KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? Four members of the Indiana State women's track & field team will be joined by one member of the men's team in competition at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark.
Seniors Kylie Hutson (Terre Haute, Ind.), Erica Moore (Sullivan, Ind.), and Lauren Martin (Schaumburg, Ill.) are joined by junior Kelsey Hanley (Arcadia, Ind.) and junior Major Clay (Springfield, Ill.) as qualifiers for the championships. Three other Sycamores, freshman Felisha Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.), senior Josh Williams (South Bend, Ind.), and sophomore Brandon Pounds (Indianapolis, Ind.) were on the bubble and did not get an invitation.
Hutson, a two-time indoor All-American, claimed the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championship with a vault of 14'-4.75” (4.35 meters). Since then she has raised the bar over her competitors culminating in a vault of 14'-8.25” (4.48 meters) which she cleared in winning her fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference title in February. Hutson has won all seven of the events she has competed in during the 2009-2010 indoor season. This will be her fourth trip to the NCAA Indoor Championship.
“Kylie probably has the most pressure on her since she is the defending Indoor and Outdoor Champion,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's track & field coach, said. “She has consistently improved her technique throughout the season which has resulted in record setting performances. One thing about Kylie is that she seems to excel in competition like she will face this year. It is such a deep pool of athletes competing that it will be a very close and exciting competition to watch.”
The Sycamore senior will face some stiff competition as 15 of the 17 scheduled competitors automatically qualified for the event. Among the top competitors are Arkansas sophomore Tina Sutej who cleared 14'-7.5” (4.46 meters) in winning the SEC championship, and Minnesota senior Alicia Rue who Hutson defeated in a fierce battle at the Iowa State Classic earlier this winter.
Moore will be competing in the 800 meters and is currently ranked 11th in the nation with a time of 2:05.20 which she ran in finishing third at the Meyo Invitational. The senior had also provisionally qualified for the 400 meters and the pentathlon. This will be her third trip to the NCAA Indoor Championship.
“A year ago we tried to do the double (800 meters and pentathlon) with Erica but this year we are putting all our eggs into one basket,” Gartland said. “I think that concentrating on this one race will be out the best in her and I know that she can run faster.”
Moore has won four of the five 800 meter races she has competed in this indoor season including capturing her second straight Missouri Valley Conference title in February.
The top three times in the 800 meters were recorded at the SEC Championship on Feb. 26 with Tennessee senior Phoebe Wright winning in 2:01.47, Tennessee sophomore Chanelle Price second in 2:03.12, and LSU senior LaTavia Thomas third in 2:03.77. The two individuals who beat Moore at the Meyo Invitational are next with Missouri senior Shannon Leinert fourth at 2:04.32 and Indiana senior Molly Beckwith fifth at 2:04.50.
Martin will be making her second trip to the NCAA Indoor Championship after being named an All-American a year ago in the women's triple jump. The senior captured her third straight Missouri Valley Conference indoor title in the event with a jump of 43'-7.75” (13.30 meters) which set an Indiana State and Missouri Valley Conference record, and automatically qualified her for the NCAAs. It is the seventh best jump in the nation entering the NCAA Indoor Championship.
“Lauren has very high goals for herself at this meet,” Gartland said. “She has been very consistent this season in improving her performance and I believe that she has a big jump in her.”
Martin has won five of the six triple jump events she has competed in this season. Florida State junior Kimberly Williams is the top qualifier heading into the NCAA Championships as she won the ACC Indoor title with a jump of 46'-8.25” (14.23 meters).
Hanley will also be making her second trip to the NCAA Indoor Championship and is going with a very positive attitude.
“Kelsey and her coach, Adam Judge, are going into this competition with the idea that she has nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Gartland said. “She has shown great improvement throughout the season and she will give it her best effort this weekend.”
Hanley enters the competition as the fourth ranked athlete in the nation with a throw of 68'-9.25” (20.96 meters), a mark she hit in finishing second at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships. She has consistently improved her distance since the first meet of the season.
Only three athletes have thrown over 70-feet this season and two of them occurred at the Big East Indoor Championship by Louisville junior D'Ana McCarty (74'-0.25”) and senior Jere' Summers (73'-4”). Southern Illinois sophomore Jeneva McCall, who edged Hanley at the MVC Indoor, has a season best throw of 70'-0.25” at the Indiana Gladstein Invitational.
Clay will be entering his first NCAA Indoor Championship with the consistency and ability that could make him a contender for podium spot. The junior had a season best jump of 7'-3” (2.21 meters) in winning the Iowa State Classic and has consistently been over 7-feet this indoor season.
“This is the culmination of a great year for him,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach, said. “He has been extremely consistent all season long and has really improved his approach with the help of Coach Gartland. High jump is one of those events that as the bar goes up, anything can happen.”
Clay, who won his first Missouri Valley title this season, is in the mix for a top spot at the NCAA Championships as just two inches separate the top 10 competitors. Indiana sophomore Derek Drouin and Nebraska junior Paul Hamilton have both cleared 7'-5” (2.26 meters) to lead the field.
“I would like to congratulate all our coaches, especially Adam Judge, Jeff Martin, and Angie Martin, for getting these athletes ready to compete,” Gartland said.
The three ISU athletes who were provisional qualifiers but did not make the field were still very close to making it into the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Johnson is the first athlete looking in as the NCAA took 17 competitors for the women's weight throw and the Sycamore freshman ranks 18th in the nation with a throw of 65'-3.25” (19.89 meters).
Williams finished the indoor season ranked 21st in the weight throw with a distance of 66'-7.25” (20.30 meters) with the NCAA taking only the top 15 into the competition.
Pounds finished ranked 32nd in the shot put with a distance of 59'-2.75” (18.05 meters) with the NCAA taking only the top 15 into the Indoor Championship.
The Sycamore coaches and athletes will depart on Wednesday for Fayetteville. Competition begins at 11 a.m. (ET) on both Friday and Saturday. Hanley will compete at 1 p.m. (ET) Friday with Moore running in the 800 preliminaries at approximately 8:10 p.m. (ET). Clay will compete in the high jump starting at 5:45 p.m. (ET) Saturday with Hutson beginning defense of her title at 6 p.m. (ET), and Martin competing in the triple jump at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
