JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Erin Reese led the Indiana State delegation at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round on Thursday, earning her first trip to the NCAA Track & Field Championships in June after a strong afternoon in the hammer throw.
 
The redshirt senior entered the day ranked eighth in the East in the hammer with her mark of 65.31m (214-03) from the Missouri Valley Conference Championships, but unleashed a bomb of 64.33m (211-00) on her first toss of the afternoon in Jacksonville. That throw would hold up well against the field, as she ended the day with a third place finish at the East Preliminary Round to punch her first ever ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June. Her weekend isn't over, however, as she still has two more opportunities to qualify for the championships starting tomorrow at noon with the discus throw, followed by the shot put on Saturday.
 
Following Reese's performance, Akis Medrano stepped out under the lights to race in the 10K semifinal, which started at 9:40 p.m. Medrano started strong, hanging with the chase pack two miles before the lead group was able to pull away. Ultimately, the senior moved up four spots from his entry position, placing 42nd with a time of 32:08.88.
 
Medrano ends his Sycamore career as one of the best distance runners to ever don the royal blue and white. During his senior season alone, Medrano became the first Sycamore to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships since John Mascari in 2015 in addition to earning All-MVC honors at the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships behind the third-best 8K time in school history of 24:06.30 to go along with a third place finish. He also earned All-Region honors at the Great Lakes Regional meet after placing 14th in the 10K. During the 2017 campaign, the Boswell, Ind. native earned his first cross country All-MVC honor by placing 10th at the championships.
 
As a member of the distance squad on the track team, the standout has also garnered numerous accolades throughout his career. During the 2019 outdoor season, Medrano raced to the fourth-best 10K time in school history at the Mt. Sac Relays before also capturing All-MVC honors at the Valley Outdoor Championships with a second place finish. He then also earned All-MVC honors in the 5K two days later behind a third place performance. Earlier in the season he recorded the second-fastest 5K time in ISU history at the Drake Relays with a time of 14:10.96. In total, the walk-on turned star earned one Valley title in the 10K (2018) in addition to four other All-MVC honors.
 
Thursday began with Riley Smith competing against some of the world's best athletes in the pole vault for the Trees. The senior pole vaulter's third attempt at a height of 4.86m (15-09.25) was close, but in the end Smith wasn't able to clear a bar in the competition.
 
The senior saved his best season with ISU for last, as Smith captured the highly sought-after Missouri Valley Conference title in the pole vault during outdoor season. Entering the championships with the sixth-best vault in the conference, Smith upset a trio of Illinois State Redbirds, who entered as the top-three seeds, to win the championship with the eighth-best mark in Sycamore history of 5.07m (16-07.50). Throughout his career at Indiana State, Smith could be counted on to score points in the vault, as he scored in all but two MVC Championships that he was a part of.
 
Action on Friday begins and ends with Reese in the field with the discus throw at noon ET.
 
Friday Schedule:
Noon ET: Erin Reese, Discus Throw
 
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