TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - It's alumni and senior weekend for Indiana State Track & Field as they return home to host the Pacesetter Sports Invitational from Thursday-Saturday at the Gibson Track & Field Complex.
Â
The Sycamores will be honoring 27 seniors on Saturday:
Rhett Blake,
Emily Brady,
Ryan Cash,
Jessi Conley,
Kara Cooke,
Megan Doty, Noah Greenlee,
DeAndra Greer,
Abigail Grider,
Kim Jackson,
Luke Kerstiens,
Vince Laconi,
Akis Medrano,
Brooke Moore,
Jordan Moothery,
Ayanna Morgan,
Sam Overton,
Joshua Perry,
Quentin Pierce,
Caitlyn Redmon,
Erin Reese,
Taylor Rogers,
Cassaundra Roper,
Carson Smith,
Riley Smith,
Ben Vertelney and
Ahmanah Woods.
Â
This weekend is also alumni weekend for track and field, as Sycamore Athletics and the Indiana State Alumni Association will host a special reception with teammates on Friday. Then on Saturday Indiana State Athletics and the Alumni Association will recognize former student-athletes, coaches and managers and honor the 25th anniversary of the 1993-1994 Women's Triple Crown MVC Champions
Â
Looking at the meet, the Trees will be one of 16 teams to compete this weekend including Dayton, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Illinois, Hanover, Holy Cross, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, Indian Hills, Iowa Central, IUPUI, Lipscomb, Marian, Oakland, Tallahassee Community College and Xavier.
Â
Entering competition on Thursday, the Sycamore men rank 15th in the Great Lakes Regional rankings while the ISU women come in at 11th. The women also remain the highest-ranked Missouri Valley Conference team in the National Track & Field Ratings Index at 90th.
Â
Last week, the blue and white had the opportunity to compete against some of the top teams in the NCAA at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Alabama.
Â
Erin Reese had one of the best weekends of competition in her Sycamore career. On Thursday, Reese was the Crimson Tide Invitational winner in the hammer throw after recording a mark of 62.91m (206-04) on her fifth throw of the competition. Her mark of 63.56m (208-06) from the Gibson Invite still sits in second in the Missouri Valley Conference, is 11th in the NCAA East Region and 20th nationally. On Friday she claimed her second win of the contest, this time in the discus throw with a toss of 54.58m (179-01) on her final throw of the day. Reese still owns the second-best mark in the Missouri Valley Conference of 55.91m (183-05) which is also sixth in the NCAA East Region and 15th in the nation. She then recorded a lifetime-best mark in the shot put of 15.29m (50-02.00) which gave her a seventh place finish and is eighth in ISU history. With that mark, Reese is now fourth in the Valley and 33rd in the East Region.Â
Â
Also in the field for the women,
Cassaundra Roper did not disappoint. The redshirt senior recorded a new lifetime-best throw of 57.94m (190-01) in the hammer throw which is the sixth-best toss in school history. Then on Friday she put on her best performance in an ISU uniform in the shot put, recording a phenomenal throw of 16.44m (53-11.25) en route to bronze in the event. After her performance at the Crimson Tide Invite she sits atop the conference, is eighth in the East and is 16th in the NCAA. Her mark is also fourth in school history.
Â
On the track for the women,
Brooke Moore and
Jocelyn Quiles led the way in the women's 1500-meter run. Moore raced to a third place finish and season-best time of 4:23.70, which overtook her own time of 4:27.26 to lead the conference and is now 50th in the East Region. Quiles placed right behind Moore, putting together her best race in a Sycamore and crossing the finish line in fourth place with the fourth-fastest time in school history of 4:24.41 which is second in the MVC.
Â
The men were led on the track by
Quentin Pierce on Thursday in Alabama by winning the invitational section of the men's 1500-meter run. Pierce had an impressive kick on the straightaway of the last lap to take the victory, ultimately crossing the line at 3:48.37. The senior now sits at second in the Valley.
Â
During the last event on Friday night, the duo of
Akis Medrano and
Noah Hufnagel earned top-10 finishes in the men's 5K. Medrano led the way with a third place finish and time of 14:36.12 which is second in the conference. Hufnagel crossed the line in eighth place with a time of 15:05.51, which is 10th in the Valley.
Â
Sam Overton had a strong two days of competition at Alabama in the throws, as he earned a sixth place finish in the men's hammer throw and a mark of 55.42m (181-10) on Thursday. His toss of 55.86m (183-03) is fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. In the shot put, Overton threw to a season-best mark of 15.91m (52-02.50) for a fifth place finish and he is now eighth in the MVC.
Â
Action on Thursday will begin at 11 a.m. ET with the day one of the decathlon (100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter dash), while day one of the women's heptathlon (100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash) is slated to begin at noon.
Â
Men's NCAA East Region Top-48
33.
Matthew Lewis-Banks - 110-meter hurdles - 14.12
Â
Women's NCAA East Region Top-48
6.
Erin Reese - Discus Throw - 55.91m (183-05)
8.
Cassaundra Roper - Shot Put - 16.44m (53-11.25)
11.
Erin Reese - Hammer Throw - 63.56m (208-06)
33.
Erin Reese - Shot Put - 15.29m (50-02.00)
37.
Ayanna Morgan - 100-meter hurdles - 13.67
39.
Brooke Moore - 800-meter run - 2:07.93
Â
Women's NCAA Top-50
15.
Erin Reese - Discus Throw - 55.91m (183-05)
16.
Cassaundra Roper - Shot Put - 16.44m (53-11.25)
20.
Erin Reese - Hammer Throw - 63.56m (208-06)
Â
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.
Â
Â
