KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, IND.  - Three are in. Two more are on the bubble. Three others are seeking improvements in their performance to receive an invitation to the 2012 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The final weekend of the indoor track & field regular season features Last Chance meets across the nation with Indiana State competing at two locations.

One member of the Sycamores will be competition at the University of Wisconsin NCAA Qualifier Open Meet on Friday while five others journey to the Virginia Tech Final Qualifier on Saturday.

The2012 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be contested on March 9 and 10 in Nampa, Idaho, and hosted by Boise State.

Taking the weekend off to prepare for the NCAA Championships are Felisha Johnson, Major Clay, and Brandon Pounds who have already automatically qualified. Nicole Hope (pole vault) and Greggmar Swift (60 meter hurdles) are on the bubble and will compete at Virginia Tech this weekend to enhance their credentials for the NCAAs.

Also competing at Virginia Tech are three individuals who are ranked high enough to have a shot at an invitation but need to improve their performances to receive that bid including Richelle Kimble (pole vault), Maurice Lyke (long jump), and Ernest Rollins (triple jump).

Mary Theisen will compete in the shot put at the Univeristy of Wisconsin on Friday.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS

Johnson, the defending NCAA Champion in the women's weight throw, automatically qualified for the 2012 NCAA Championship in the event with a throw of 71'-1.25" (21.67 meters) at the EIU Early Bird back on Dec. 29. She should also receive an invitation to compete in the shot put after setting the Indiana State school record with a distance of 55'-5.75" (16.91 meters) at the MVC Indoor Championships. She currently ranks second on the national performance list in the weight throw and 10th in the shot put.

The junior was a provisional qualifier for the 2010 NCAA Championships as a freshman but did not receive a bid to compete after posting the 18th best throw in the nation that season. She was named a First Team All-American in 2011 after winning the national championship in the weight throw with a school record throw of 74'-5.75" (22.69 meters).

Clay surpassed the automatic qualifying mark in the men's high jump twice this season, the last time coming at the EIU Friday Night Special where he established an Indiana State record by clearing 7'-5" (2.26 meters). He won his third straight MVC Indoor Championship last weekend and ranks third on the national performance list.

The senior will be making his third trip to the NCAA Championships. Clay placed 11th and was named a Second Team All-American in 2011 after placing 12th at the 2010 Championships. He was a provisional qualifier in 2009 and was the first one out of the championships.

Pounds will be making his first trip to the NCAA Championships after provisionally qualifying in both the shot put and weight throw in 2009 and 2010. The junior missed the 2011 season due to a wrist injury but has returned better than ever, automatically qualifying in the weight throw with a distance of 70'-8.5" (21.55 meters) at the EIU Friday Night Special. Pounds ranks ninth on the national performance list in the weight throw and placed second in the event at the MVC Indoor Championships.

ON THE BUBBLE

Nicole Hope won her first MVC Indoor Championship in the women's pole vault last weekend by clearing a personal best 13'-11" (4.24 meters) which moved her up to 12th on the national performance list. The top 15 performers receive an invitation to the NCAA Indoor Championships. The automatic qualifying mark is 14'-3.25" (4.35 meters).

The senior will be looking to clear 14-feet when she competes at noon in Blacksburg, Va., a height that would almost guarantee a bid to the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. Six athletes have automatically qualified for the event leaving nine slots open. Five athletes are tied for 13th on the national performance list at 13'-10.5" (4.23 meters).

Greggmar Swift is a world caliber hurdler who competed in several international competitions for his home country of Barbados and is now looking to make his mark in the ISU record books as another in a long list of outstanding hurdlers who have worn the blue and white. The sophomore broke the Edmonds Cup record by running a personal best 7.77 seconds to win the event which is the 15th best time on the national performance list.

In an event where hundredths of a second matters, Swift will be looking to whittle that time down closer to the automatic qualifying time of 7.70 when he competes at Virginia Tech Saturday. The preliminaries begin at 12:10 p.m. He is currently tied with four others for the 15th spot on the national performance list and any hundredths of a second reduction in that time would enhance his chances to make his first ever NCAA Indoor Championships.  Five have automatically qualified which leaves10 bid remaining to be filled.

LOOKING TO MOVE UP

Mary Theisen transferred to Indiana State from Winona State University where she earned All-American honors with a sixth place finish at the 2011 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in both the shot put and weight throw. Theisen has been improving every week under the guidance of Sycamore throws coach Erin Gilreath with personal bests of 53'-3" (16.23 meters) in the shot put and 59'-4" (18.08 meters) in the weight throw.

Theisen will be competing in the shot put starting at 4 p.m. (ET) in Madison, Wis., on the campus of the University of Wisconsin.

The sophomore currently ranks 23rd on the national performance list in the shot put with her heave of 53'-3" (16.23 meters) at the MVC Indoor Championships. She will be seeking to close in on the automatic qualifying distance of 56'-5.25" (17.20 meters) or at least improve by a foot to break into the top 15. Six individuals have already automatically qualified which leaves nine spots open. Two are currently tied for 14th on the national performance list with a distance of 54'-2" (16.51 meters).

Richelle Kimble is the second Sycamore who has a shot at advancing to the NCAA Indoors in the women's pole vault after clearing a personal best 13'-5" (4.09 meters) in a second place finish at the MVC Indoor Championships. Kimble will join Hope in competing at Virginia Tech starting at noon Saturday.

The junior currently ranks 33rd on the national performance list but has the potential to break into the top 15 under the guidance of jumps coach Jeff Martin. Six athletes have automatically qualified for the event leaving nine slots open. Five athletes are tied for 13th on the national performance list at 13'-10.5" (4.23 meters).

Ernest Rollins won his second straight MVC Indoor Championship in the men's triple jump and is looking for his first trip to the NCAA Indoors in his final season of competition as a Sycamore. The senior has a personal best leap of 51'-1.75" (15.59 meters) which he accomplished at the Meyo Invitational which ranks him 25th on the national performance list.

Rollins will be looking to close in on the automatic qualifying mark of 53'-5.25" (16.30 meters) which only three athletes have accomplished this season. That leaves 12 spots open for the NCAA field and he is just six inches short of the 15th best distance on the national performance list of 51'-10.5" (15.81 meters).

Maurice Lyke won the long jump competition at the MVC Indoor Championships and has a personal best jump of 24'-2.25" (7.37 meters) accomplished at the Meyo Invitational this season. The sophomore currently ranks 65th on the national performance list but stands a good chance of making the leap up into the top 15.

Only three individuals have surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 26'-3" (8.00 meters) and Lyke is just a foot back of the 15th best distance on the national performance list of 25'-2.5" (7.68 meters).

Lyke will compete in the long jump at noon in Virginia Tech with Rollins competing in the triple jump after the conclusion of the long jump competition.