NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Indiana State Track & Field team got the outdoor season started out on the right track as they picked up several strong performances on day one of the Black & Gold Invitational.
 
The distance events were good to the Sycamore men on Friday evening, led by senior Ryan Cash in the men's 5K. The Zionsville, Ind. native walked away the Black & Gold Invitational champion after winning the 5K with a time of 14:46.65, a victory by nearly seven second and now the top time in the Missouri Valley Conference, ninth in the East Region and 25th in the nation.
 
Distance standout Akis Medrano also managed to race to a top-five finish on Friday, as the senior placed fifth in the men's 1500-meter run, clocking a time of 3:52.04. After his performance, he owns the top time in the conference and is 14th in the East.
 
The men's 200-meter dash produced a pair of career-best performances from the ISU freshmen. Ejiroghene Biokoro led the sprinters by finishing in 10th with his lifetime-best performance of 21.62. Fellow freshman JaVaughn Moore was right behind Biokoro, crossing the line in 13th place with a personal-best time of 21.75. The duo owns the top two times in the Valley.
 
Seven seemed to be the lucky number for the men in the field, as both Sam Overton and Vince Laconi picked up seventh place finishes in the throws. Overton picked up his placement in the men's weight throw where he recorded a toss of 53.52m (175-07.25) and Laconi placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 15.25m (50-00.50).
 
Leading the men in the pole vault was freshman Callan Whitehouse. Whitehouse claimed sixth place with a vault of 4.75m (15-07.00) and his teammate, Riley Smith, placed seventh with a mark of 4.60m (15-01.00).
 
On the women's side, distance star Brooke Moore began outdoor season with a strong race in the women's 1500-meter run. The senior crossed the finish line in fourth with a time of 4:27.26 in a race where first and fifth place were separated by just one second. Her time from Friday evening currently sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference and is seventh in the NCAA East Region.
 
Moore wasn't the only Sycamore to have a strong day on the track in the distance events. Michaela Ward earned a top-10 finish in the women's 5K, clocking a time of 18:14.27 en route to a ninth place finish. Following close behind Ward was Tara Cassidy in 13th with a time of 18:26.11. Both of their times sit in first and second in the Valley, respectively.
 
Freshman Bri Buggs was the leader for the blue and white in the women's 200-meter dash. Buggs opened the outdoor season with her best collegiate race in the 200-meter dash, clocking a career-best time of 24.83, good for 18th overall. Her time currently gives her the best time in the MVC.
 
Picking up where she left off last season, Erin Reese made her way to the top of the standings in the women's hammer throw, throwing her way to second place with a Valley-leading toss of 62.09m (203-08.75). Her mark is also fourth in the NCAA East Region and seventh in the entire country. Cassaundra Roper also finished in the top-10, recording a toss of 54.59m (179-01.50) for sixth place.
 
Roper also claimed a third place finish in the shot put to lead the Trees in the event with a mark of 15.06m (49-50.00), while Reese also earned a top-10 finish in seventh with distance of 14.11m (46-03.50).
 
Action on Saturday will begin at 11 a.m. ET with the field events and track events will follow 1 p.m. ET.
 
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.