“We finished on a positive note,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track and field coach, said. “We had lots of personal bests and several marks that should rank high on the Missouri Valley Conference list.”

Indiana State women's track and field coach John Gartland also thought the meet went well.

“The meet in general was very good for us,” Gartland said. “We had good performance improvements today but overall, today as not as good as the first two days.”

Jeramie Gray, who is a sprinter for the men's track team and also plays football at Indiana State, ran in his second meet of the indoor season, reaching the finals of the 60 meters and placing ninth with a time of 6.85. That time ranks as one of the fastest in the conference this season.

The Sycamores had two in the top 10 of the men's 3000 meters led by Scott Keeney who placed fourth with a time of 8:18.05. Kyle Walsh came in sixth with a time of 8:19.40.

In field events Saturday, ISU's Brandon Pounds placed eighth overall in a highly competitive shot put competition with a heave of 57-feet-8.5-inches (17.59 meters), his best throw of the indoor season. Steven Swinford placed sixth in the non-seeded pole vault with a vault of 15-feet-7-inches (4.75 meters) with Anthony Bertoli 11th in the seeded pole vault with a vault of 16-feet-0.75-inches (4.90 meters).

Indiana State's Major Clay was in the midst of a fierce battle for first in the seeded high jump, finishing sixth overall at 6-feet-11.5-inches (2.12 meters) while Brandon Youngdale was ninth at 6-feet-9.5-inches (2.07 meters). Ernest Rollins also posted a top 10 finish, placing seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 47-feet-5-inches (14.45 meters).

The Sycamores also took 11th in a highly competitive 4x400 relay event as Gary Ogburn, Bertoli, Antinoice Surry and Colton Slack combined for a 3:21.88 finish, a season best for the ISU 4x400 relay team.

“Major was getting a little tight near the end of the high jump competition so we will have to keep an eye on that,” McNichols said. “And Pounds went up against a loaded field of national title contenders in the shot put so he received some pretty good experience and finished well.”

Allison Malone had an outstanding race in the non-seeded 800 meters for the Sycamore women's team, finishing third with a time of 2:13.20. Rachel Posey came through with a seventh place finish in the non-seeded 400 meters with a time of 58.49.

Jeanne' Middleton advanced to the finals of the 60 meter dash and finished third with a time of 7.56 while Lauren Martin placed sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 39-feet-11.5-inches (12.18).

“Just making the finals in any event at this meet is an accomplishment in itself,” Gartland said. “And Jeanne' competed very well against some strong competition.”

The Sycamores will be back in action next Friday night as they participate in the Eastern Illinois University Friday Night Special in Charleston, Ill. This will be the final tune-up for the Indiana State teams prior to the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships which will be held Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.