KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA ? Indiana State senior Kylie Hutson claimed her fourth Missouri Valley Conference Indoor women's pole vault championship and raised the bar even higher with her third straight record setting vault Sunday on the final day of the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
It was a mixed day for the Sycamore women who won four events and took home two major awards from the championship and finished third in the team race. Wichita State edged out pre-championship favorite Southern Illinois 151.5 to 145.5 to take the women's team title with Indiana State third with 89 points. Illinois State was fourth with 77, Missouri State fifth (69), Drake sixth (60), Northern Iowa seventh (56), and Bradley eighth (14).
The Indiana State men finished a disappointing fourth despite winning two events on Sunday. Wichita State upset pre-championship favorite Southern Illinois to win the team title 176-148 with Northern Iowa third at 143 and Indiana State fourth with 109. Illinois State placed fifth with 49 points and Drake was sixth with 32 points.
Hutson repeated as the Women's Most Outstanding Field Athlete while fellow senior Erica Moore was named the Women's Most Outstanding Track Athlete. Moore won the 800 meters, anchored the winning 4x400 meter relay team, and finished seventh in the 60 meter hurdles on Sunday. She also competed in the long jump on Saturday and finished fourth.
Hutson became the first women's pole vaulter to win four Missouri Valley Conference Indoor titles and she did it in impressive style. The Sycamore cleared 14'-8.25” (4.48m) while not only set the Indiana State and Missouri Valley all-time record and the MVC Indoor Championship record, it also is the fourth best vault in collegiate history.
The senior has now set a new record in each of her last three meets and continues to lead the nation in the pole vault. Hutson won the 2009 NCAA Indoor National Championship and has automatically qualified to defend her title.
Not to be outdone was senior Lauren Martin who has been trying to reach the automatic qualifying mark in the women's triple jump all season long. Martin was successful on Sunday as she won the event for the third straight year and got that automatic qualifier with a jump of 43'-7.75” (13.30m). The mark set the Indiana State and Missouri Valley all-time record and the MVC Indoor Championship record. The distance also moved her into seventh place on the national list.
Indiana State picked up two more victories on the legs of Moore. The senior repeated as the MVC Indoor 800 meter champion with a winning time of 2:08.35 which is just shy of the MVC Championship record of 2;08.03. The Sycamore came back after that winning effort to anchor the 4x400 meter relay team which took home first place with a school record time of 3:43.76. Also on that team were freshman Stacia Weatherford, Martin, and freshman Leeann Michl.
Moore's busy day began early on when she ran in the finals of the 60 meter hurdles where she placed seventh with a time of 8.93. On Saturday she finished fourth in the long jump and then ran in the preliminaries for the 60 meter hurdles and 800 meters.
Two other Sycamores came through with winning performances on Sunday, both on the men's side.
Sycamore junior Major Clay claimed his first MVC Indoor Championship title in the men's high jump with a height of 7'-1.5” (2.17m).
Indiana State junior Daryl Truitt also became an MVC Indoor champion as he ran to victory in the 60 meters with a time of 6.83. Truitt ran a personal best and the fifth fastest time in school history in the preliminaries at 6.79 which was the top time entering Sunday's final. Truitt also finished fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.15.
In other field event action: Ernest Rollins earned All-Conference recognition with a personal best jump of 48'-10.75” (14.90m) to finish second in the men's triple jump, Alicia Fritschi had a personal best vault of 12'-2.75” (3.73m) to finish sixth in the women's pole vault; Tara Perigo had a personal best throw of 44'-11.75” (13.71m) to place fifth in the women's shot put, and Brandon Pounds had a throw of 55'-4.25” (16.87m) to finish fifth in the men's shot put.
Jeremiah Vaughan, fresh off his victory in the men's 3,000 meters, had another tough battle with Southern Illinois' Jeff Schirmer in the mile. This time Schirmer was able to outkick Vaughan on the bell lap as Vaughan finished second with a time of 4:17.11. Vaughan had handed Schirmer his first ever loss in conference action on Friday with his win in the 3,000 meters.
Jaquelle Spencer established two personal best as the Sycamore sprinter finished fourth in the women's 60 meters (7.66) and was fifth in the women's 200 meters with a personal best time of 25.14. Spencer set her personal best in the 60 meters during the preliminaries on Friday with at time of 7.60 which was third best heading into the Sunday finals.
In other track action: Adriane Wunderlich placed seventh in the women's 800 meters (2:21.21), Kacie Klem finished seventh in the women's mile (5:03.75), Tra Wilson was fifth in the men's 60 meters (6.97) and eighth in the men's 200 meters (22.52), Michael Roberts finished third in the men's 60 meter hurdles (8.07), Craig Padgett was sixth in the 5,000 meters (14:43.34), Albaro Escalera seventh in the 5,000 (14:48.61), Eric Schulz eighth in the 5,000 (14:49.61), the 4x400 meter relay team of Tykeen Fulton, Colton Slack, Andrew Stull, and Dexter Childress was fifth (3:21.55), and Steven Swinford finished sixth in the heptathlon (5,039 points).
