KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
SOUTH BEND, IND. ? Some of the best track and field athletes from across the Midwest were on hand for the 2009 Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame University, and although the Sycamores did not have the kind of weekend they were looking for, Indiana State did come through with some very good performances.
The Sycamores split their squads this weekend with part of the team travelling to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the Meyo Invitational, while the other part of the team travelled to Greencastle, Ind., to compete in the Tiger Indoor Invitational.
“We are taking very little, tiny steps,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track and field coach said, “We are not progressing as quickly as we would like. The weather has been a hindrance to our training since we do most of our training outdoors. But, as the weather improves, we will continue progressing towards our goals.”
On Saturday, Indiana State's Major Clay topped the seven-foot mark in the high jump for the fourth straight meet, placing fourth with a leap of 7-feet-0.25 (2.14 meters). Daryl Truitt broke into the top 10 of the 200 meters with a seventh place finish in 21.82.
Also on Saturday, the 4x400 meter relay team of Gary Ogburn, Colton Slack, Surry and Sean Wright placed 10th with a time of 3:17.44.
On Friday, Antinoice Surry placed 10th in the 300 meters with a time of 35.11 and the distance medley relay team of Jeremiah Vaughan, Sean Wright, James Twitchell and Kyle Walsh finished in fourth with a time of 10:01.18.
“We were very competitive at this meet but we have another big one next week,” McNichols said.
John Gartland, Indiana State women's coach, said that the team was a little overwhelmed by the level of competition at the Meyo Invitational.
“We still had some outstanding performances by the team,” Gartland said.
Erica Moore raced in the 800 meter invitational that featured some of the top runners from the NCAA Indoor Championship a year ago. Moore raced to a season best time of 2:07.14 and placed fifth in the event. It was the second time this season that Moore has surpassed the provisional qualifying mark.
Also doing well for the Sycamores was the two relay teams.
The 4x400 meter relay team of Lauren Martin, Mary Kate Conway, Kacie Smith and Erica Moore took seven place at the invitational with a time of 3:47.10 while the distance medley relay team of Kacie Klem, Lauren Martin, Kaci Smith and Heather Stembridge ran to a fifth place finish in 11:35.71.
“Erica came back after her effort in the 800 meters to anchor the 4x4 relay,” Gartland said. “I think that both of the relay times are among the best in the conference so far this indoor season.”
The Sycamores will be back on the road next week as they compete in the Iowa State Classic. All Missouri Valley Conference schools, except Northern Iowa, will be on hand for the event, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.
