INDIANA STATE PREPARING FOR TWO TRACK & FIELD MEETS THIS WEEKEND
Sycamores To Compete For Gene Edmonds Cup Saturday At Purdue; At RHIT Friday
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? The Indiana State track & field teams will travel to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday to compete in the 15th annual Gene Edmonds Cup. Competition begins at 11 a.m. (ET) with the field events. The running events will begin at approximately 1 p.m. (ET).
“This will be an intense competition between us and Purdue,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach said. “They are at home and nobody likes to lose at home. It will take a total team effort for us to win. It is going to be very close this year.”
The Gene Edmonds Cup is a competition between Indiana State and Purdue University, initiated in 1995 and named for Indiana State graduate and former Purdue track coach Gene Edmonds. The Boilermakers have held the cup for the past 14 years.
Edmonds and his wife, Rose, are both Indiana State alumni with Edmonds playing basketball for legendary coach John Wooden. He was a member of the Purdue coaching staff, heading the throws area for the Boilermakers in the 1990s.
“We beat a very good team last week at Illinois State,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's track & field coach said. “We dominated the field events and they dominated the track events. I think that it will be more mixed this week. They lost by 50 points to Indiana last week and I expect them to be real competitive this week. On paper, this is as close as we have ever been to them but that is just on paper. We are going to have to go over them and compete well to earn the win.”
The Sycamores dropped both dual meets a year ago with the men falling 67-78 and the women edged 72-87.
Part of the Sycamore team will be in competition on Friday when Indiana State participates in the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Friday Night Invitational. Action begins at 6 p.m. (ET).
MVC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Indiana State seniors Josh Williams and Erica Moore have been tabbed as Missouri Valley Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Week, it was announced today by the league office. Williams was named the Men's Field Athlete of the Week while Moore was honored as the Women's Track Athlete of the Week.
Williams (South Bend, Ind.) provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw by winning the event at the Illinois State dual meet last Saturday with a throw of 65'-9.75” (20.06m). The mark is the second best throw in Indiana State history and the best throw this season in the Missouri Valley Conference by nearly two feet. Throw also ranks him fourth in the nation among those that have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Moore (Sullivan, Ind.) was the athlete of the meet for Indiana State in their dual meet victory over Illinois State on Saturday. The versatile athlete won the 800 meters and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships by breaking the Horton Field House record with a winning time of 2:09.85. The time is the seventh best in the nation among those that have provisionally qualified for the event.
She became the first female to run under 2:10 in the 800 meters at the Field House and broke the record of 2:10.02 set by Jill Stamison of Western Michigan. Moore also won the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.93 and won the long jump with a leap of 18'-6” (5.64m).
Recapping Last Week
The Indiana State men's and women's track & field teams remained perfect in dual meet action this season as both earned victories Saturday as the Sycamores renewed their rivalry against Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State in the Redbirds Horton Field House.
The Sycamore men posted an 88-60 victory over the Redbirds while the women were able to hold off Illinois State in the final events to edge the Redbirds 77.50-71.50. Indiana State earned the Coughlan-Malloy Travelling Trophy which combines the points for both men and women as Indiana State put their name on the trophy with a 157.50-131.50 victory.
Senior Joshua Williams may have earned his way to the NCAA Indoor National Championship as he won the men's weight throw with a provisional qualifying toss of 65'-9.75” (20.06m). That is the second best throw in Indiana State history and puts him into the top 10 in the nation (fourth). Jason Carruthers holds the school record in the weight throw with a toss of 69-feet-7.5” (21.22) accomplished in 2005.
Senior Erica Moore was the athlete of the meet for the Indiana State women, taking the long jump, 60 meter hurdles, and 800 meters. Moore won the long jump with a leap of 18'-6” (5.64m), the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.93, broke a 27-year-old Horton Field House record in winning the 800 meters and provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a winning time of 2:09.85. The old record was 2:10.02 set by Jill Stamison of Western Michigan in 1993.
Senior Lauren Martin was second in the long jump with a leap of 17'-11.75” (5.48m) and won the triple jump with a leap of 40'-4.75” (12.31m). Indiana State freshman Shalesa Smith finished third in the long jump at 17'-4.75” (5.30m) and second in the triple jump with a leap of 38'-0.75” (11.60m).
Indiana State junior Chennelle Martin, a transfer from Chicago State in her first meet as a Sycamore, captured the women's high jump with a jump of 5'-6” (1.68m). With senior Kylie Hutson resting an injured hamstring and serving as a coach for the vaulters at the meet, ISU junior Alicia Fritschi led a 1-2-3 sweep of the pole vault for Indiana State. Fritschi vaulted 11'9.75” (3.60m) to earn the win with junior teammate Amanda Paden and freshman Richelle Kimble each going 10'-10” (3.30m) to tie for second. Paden earned second with fewer misses.
The Sycamores also finished 1-2 in the weight throw as junior Kelsey Hanley earned the win with a toss of 63'-4.25” (19.31m) and freshman Felisha Johnson second at 60'-3.25” (18.37m). Johnson was also third in the shot put with a heave of 45'-5.25” (13.86m).
Moore led a Sycamore sweep of the top three spots in the 60 meter hurdles with her winning time of 8.93. Freshman Stacia Weatherford was second at 9.07 with sophomore Sarah Snapp finishing third in 9.09. Indiana State also had the fourth place finisher and the fifth place finisher in the event as freshman Tori Stone was fourth in 9.66 and senior Annie Smith fifth in 10.03.Harvey (7.72).
Illinois State won the 60 meter dash in a very close race as Sycamore junior Jaquelle Spencer was third (7.76) and freshman Jasmyn Hudgins fourth (7.83) behind the Redbirds Yomeaqua Brents (7.63) and Tia Harvey (7.72). Spencer finished fifth in the 200 meters (26.27) with Hudgins sixth (26.40). Weatherford was third in the 400 meters (58.63) with freshman Leeann Michl fourth (58.61).
