KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, IND.  – The Indiana State track & field team will be busy throughout the next week as they compete at three venues over the next 10 days. The Sycamores open the stretch at the Polytan Invitational Saturday and Sunday at Indiana University with some members also scheduled to compete next week at the Eastern Illinois University Tuesday Tweener.

The week will wrap up with the annual Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa next Thursday through Saturday. Two members of the Sycamores are also competing at the 54th Mt. SAC Relays Thursday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.

Indiana State senior Craig Padgett and junior Albaro Escalera are in California to compete in the 10,000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays. The Sycamore duo will race at 11:50 p.m. (ET).

“It is really hard to find quality 10,000 meter races in this area,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach, said. “This is a great opportunity for these two to compete in a very competitive race.”

Most of the team will be at the Polytan Invitational which will be held at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University I Bloomington, Ind., Saturday and Sunday.

“We always have good performances anytime we compete against Indiana or any other close institutions,” McNichols said. “And this is the time of year when we need to run fast. Opportunities are decreasing before the conference championship next month.”

Competition in the field events begin at 4:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday with the triple jump, high jump, javelin, hammer and pole vault with the track events starting at 6:45 p.m. (ET) with the 4x100 relay. Sunday's field events begin at 11:00 a.m. with the shot put, discus, and long jump. Track events also begin at 11 a.m. (ET) with the 100 and 110 meter hurdles. Competition is expected to wrap up at 4:05 p.m. (ET) with the running of the men's 4x400 meter relay.

“We will have quality competition at Indiana,” Angela Martin, Indiana State women's track & field coach, said. “This begins a 10-day period where we will be competing in three meets and dealing with the end of the academic year. It is a very busy time but the team is focused and ready to compete.”

The Saturday-Sunday meet is rather unique in track & field but may prove to be beneficial to the Sycamores.

“It is the same setup as our conference championship which allows the athletes to get a feel for that style of meet,” Martin said. “We are looking for good performances as we get closer to the conference championship.”

The second meet of the 10-day stretch will be the Tuesday Tweener which will be contested at Eastern Illinois University starting at 2 p.m. (ET) with the field events.

“The throwers will probably compete in both meets but the track athletes will be doing one or the other,” Martin said. “There may be a few exceptions, however.”

Seven relays and eight individuals from the men's team along with eight individuals and three relays from the women's team have been accepted for the Drake Relays (Apr. 26-28).

Sycamore Athletes In The Rankings

Eight Sycamores are ranked among the best athletes on the national performance list for the 2012 Outdoor season including five women and three men.

Indiana State junior Felisha Johnson is ranked among the nation's best in three events after the first four weeks of the Outdoor season.  Johnson is 10th nationally in the shot put with her winning throw of 55-feet-1½-inches at the EIU Big Blue Classic. The mark is also the fourth best in the NCAA East, the top distance in the Great Lakes Region, and the third best in the Valley.

Johnson also ranks 26th nationally in the hammer throw after throwing a season best distance of 195-feet-4-inches at the Pacesetter Quadrangular. The mark also ranks 11th in the NCAA East, second in the Great Lakes, and third in the Valley. The junior posted a personal best distance of 161-feet-9-inches in the discus at the Big Blue Classic which ranks 64th in the nation, 25th in the NCAA East, and eighth in the Valley.

Indiana State junior Mary Theisen ranks 27th in the nation for the discus throw after posting a distance of 170-freet-7-inches at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic. That is the 10th best in the NCAA East, fifth in the Great Lakes, and third best in the Valley. Theisen also ranks 40th nationally in the shot put with a distance of 50-feet-11-inches she posted at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic. That ranks 21st in the NCAA East and fourth in the Valley.

Junior Leeann Michl came with a second of setting the school record in the 800 meters at the Auburn Tiger Classic with a winning time of 2:06.67. The winning effort is the 26th fastest in the nation this season, 14th in the NCAA East, second in the Great Lakes Region, and is the fastest time in the Valley.

Junior Stacia Weatherford ran a personal best and the second best time in school history of 59.41 seconds in winning the 400 meter hurdles at the Big Blue Classic. That ranks her 35th in the nation, 16th in the NCAA East, third in the Great Lakes Region, and second in the Valley.

Junior Richelle Kimble cleared a personal best height of 12-feet-11½-inches at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic which moved her to 47th nationally, 22nd in the NCAA East, seventh in the Great Lakes Region, and on top of the leaderboard for the Missouri Valley Conference.

Sophomore Kelly Steffen scored a personal best 4,772 points in the Heptathlon at the Big Blue Classic which ranks fourth in the Valley, fifth in the Great Lakes Region, 24th in the NCAA East, and 63rd nationally.

Junior Brandon Pounds threw a personal best distance of 214-feet-4-inches in the hammer throw at the Auburn Tiger Classic to establish a new school record. The distance ranks as the eighth best distance in the nation, fifth in the NCAA East and the top distance in both the Valley and Great Lakes Region this season.

Sophomore Greggmar Swift ran 14.00 in the 110 meter high hurdles at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic which ranks 31st in the nation, 16th in the NCAA East, second in the Great Lakes Region, and third best in the Valley.

Junior Robert Webb ranks 44th nationally in the men's Decathlon after scoring a personal best 6,608 points in winning the event at the EIU Big Blue Classic. That is also the 18th best in the NCAA East, and fifth best in the Valley and Great Lakes Region.

Sycamores in the Rankings

The Sycamore men's team dropped four spots in the outdoor track and field national rankings produced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with Indiana State now ranked 66th nationally. Illinois State is the top school from the Missouri Valley Conference at 45th with Indiana State 66th, Southern Illinois 84th, Wichita State 87th, Drake 103rd, and Northern Iowa 122nd. Among Indiana schools, the Hoosiers are ranked ninth in the nation followed by Notre Dame in 65th, Indiana State 66th, and Purdue 98th.

The Indiana State women's team dropped six spots in the outdoor track and field rankings produce by the USTFCCCA with the Sycamores ranked 88th in the Week Three rankings. Southern Illinois is the top school from the Missouri Valley Conference at 23rd with Illinois State moving into the top 25 for the first time this season at 2th. Wichita State is currently 56th with Indiana State 88th, Northern Iowa 114th, Drake 136th, and Missouri State 181st. Among Indiana schools, Indiana is ranked 70th followed by Indiana State at 88th, Purdue 94th, Notre Dame 104th, and Ball State 155th.