KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
COLUMBIA, MO. ? The Indiana State women's track & field team went toe to toe with the host Missouri Tigers, finishing second at the Tom Botts Invitational on Saturday. Sophomore Felisha Johnson was named the meet's Most Outstanding Female Athlete, an award voted on by the team's at the competition.
The Sycamore men started the day tied with Illinois for the top spot but host Missouri found their stride late in the day to capture the team title in a very close race with the Illini second and Sycamores third.
Missouri won the women's title with 174 points while the Sycamores were second to the Tigers for the third straight year as ISU scored 146 points in the meet. Missouri State was third with 111 points while Northern Illinois was fourth (71 points), Southeast Missouri fifth (70), Central Missouri sixth (65), Northern Iowa seventh (52), and Drake was eighth (45).
“We lost some points in a couple of events but overall we had a pretty good day,” Angie Martin, Indiana State women's track & field coach, said. “Felisha had an outstanding meet but she has more in her which is exciting. We have a couple of days to continue improving before the Indiana Quad next weekend.”
The Tigers took the men's title with 164 points while Illinois was second with 148 and Indiana State third with 132 points. Northern Iowa was fourth with 114 with Central Missouri finishing fifth (81 points), Drake sixth (63), and Southeast Missouri seventh (28).
“For the most part we had pretty good performances in all events,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach, said. “It was not a bad meet overall although we did struggle in a couple of events. With a little better team effort we could have placed higher but it was still a good team effort. We will see Missouri again next week at the Indiana Quadrangular along with Michigan State and the Hoosiers.”
Johnson set a meet record as she won the hammer throw today with a toss of 200'-7” (61.14 meters) which is a personal best and the third best on the ISU All-Time list. She is just the third Sycamore athlete to throw the hammer over 200 feet as Carrie Meyers went 202'-9” (61.80 meters) in 2000 and Jenny Folz went 200'-11” (61.24 meters) in 1999. The Sycamore sophomore also won the shot put on Friday with a toss of 49'-6.5” (15.10 meters).
Senior Kelsey Hanley was third in the hammer at 193'-1” (58.86 meters) and third in the discus at 151'-8” (46.23 meters) on Friday. Junior Tara Perigo also figured in the scoring for the ISU throwers with a seventh place finish in the javelin with a throw of 116'-8” (35.56 meters) and eighth in the shot put with a toss of 43'-9.25” (13.34 meters).
The only other winner for the Indiana State women on Saturday was the 4x400 meter relay team of freshman Shelby Higginbottom, sophomore Stacia Weatherford, sophomore Leeann Michl, and junior Kaci Smith who ran to victory in 3:47.89.
Junior Nicole Hope joined Johnson as a winner during Friday's competition as she led a 1-2-3 sweep by the Sycamores in the pole vault by clearing a personal best 12'-9.5” (3.90 meters) which is the third best in school history.
Sophomore Albaro Escalera, senior Michael Roberts, and junior Major Clay were individual winners for the Sycamore men during the competition on Saturday.
Escalera set the facility record by winning the 3,000 meters in a personal best time of 8:33.83 while Roberts led a 1-2 ISU finish in the 110 meter hurdles with a winning time of 14.35. Freshman Maurice Lyke was second in 14.40. Clay won his second straight high jump title at the Tom Botts Invitational, clearing 7'-1” (2.16 meters).
On Friday, senior Michael Disher won for the third straight year in the 3,000 meter steeplechase as he led a 1-2 Sycamore finish with a winning time of 9:15.06. Sophomore Dustin Betz established a personal best with a second place finish in 9:17.00.
Weatherford added two second place finishes for the Sycamore women on Saturday. The sophomore ran the second fastest 100 meter hurdle time in school history of 14.07 while running 1:01.49 to finish second in the 400 meter hurdles. Junior Sarah Snapp was seventh in the 100 hurdles (14.70) with freshman Brittany Housel third in a personal best 1:03.66 and sophomore Tori Stone seventh (1:05.18) in the 400 meter hurdles.