Sophomore Kacie Klem captured the mile run with a time of 5:02.09 with junior Kelsie Slater fourth in 5:12.76.
Sophomore Kaci Smith finished second behind Moore in the 800 meters with Smith running 2:19.76. Freshman Kylee Thacker was fourth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:46.01 with senior Kayla Alexander fifth in 11:00.19.
The Indiana State 4x400 meter relay team of Erica Moore, Stacia Weatherford, Leann Michl, and Rachel Posey, finished second with a time of 3:51.17.
Sycamore junior Major Clay surpassed the seven-foot mark in the men's high jump, going 7'-1” (2.16m) to win the event. Indiana State took the top three spots in the pole vault with sophomore Jeremy Pratt winning with a vault of 15'-9” (4.80m), sophomore Drew LaMaster second at 15'-3” (4.65m), and junior Steven Swinford third at 14'-3.25” (4.35m).
Sophomore Tra Wilson won the long jump with a leap of 22'-2.25” (6.76m) with sophomore Ernest Rollins taking the triple jump with a leap of 47'-8.50” (14.54m). ISU junior David Bell was third in the triple jump at 45'-9” (13.94m).
ISU sophomore Brandon Pounds won the shot put competition with a heave of 53'-11” (16.43m) while also finishing third in the weight throw at 59'-7.50” (18.17m). Senior Lyle Nolcox was second in the weight at 62'-8.75” (19.12m).
Indiana State senior Michael Roberts won the 60 meter hurdles in 8.17 and the 200 meters with a time of 22.90. Sophomore Tra Wilson captured the 60 meter dash (6.92) with junior Steven Swinford second (7.12) and junior Konstantinos Tzirtziris won the 400 meters in 50.67 with ISU junior Andrew Stull second (50.86) and junior Tykeen Fulton third (51.14).
Sycamore sophomore Jeremiah Vaughan won the 800 meters with a time of 1:54.11. In the mile run, sophomore Dustin Betz was second in 4:16.92 with junior Michael Disher third (4:20.64) and junior Andrew Lepkowski fourth (4:25.48). Freshman Albaro Escalera was second in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 8:41.04 with sophomore Craig Padgett third (8:47.92) and freshman Brandon Query fourth (9:03.48).
The men's 4x400 meter relay team of Andrew Stull, Konstantinos Tzirtziris, Tykeen Fulton and Dexter Childress, finished second with a time of 3:25.19.
HUTSON IS NAMED FINALIST FOR 2010 BOWERMAN AWARD
Indiana State senior Kylie Hutson (Terre Haute, Ind.) is one of 10 collegiate women's track & field athletes from across the United States that have been named to the 2010 Bowerman Watch list. Hutson is the defending NCAA Champion in the indoor pole vault and the outdoor pole vault.
The U.S. Track & Field and cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced today the 10 female collegiate track & field athletes and the 10 male college track & field athletes who were named to the official preseason watch list for the 2010 awarding of The Bowerman.
“This is very exciting for Kylie and for the program,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's track & field coach, said. “She has linked with the very elite track & field collegiate athletes from across the nation.”
The Bowerman was established in 2008 to annually recognize the most outstanding collegiate men's and women's track and field athlete and is administered by the USTFCCCA. It is named in honor of track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, long-time coach at Oregon.
“This is the Heisman of track & field,” John McNichols, Indiana State cross country and track & field coordinator said.
In her junior season, Hutson won NCAA crowns during both the indoor and outdoor seasons with the pole vault, claiming personal bests in both championship meets to take the titles. During the outdoor championship, Hutson needed a clearance of 14'-5.75” (4.40m) to win the competition as with a first-attempt miss at 14'-1.75” (4.30m) placed her second going into the height. Hutson was the only athlete to clear 14'-5.25”, doing so on her first attempt and, before bowing out of the competition, she went on to attempt an NCAA-meet record height of 14'-6” (4.42m).
Hutson holds the Indiana State and Missouri Valley Conference records of 14'-3.25” (4.35m) indoors and 14'-5.25” (4.40m) outdoors. She is a three-time All-American and has competed in the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She also competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and the 2009 U.S. Championships.
In addition to Hutson, Angela Bizzarri, a senior at Illinois who won the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championship this past fall at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, was named to the list.
The top three finalists will be announced in June with the winners announced at the USTFCCCA annual meeting. The 2009 winners were Galen Rupp of Oregon for the men and Jenny Barringer of Colorado for the women.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit http://www.TheBowerman.org.
SYCAMORE WOMEN RANKED 20TH IN PRESEASON USTFCCA POLL -
The Indiana State women's track and field team, led by two-time National Champion Kylie Hutson, opens the 2010 indoor track & field season ranked 20th in the nation according to the poll released today by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
“It is not surprising considering we finished the 2009 indoor season ranked 22nd in the nation,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's track & field coach said. “We have a solid group of athletes returning who have competed on the national level. We also had an outstanding outing at Eastern Illinois in December with many of our athletes performing at a high level.”
Hutson, a three-time All-American and winner of both the indoor and outdoor NCAA women's pole vault championships, is one of a group of seniors that could lead the Sycamores to one of their best track seasons ever. That group also includes two-time All-American Lauren Martin, versatile athlete Erica Moore, and thrower Kelsey Hanley.
Texas A&M is the top ranked team in the pre-season poll with Oregon second and Louisiana state third. Indiana State garnered 48.74 points in the poll which placed them just behind Illinois (50.54) and ahead of Oklahoma (47.62). Missouri Valley Conference opponent Southern Illinois entered the rankings at 23rd with 47.11 points.
