NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After a tough day one of competition, the Indiana State Track & Field teams produced several strong performances on day two of the Music City Challenge, led by Brooke Moore's school record in the 3000-meter run.
 
"Today was a better day for our teams and our coaches were much happier with the efforts our teams put out," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "We had several top-five finishes at the end of the day and made some good progress."
 
Moore, a distance star for the blue and white, put her foot on the gas and never let up during the women's seeded 3000-meter run. The senior raced across the line with a school record time of 9:23.53 to overtake Taylor Austin's previous record of 9:23.58 from last season while also placing second only behind Hannah Miller of Southern Methodist. She now boasts the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference in the women's 3K.
 
The 3000-meter run on the men's side also yielded good results, as ISU placed three athletes in the top-10. Distance standout Akis Medrano led the charge on Saturday, taking fifth in a strong field of competition with a time of 8:17.35, which is fifth in the Valley.
 
Quentin Pierce finished close behind Medrano in the 3K, taking seventh at 8:19.99 for the sixth-fastest time in the conference, while Ryan Cash closed out the group, placing ninth at 8:21.37 which comes in at eighth in the MVC.
 
Freshman Matthew Lewis-Banks continued to excel in the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday as he qualified for the final round after earning a time qualifier spot in the prelims with a time of 8.10. Lewis-Banks rose to the occasion during the final round and clocked a time of 7.96 to take third in the event. The winner of the event, Caleb Parker of Southern Mississippi, recorded the eighth-best time nationally of 7.73. Lewis-Banks' time of 7.93 from the Illini Invitational still leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is 48th in the NCAA.
 
Barbados native Ayanna Morgan also earned herself a spot in the women's 60-meter hurdles finals after winning her heat in the preliminary rounds with a time of 8.74, the eighth-fastest time in prelims. The finals saw Morgan move-up the field as the senior finished fourth overall and third among collegians at 8.52. Her time of 8.39 from the Meyo Invitational is first in the Valley.
 
The top-10 performances didn't end there thanks to the women's 4X400-meter relay team which was composed of Ayanna Morgan, Imani Davis, Imani Hall and Rebecca Odusola. With events winding down and the only event remaining being the relays, the women raced to a seventh place finish overall, recording a time of 3:48.06 which is a new season-best. Their time is third overall in the conference.
 
In the field, Cassaundra Roper once again led the way for the Trees. Saturday featured her premiere event, the shot put, and the redshirt senior ended up placing fifth out of 42 athletes with a season-best mark of 15.95m (52-04.00). Her mark pushes her back to first in the Valley after A'veun Moore-Jones of Southern Illinois threw 15.82m (51-11.00) on Friday. In addition to the top throw in the conference, Roper's mark also moves her up to 28th on the national list.
 
Tasjia Thomas also put on a strong performance in the field for the ISU women with an 11th place finish in the triple jump. Thomas jumped to a personal-best mark of 11.91m (39-01.00) which was seventh among competing collegians. The junior now claims the fifth-best jump in the MVC.
 
Indiana State will be back in action next Friday, Feb. 15 when they travel to Charleston, Ill., for the EIU Friday Night Special.
 
Other Notable Performances
Men's 60m Dash:
14. JaVaughn Moore - 6.92
19. Blayne Harrington - 6.95
 
Men's 60m Hurdles:
11. Stephen Griffith - 8.21
16. Daryl Black - 8.38
17. Tremaine Gonzalez - 8.40
18. Avery Taylor - 8.40
22. Kaleb Budde - 8.66
 
Women's 60m Hurdles:
24. Caitlyn Redmon - 9.01
25. McKendra Hout - 9.01
 
Women's 400m Dash:
22. Rebecca Odusola - 57.63
 
Men's 800m Run:
14. Isaac Bentz - 1:54.01
 
Women's 800m Run:
12. Imani Davis - 2:10.44
 
Men's 3K:
14. Cale Kilian - 8:27.89
 
Women's 3K:      
27. Jocelyn Quiles - 10:03.75
 
Men's 4X400m Relay:
11. Antonio Davis, Stephen Griffith, Ejiroghene Biokoro, Kaleb Budde - 3:20.82
 
Women's Pole Vault:
22. Kim Jackson - 3.58m (11-09.00)
 
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.