KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
SOUTH BEND, IND. ? Indiana State junior Erica Moore (Sullivan, Ind.) became the Sycamores second automatic qualifier for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, winning the 800 meters at the Alex Wilson Invitational Saturday with a school record time of 2:04.94.
“Just like she did a year ago, Erica ran very well in the 800 meters at the Alex Wilson and qualified for the NCAA's,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's track and field coach, said. “She was just amazing today.”
This will be Moore's second trip to the NCAA Indoor as she competed in the 800 meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championship, finishing ninth with a time of 2:07.73. She had the previous school record of 2:05.77, which she set last year.
Gartland now has a very pleasant dilemma on his hands since Moore provisionally qualified in the pentathlon and should get an invitation to compete in that event, should she choose to do so.
“It is a big dilemma because we are anticipating that she will be eligible for the pentathlon also,” Gartland said. “It is a dilemma but a pleasant problem. We will be trying to decide whether to have her run the 800 meters, the pentathlon, or both. I don't think that anyone has ever participated in those two events. ”
Moore provisionally qualified for the pentathlon at the Iowa State Classic where she won the event with a school record 4,030 points, just 20 shy of an automatic berth in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Sycamore junior joins another ISU junior as an automatic qualifier in the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held next weekend in College Station, Texas.
Kylie Hutson (Terre Haute, Ind.) automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Terre Haute Double Dual in January with a then school record vault of 13-feet-9.25-inches. Since that meet, Hutson has continued to move the bar upward, setting a new school, and Missouri Valley Conference, record last week in winning the pole vault at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships with a vault of 14-feet-0-inches.
Two other Sycamores are on the bubble in receiving an invitation to the NCAA Indoor Championship. Lauren Martin provisionally qualified in the triple jump and set a new school record, and MVC Championship record, of 43-feet-1-inch in winning the event at the MVC Indoor Championship.
“Lauren jumped well this weekend but didn't improve on her distance,” Gartland said. “She and Kelsey Hanley, who also competed well this weekend but didn't improve her distance, will be on right on the bubble. We will have to wait until Monday night to see if they made it.”
Martin, a junior from Schaumburg, Ill., placed second in the triple jump at the Alex Wilson Invitational Saturday with a leap of 42-feet-04.75-inches (12.92 meters), another provisional qualifying effort but short of the leap she had in winning the triple jump at the MVC Indoor Championships of 43-feet-1-inch (13.13 meters), which set an Indiana State and an MVC Championship record.
Hanley finished fifth in the weight throw at the Alex Wilson Invitational on Friday with a toss of 59-feet-4.25-inches (18.09 meters). The freshman from Arcadia, Ind., provisionally qualified for the NCAA in the weight throw with a toss of 64-feet-8.50-inches (19.72 meters) at the Iowa State Invitational.
Also running well at the Alex Wilson Invitational was senior Jeanne' Middleton (Indianapolis, Ind.), who won the 60 meter dash in 7.51, tying her best time of the season that she established last weekend in winning the event at the MVC Indoor Championships.
Indiana State sophomore Major Clay (Springfield, Ill.) finished second in the high jump with a season best leap of 7-feet-1-inch (2.16 meters), another provisional qualifying mark. The leap topped his previous best of 7-feet-0.5-inches (2.15 meters) which he set at the Indiana Relays.
“Clay had three strong attempts at 2.19 meters that would have put them into the NCAA's,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track and field coach, said. “It would have been nice to see him get that height and compete at the nationals but he will clear those heights in the future.”
Brandon Pounds, a provisional qualifier in the shot put for the Indiana State men's track and field team, finished second in that event at the Alex Wilson Invitational on Saturday with a toss of 55-feet-10.5-inches (17.03 meters). Pounds had provisionally qualified for the shot put with a toss of 58-feet-7.25-inches (17.86 meters) at the EIU Friday Night Special in February.
“It would have been nice to see Brandon also go to the Nationals,” McNichols said. “He is a freshman and he has a lot of potential.”
Pounds was also third in the weight throw at Friday with a toss of 59-feet-9.50-inches (18.22 meters) while Josh Williams was sixth with a toss of 50-feet-11-inches (15.52 meters).
Scott Keeney competed in the 5000 meters on Friday, finishing 13th with a time of 14:52.77.
Daryl Truitt placed third and Jeramie Gray fourth in the men's 60 meters Saturday, Truitt finishing in 6.91 and Gray coming in at 6.94. Gary Ogburn was seventh in the 200 meters with a time of 21.92, Sean Wright eighth in the 400 meters with a time of 48.09, Kyle Walsh 22nd in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:35.91, and David Bell was sixth in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet-8.75-inches.
The men's team indoor season is now complete with the Sycamores posting an 11-2 mark in scored meets against Division I opponents.
“We can now prepare for the outdoor season,” McNichols said. “And we open that at home.”
The 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held at College Station, Texas, March 13-14. Four Sycamore athletes will have to wait until Monday to find out if their performance during the season was good enough to earn an invitation or not.