Higginbottom ran to a sixth place finish in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 57.41, Michl ran the eighth fastest 800 time in ISU history of 2:12.07 to finish fourth while Smith was eighth in 2:16.52, and senior Allison Malone took second in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:35.56 with junior Kacie Klem fourth (4:43.64) and sophomore Andrea Prusz eighth (4:48.25).
The 4x100 meter relay team of sophomore Shalesa Smith, sophomore Macey Black, senior Rachel Posey, and Stone was seventh in 48.72.
In the field events, freshman Rachael Johnson was sixth in the high jump by clearing a personal best 5'-5” (1.65 meters) with senior Chenelle Martin seventh (5'-3”/1.60 meters) and freshman Kelly Steffen eighth (5'-3”/1.60 meters).
Freshman Shaun Smith was fifth in the 100 meters with a personal best time of 10.80 with sophomore Justin Baxtron sixth in 10.89. Junior Andrew Stull ran to a third place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 21:57 with Smith eighth in 22.25. Freshman Brad Adams and junior Corey Hahn each posted personal bests in the 800 meters with Adams fifth in 1:52.91 and Hahn eighth in 1:53.62. Freshman Drew Gambill was seventh in the 1500 meters in a personal best 3:58.62.
Freshman Max Tuttle placed sixth in the 110 meter hurdles (15.53) and fifth in the 400 meter hurdles (52.97), freshman Jonathan Jackson eighth in the 110 meter hurdles (15.16) and seventh in the 400 meter hurdles (53.84), and freshman Ray Skamay was eighth in the 400 meter hurdles (53.95). Tuttle, Jackson, and Skamay each had personal best times in the 400 meter hurdles.
In field events Saturday: sophomore Robert Webb was seventh in the high jump (6'-4.5”/1.95 meters), junior Drew LaMaster fifth in the pole vault (15'-7.25”/4.76 meters), junior Ernest Rollins third in the triple jump (47'-6.5”/14.49 meters), freshman Kevin Piraino fourth in the triple jump (45'-7.75”/13.91 meters), and freshman Jordan Colanese eighth in the javelin (170'-8”/52.03 meters).
The Sycamore men had three teams in the 4x400 meter relay event. Jackson, Johnson, Tuttle, and Martin combined to place third in 3:L17.10 while Hahn, Piraino, Webb, and Tzirtziris finished eighth in 3:23.91, and Lyke, Skamay, Stull, and Adams ran to a ninth place finish in 3:26.11.
FRIDAY'S RECAP
Sycamore junior Nicole Hope established a new personal best by clearing 12'-9.5” (3.90 meters) to win the women's pole competition. Sophomore Richelle Kimble and senior Alicia Fritschi both cleared 11'-9.75” (3.60 meters) with Kimble awarded second and Fritschi third by number of misses.
Indiana State also won the women's shot put as sophomore Felisha Johnson had a toss of 49'-6.5” (15.10 meters). Senior Kelsey Hanley was third in the discus with a distance of 151'-8” (46.23 meters) and freshman Shelby Higginbottom was sixth in the long jump with a personal best 17'-3.5” (5.27 meters).
The only track event on the women's side was the 3,000 meter steeplechase where ISU junior Kristy Twitchell ran the eighth fastest time in school history and finished third in 11:51.36. Freshman Hanna Mercer was fourth in 12:05.54.
Only four events were contested on the men's side with the Sycamores finishing 1-2 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase led by senior Michael Disher with a winning time of 9:15.06 and Dustin Betz finishing second in a personal best 9:17.00.
Freshman Nigel Jolly soared to a second place finish in the men's long jump as he went a personal best 22'-7” (6.88 meters). Freshman Shayne Cureton was fifth at 21'-8.75” (6.62 meters) and sophomore Maurice Lyke finished eighth at 21'-5.25” (6.53 meters).
Freshman Chris Fields was 11th in the shot put at 45'-3” (13.79 meters) with sophomore Gregory McDaniel 14th in the discus throw despite a personal best distance of 134'-9” (41.08 meters).
NEXT UP
The Indiana State Sycamores will be back in action next Saturday and Sunday (April 16-17) as they compete in the Indiana Quadrangular in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana, Indiana State, Michigan State, and Missouri will be on hand for the two day event.
