KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State's Felisha Johnson and Brandon Pounds will join former Sycamore and current volunteer assistant coach Kylie Hutson and former Sycamore Drake Sterling in competition at the 2013 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. The championship will be contested at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Alburquerque, N.M., on Saturday and Sunday.

Pounds is second on the collegiate leaderboard in the men's weight throw after throwing a school record distance of 73-feet-11.75-inches (22.55 meters) at the Meyo Invitational earlier this season. He also ranks fourth on the USA list which includes collegians and professionals.

Pounds had the collegiate lead until last weekend when Virginia Tech senior Alexander Ziegler had a throw of 77-feet-8.75-inches (23.69 meters) in winning the ACC Championship.

He will be going up against 11 of the best throwers in the United States led by Thomas Freeman (Nike/New York Athletic Club) who has the best throw of the current indoor season at 76-feet-11.25-inches (23.45 meters). AG Kruger (Nike) ranks second at 75-feet-6.25-inches (23.02 meters).

The men's weight throw will be held at 3:15 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

Johnson is on top of the collegiate leaderboard in the women's weight throw after throwing a school record distance of 75-feet-8-inches (23.06 meters) at the EIU Friday Night Special. She also ranks third on the USA list which includes collegians and professionals.

Johnson will be going up against nine of the best throwers in the nation including two former Southern Illinois athletes. Former Saluki Jeneva McCall (New York Athletic Club) has the top throw entering the competition at 78-feet-6.5-inches (23.94 meters) while the other former SIU athlete, Gwen Berry (New York Athletic Club) goes in second at 77-feet-2.5-inches (23.53 meters).

The women's weight throw will begin at 6:05 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

Hutson, the 2011 USA Outdoor Champion and four-time NCAA Champion, will be among the 12 athletes competing in the women's pole vault. The former Sycamore currently ranks second in the United States and fifth in the World rankings after clearing 15-feet-3-inches (4.65 meters) at the Millrose Games. She has put together back-to-back jumps of over 15-feet this season.

Chief among her competitors is Jennifer Suhr (Adidas) who ranks first in the United States and third in the world with a jump of 15-feet-7.25-inches (4.76 meters) and Mary Saxer who is third in the United States and 13th in the world with a jump of 14-feet-11-inches (4.55 meters).

Hutson placed fourth at the 2012 Indoor Championship and fifth in 2011. She will be looking for her first USA Indoor title when the competition begins at 6:15 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

Former Sycamore Drake Sterling (Indiana Invaders) will be competing in the men's 800 meters. He has the sixth fastest time among the 17 entrants to the Indoor Championships after running 1:49.54 this year. Tyler Mulder (Nike/Oregon TC Elite) has the top time of 1:46.80.

The preliminaries of the 800 meters will run at 6:35 p.m. (ET) Saturday with the finals set for 4:25 p.m. (ET) Sunday.