KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The race for the Missouri Valley Conference team championship on the men's side was determined with two races to go. On the women's side, the title was up for grabs heading into the final event as the Indiana State women trailed the Salukis of Southern Illinois by five points.
Indiana State needed a big finish and a big finish is exactly what they received courtesy of the 4x400 meter relay team.
After Southern Illinois ran in the opening heat of the relay, the Sycamore women knew exactly what they needed and ran 3:45.30 to finish second overall. The eight points were enough to give Indiana State the win with 122 points.
“This was a great win for us,” Angie Martin, Indiana State women's track & Field head coach, said. “It was a fairytale ending with lots of ups and downs.
Indiana State ended the two-day event with 122 points and claimed the title for the second straight year. Southern Illinois finished second with 119 points while Wichita State was third (103.5), Northern Iowa fourth (77.5), Illinois State fifth (77), Missouri State sixth (58), Bradley seventh (47), Drake eighth (34), and Loyola-Chicago ninth (24).
The Sycamore men won their third straight title and fourth in the past five years by scoring 141 points. Wichita State was second (117) with Loyola-Chicago third (108), Southern Illinois fourth (102), Illinois State fifth (72), Northern Iowa sixth (65), Drake seventh (33), and Bradley eighth (24).
“On paper I had it really tight,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field head coach said. “In fact I had Wichita State by a couple of points by the end of the day. I knew that it was going to go event by event. Fortunately we had a really nice team effort.”
McNichols has seen close contests before as he was coaching in his 95th Missouri Valley Conference championship including cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. The veteran Sycamore coach earned his fourth MVC Coach of the Year recognition (his 23rd overall) after the team victory.
While the women received a surge from the 4x400 relay team, the men got a surge from a 1-2-3 finish in the 60 meter hurdles.
“That is when things really came to life,” McNichols said. “That seemed to charge us up and send a surge of adrenalin through the team. From that point on we took control of the meet.”
The Southern Illinois women dominated the field events and came up with some surprises on the track.
“Southern Illinois gave us a big scare,” Martin said. “They are tremendously talented and kept chipping away at us. So going into the 4x4 we were behind and we knew we had to be in the top three to have a chance. These girls really put it together and we came out on top. This team has really bonded together and they are just a joy to be around.”
Martin earned her second Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year recognition.
Adarius Washington spearheaded the charge by the Indiana State men as he led a sweep of the top three places in the men's 60 meter hurdles. Washington finished in a career best 7.77 seconds which is the 11th fastest in the nation and should earn him an invitation to the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks.
Washington received the Valley's Men's Track Most Outstanding Performer award for having the highest nationally ranked finish at the Championships.
This is the third straight year that a Sycamore has stood on top the podium for the event as Greggmar Swift won the title in 2013 and 2014.
Sophomore Daley Carter also had a personal best as he finished second in 7.94 seconds with senior Tristan Joynes also setting a personal best with an 8.01 finish for third. Freshman Grant Stamm was the fourth Sycamore in the finals and placed sixth as he equaled his personal best of 8.12.
Also claiming a championship on the men's side was John Mascari who earned a double at the championships by winning the 3,000 meters in 8:14.52. Mascari won the 5,000 meters on Saturday. Justin Kunz was the last Sycamore to win the 5,000 meters (2006) and Jeremiah Vaughn was the last 3,000 meter winning (2010).
David Timlin had a busy day for the Sycamore men, placing eighth in the 3,000 meters (8:26.06) after making a late charge to finish second in the 800 meters (1:54.14) and fourth in the mile (4:14.07). Timlin was tripped and lost stride but rallied to finish in fourth in a hotly contest men's mile where the top four were separated by just a quarter of a second.
Alethia Marrero earned her first MVC Championship as she ran away with the women's 400 meter title in 54.50. The sophomore outraced 2014 champion Althia Maximilien of Missouri State who finished second in 54.97. Erica Moore was Indiana State's last 400 meter champion in 2008.
