TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - While the weather was rainy and cold on Saturday afternoon, the Indiana State Men's and Women's teams came out hot and battled their way to victory at the John Gartland Team Invitational.
 
The Sycamore men claimed victory over Southern Illinois (116) and DePaul (52) with 131 points, while the women recorded 172 points and overpowered Southern Illinois (127), Missouri State (114) and DePaul (68).
 
"We are thankful that all the teams that came to the John Gartland Invitational made it here safely and it turned out to be a great competitive meet," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "It was nice to see both our teams come out on top. We have been working hard and are getting to the mid-season grind. I think we are ready for the fun part of traveling and seeing different levels of competition. Our team is learning something every week that will prepare them for the tougher competition ahead."
 
There were bright spots on both sides for the Trees, but perhaps one of the biggest performances of the day came from freshman pole vaulter Callan Whitehouse who won the event for the first time in his collegiate career with a lifetime-best mark of 4.92m (16-01.75). He now has the second-best mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Youth continued to play a role in the field for the men, as sophomore Corey DuPriest claimed the long jump title on Saturday afternoon with a jump of 6.89m (22-07.25), holding off Willie Rodgers of Southern Illinois by two inches.
 
Once again, freshman Matthew-Lewis put on a show in the 60-meter hurdles, this time recording a new facility record time of 8.05 in the preliminary round. He followed that performance by winning finals at 8.13. Stephen Griffith took third with a final time of 8.27. Banks owns the second-fastest time in the Valley.
 
The distance events were crucial to the Sycamores success for the men, with distance standout Akis Medrano winning the mile with a time of 4:18.61, just .12 ahead of ahead of teammate Cale Kilian who posted a new personal-best in second place of 4:18.73.
 
Ryan Cash and Quentin Pierce once again earned a one-two finish, this time in the men's 3K. Cash came out on top, clocking a time of 8:36.42 while Quentin Pierce was right on his tail, just .01 behind him at 8:36.43.
 
In the distance medley relay, the ISU men claimed victory over DePaul, crossing the finish line at 10:43.45, eight seconds ahead of the Blue Demons. They are now second in the conference.
 
Sophomore Jarel Shaw brought home a win in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.69, edging out James Croft of Southern Illinois.
 
On the women's side, Cassaundra Roper was once again in control of the shot put, recording the top throw of 15.27m (50-01.25) to take the crown. She also finished third in the weight throw at 19.45m (63-09.75). She leads the MVC in the shot put.
 
After Whitehouse won the pole vault on the men's side, Kim Jackson completed the sweep in the pole vault for the blue and white, finishing atop the standings with a vault of 3.67m (12-00.50). Her performance gives her the third-best mark in the conference.
 
The 60-meter hurdles yielded strong results for Indiana State with Ayanna Morgan taking the top spot, racing to a time of 8.54. Fellow Barbados-native, Allana Ince, placed second behind Morgan with a time of 8.62. Morgan and Ince are still the top-two hurdlers in the MVC.
 
Junior Imani Davis and sophomore Rebecca Odusola finished in the top two positions of the 800-meter run for the Sycamores on Saturday. Davis led the way by recording a time of 2:13.97 and Odusola was close behind her at 2:15.06.
 
It was another strong weekend on the track for Brooke Moore who cruised to victory in the mile run, winning the event by eight seconds with a time of 4:51.05 over Grace Breiten of Missouri State. Moore's time converts to 4:48.20, which is at the top in the conference.
 
Moore was also a member of the winning distance medley relay team alongside Jessi Conley, Ayanna Morgan and Tara Cassidy who crossed the finish line at 12:16.57 for a 22 second victory. The DMR team is the best in the Valley.
 
The Sycamores will be back in action next Saturday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. ET in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. for the Illini open.
 
Other Notable Performances
Men's 60m Dash:
2. Jarel Shaw - 7.00
 
Men's 200m Dash:
3. Ejiroghene Biokoro - 23.09
 
Men's 400m Dash:
2. Antonio Davis - 51.32
 
Men's Mile Run:
3. Isaac Bentz - 4:22.35
 
Men's 5K:
2. Ben Payton - 15:34.63
 
Men's 4X400m Relay:
2. Rhett Blake, Stephen Griffith, Antonio Davis, Ejiroghene Biokoro - 3:23.91
 
Men's High Jump:
3. Nathan Kiger - 1.96m (6-05.00)
 
Men's Pole Vault:
2. Antoine Howard - 4.77m (15-07.75)
3. Riley Smith - 4.62m (15-01.75)
 
Men's Triple Jump:
3. Dearis Herron - 13.93m (45-08.50)
 
Women's 200m Dash:
2. Ayanna Morgan - 25.04
 
Women's 3K
2. Jocelyn Quiles - 10:12.28
3. Alli Workman - 10:15.20
 
Women's 4X400m Relay:
3. Imani Davis, Imani Hall, Rebecca Odusola, Bri Buggs
 
Women's High Jump
2. Marisa Marshall - 1.63m (5-04.25)
 
Women's Pole Vault:
2. Madison Fields - 3.52m (11-06.50)
3. Hanna Atwood - 3.52m (11-06.50)
 
Women's Long Jump:
2. Caitlyn Redmon - 5.64m (18-06.00)
 
Women's Triple Jump:
2. Tasjia Thomas - 11.70m (38-04.75)
 
Women's Weight Throw:
2. Erin Reese - 20.41m (66-11.50)
3. Cassaundra Roper - 19.45m (63-09.75)
 
Men's Team Scores:
1. Indiana State - 131
2. Southern Illinois - 116
3. DePaul - 52
 
Women's Team Scores:
1. Indiana State - 172
2. Southern Illinois - 127
3. Missouri State - 114
4. DePaul - 68
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.