be in the first heat of the preliminaries that start at 5:30 p.m. The six heat winners plus the top two times advance to the finals while will be run at 5:15 p.m. Saturday. Wright finished second in the MVC Outdoor Championships in that event and is ranked 6th in the Mid-East Region.
Kurt Heimann (Breese, Ill., junior) runs in the first heat of the 800 meter preliminaries which start at 6:10 p.m. The four heat winners plus the top four other times advance to the finals at 5:25 p.m. Saturday. Heimann was third in the 800 meters at the MVC Outdoor Championship and is ranked 11th in the Mid-East Region.
Paladin Jordan (Des Plaines, Ill., senior) begins a busy weekend of competition at 7 p.m. in the sixth heat of the 400 meter hurdles. The six heat winners plus the top two other times advance to the finals at 5:40 p.m. Saturday. Jordan will also compete in the triple jump at 4:30 p.m. Saturday along with Corey Dowden (Mt. Vernon, Ill., senior). Jordan won the MVC Championship in the triple jump and was second in the 400 meter hurdles at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Dowden placed second in the triple jump in the conference championship. The Mid-East descending order list has Jordan ranked 6th in the 400 meter hurdles and 13th in the triple jump while Dowden is ranked 10th in the triple jump.
Sean Bowman (Nashville, Ind., sophomore) rounds out the Indiana State individual competition when he runs in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. Bowman was second in the MVC Outdoor Championship. Bowman is ranked 22nd in the Mid-East Region.
The Indiana State 4x400 meter relay team of Logan Edwards (Fort Wayne, Ind., senior), Heimann, Bryant Kent (Indianapolis, Ind., freshman), and Wright will compete at 7:05 p.m. Saturday with Jordan as the alternate. The relay team was third in the MVC Outdoor Championships earlier this month. The team carries a 23rd ranking in the Mid-East Region.
For the Indiana State women's track and field team, Santia Spight (Indianapolis, Ind., senior) will compete in the high jump, which starts at noon Friday, after finishing second in the MVC Outdoor Championships. Spight is ranked 23rd in the Mid-East Region heading into the meet but has experience on her side.
“Santia is a repeat qualifier for the regional and that experience should help her,” said John Gartland, ISU women's track and field coach. “After the top two, the competition is pretty close.”
Erica Moore (Sullivan, Ind., freshman) will compete in the second heat of the 400 meter hurdle preliminaries which start at 7:20 p.m. Friday. The heat winners plus the top three other times will advance to the finals at 5:50 p.m. Saturday. Moore was the MVC Outdoor Champion in the event. Moore is the 9th ranked individual in the Mid-East Region.
Moore is also ranked 24th in the region in the 800 meters with the top 22 selected for the regional competition. The freshman is also the 7th ranked individual in the heptathlon but that event is not competed at the regional level. Moore is ranked 32nd in the national Heptathlon rankings with 5,263 points.
Danielle Prince (Bloomington, Ind., senior) will round out the Friday competition for the Sycamores when she runs in the 5,000 meters at 9 p.m. Prince finished third in the MVC Outdoor Championships but was the conference champion in the 10,000 meters. She is ranked 22nd in the region in the 5,000 meters.
Kylie Hutson (Terre Haute, Ind., freshman) rounds out the competition for the ISU women as she competed in the pole vault at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Hutson, who tied for 15th in the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year, won the pole vault at the MVC Outdoor Championships and is ranked 12th in the Mid-East Region heading into the regionals.
“The experience of the indoor championships will help her,” Gartland said. “She was struggling a little after an ankle injury earlier this season but she is jumping very well right now.”
The top five finishers in each event automatically qualify for the national championships. The next seven declared athletes are then placed into a national at-large pool, based on regional performance and ranked on their best performance of the year including any marks established at the regional meet.
Indiana State Men's Track & Field Mid-East Regional Competitors
? Sean Wright, South Bend, Ind., sophomore ? 400 meters (46.23) ? Ranked 6th Mid-East Region, 27th Nationally; 4x400 Meter Relay (3:09.36) ? Ranked 23rd Mid-East Region, 70th Nationally.
? Kurt Heimann, Breese, Ill., junior ? 800 meters (1:48.95) ? Ranked 11th Mid-East Region, 31st Nationally; 4x400 Meter Relay (3:09.36) ? Ranked 23rd Mid-East Region, 70th Nationally.
? Sean Bowman, Nashville, Ind., junior ? 3,000 meter steeplechase (9:05.54) ? Ranked 22nd Mid-East Region, 92nd Nationally.
? Paladin Jordan, Des Plaines, Ill., senior ? 400 meter hurdles (51.29) ? Ranked 6th Mid-East Region, 30th Nationally; Triple Jump (15.52 meters) ? Ranked 13th Mid-East Region, 36th Nationally; 4x400 Meter Relay alternate.
? Corey Dowden, Mt. Vernon, Ill., senior ? Triple Jump (15.70 meters) ? Ranked 10th Mid-East Regional, 27th Nationally.
? Jason Carruthers, Marietta, Ga., senior ? Discus Throw (52.08 meters) ? Ranked 31st Mid-East Region, 94th Nationally; Hammer Throw (60.92 meters) ? Ranked 13th Mid-East Region, 51st Nationally.
? Lyle Nolcox, Princeton, Ind., freshman ? Hammer Throw (56.05 meters) ? Ranked 36th Mid-East Region, 131st Nationally.
? Logan Edwards, Fort Wayne, Ind., senior ? 4x400 Meter Relay (3:09.36) ? Ranked 23rd Mid-East Region, 70th Nationally.
? Bryant Kent, Indianapolis, Ind., freshman ? 4xs400 Meter Relay (3:09.36) ? Ranked 23rd Mid-East Region, 70th Nationally.
Indiana State Women's Track & Field Mid-East Regional Competitors
? Danielle Prince, Bloomington, Ind., senior ? 5,000 Meters (16:49.46) ? Ranked 22nd Mid-East Region, 100th Nationally.
? Erica Moore, Sullivan, Ind., freshman ? 400 meter hurdles (59.04) ? Ranked 9th Mid-East Region, 31st Nationally.
? Santia Spight, Indianapolis, Ind., senior ? high jump (1.75 meters) ? Ranked 23rd Mid-East Region, 64th Nationally.
? Kylie Hutson, Terre Haute, Ind., freshman ? pole vault (3.90 meters) ? Ranked 12th Mid-East Region, 50th Nationally.