Jamie Newsome captured the women's triple jump title as she soared to a career best 41'-4.5” (12.61m) to become the Sycamores first triple jump winner since Lauren Martin in 2010. Carmelia Stewart was sitting fifth heading into her final attempt but came through with a leap of 41'-2.5” (12.56m) to take third. Newsome moved into third on the all-time list by just a centimeter (quarter-inch) as Stewart's career best is 41'4.25” (12.60m).
Freshman LaVisa Evans became Indiana State's first women's high jump champion since Santia Spight in 2006 when she cleared 5'-6.5” (1.69m). Evans, SIU's Cetrena Simmons, and Wichita State's Breanne Borman all cleared the bar at 5'-6.5” but Evans go the win with fewer misses. Simmons was second.
Arqeil Shaw, Jonathan Jackson, Terry McGee and Tyrell Dowdell combined in the men's 4x400 and finished second in 3:16.67. The Sycamores had the lead most of the race but Illinois State came on strong to edge the Indiana State relay team by two-hundredths of a second (3:16.65).
Chidera Obasih, Alethia Marrero, Oschtisha Jackson, and Jamie Newsome carried the team title hopes for the Sycamore women in the 4x400 meter relay and raced to a second place finish in 3:45.30. Indiana State and Missouri State were step for step during most of the race before the Bears edged ahead on the final lap to win in 3:43.34.
Arqeil Shaw raced to a second place finish in the men's 400 meters with a 48.63 finish as Illinois State's Anderson Devonish was able to hold off the Sycamore in the final 20 meters to take the win in 48.14.
Katie Wise was looking for her second straight double after winning the 200 meters Saturday night. However, the Sycamore junior was edged at the line by three-hundredths of a second as Wichita State's Nikki Larch-Miller took the win in 7.41 and Wise was second in 7.44. Junior Chidera Obasih ran 7.50 to finish third.
Scott Schreiber was the only Sycamore in the men's 60 meter final and ran a personal best 6.83 seconds to finish third overall.
DeSean Prentice led the Indiana State effort in the men's high jump as he placed second by clearing 6'-9.5” (2.07m) with freshman Jaime Murtagh fifth at 6'-7.5” (2.02m). SIU's Kyle Landon was the champion at 6'-10.75” (2.10m).
Junior Kimyanna Rudolph earned a podium spot with a third place finish in the women's pole vault as she cleared 13'-0.75” (3.98m). Freshman Jessica Melchi was 13th (11'-3”/3.43m) and freshman Breanna Herring 17th (10'-9”/3.28m).
Nicole Lucas, less than 24 hours after running a school record 16:52.94 in placing fourth in the women's 5,000 meters, competed in the women's 3,000 meters Sunday and ran 9:50.14 to finish sixth. Lucas had set the school record of 9:47.18 earlier this season.
Freshman Taylor Austin's ran in a very competitive women's mile finale and came away with a ninth place finish in 5:06.31. Carmelia Stewart did not fare well in the women's 60 meter hurdle finals as she struggled out of the blocks and finished seventh in 8.72 seconds.
Katie Bekavac and Ioanna Koltisdou tied for ninth in the women's high jump by clearing 5'-3.25” (1.51m) with Brooke Deighton 17th at 4'-11.5” (1.50m). Jessica Melchi was 13th in the pole vault at 11'-3” (3.43m) with Breana Herring 17th at 10'-9” (3.28m).
Whitney Walker and Katelyn Rutz advanced to the finals of the women's shot put where Walker finished fifth overall at 49'-1” (14.96m) and Rutz sixth at 48'-11.5” (14.92m). Jasmine Noel was 12th at 41'-9.75” (12.74m).
Justin Applegate led the Sycamore men in the shot put with a heave of 49'-1” (14.96m) and 10th place. Sean Dennis was 11th with a distance of 48'-3.75” (14.85m) with Ryan Chestnut 13th at 47-8” (14.53m).
Wehmiller was third fastest in the 60 meter hurdles to start the second day of the Heptathlon competition with an 8.36 finish which was just shy of his personal best of 8.34. The junior cleared 13'-9.25” (4.20m) in the pole vault but ran 2:56.12 in the 1,000 meters to finish fifth overall with 5,093 points. He was just five points out of fourth and 18 points from a podium finish in third.
