NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State track & field fell to Illinois State at the 16th annual Coughlan/Malloy Cup in Horton Field House on Friday evening.
 
The Trees were defeated by an overall score of 186-138. Indiana State's men kept it close to the Redbirds, losing by just six points, 84-78, while the women fell 102-60.
 
"We're disappointed that we weren't able to bring the cup home," head coach Angela Martin said. "There were a few bright spots and we know what to work on. We're a very young team, so there's a lot of room for improvement. We have to stay positive and look ahead to our next meet."
 
Looking to build off of a stellar freshman campaign, Matthew Lewis-Banks came out on-fire in the men's 60-meter hurdles. The sophomore clocked a time of 8.00 in the preliminary to lead all competitors, and then earned the title during finals with the ninth-best time in Sycamore history of 7.92.
 
Indiana State's sprinters put on a show during the 60-meter dash finals on Friday. Freshman Jhivon Wilson took home a big win in the event, earning an impressive time of 6.85. Last year's MVC Indoor Freshman of the year, JaVaughn Moore was right behind him at 7.96 and Jarel Shaw took the third position with a time of 6.95. Wilson's time puts him just .05 outside of the ISU top-10.
 
Moore and Wilson's evening weren't over, however, as both continued to dominate the sprints in the 200-meter dash. This time, Moore came out victorious, racing across the finishing line with a time of 22.32. Just .02 behind Moore was Wilson who crossed the line in second at 22.34.
 
In the distance events, Noah Hufnagel was the highest finisher for the men. Going up against a strong Illinois State distance squad, Hufnagel earned a second place finish in the 3000-meter run behind a time of 8:43.96.
 
The freshman duo of Brett Norton and Nick Young got things started on the right foot for the Sycamores in the field, finishing one-two in the men's weight throw. Norton took the top spot, recording a mark of 17.13m (56-02.50) while Young earned silver at 16.26m (53-04.25). Junior Kannon Sams completed the top-three finish for the Trees, placing third with a toss of 16.02m (52-07.00).
 
Youth was a theme for the men in the field, as freshman Jamal Safo picked up his first collegiate victory on Friday in the long jump, Safo jumped to a mark of 7.18m (23-06.75) to lead the field, while his teammate Dearis Herron placed right behind him at 7.07m (23-02.50).
 
Another freshman, Emmanuel Odubanjo, earned a victory in the triple jump for the blue and white in impressive fashion. Odubanjo finished with a jump of 14.39m (47-02.50) to overtake the field by over a foot.
 
An experienced men's high jump group swept the podium for the blue and white against Illinois State, led by Nick Schultz. The junior finished with a mark of 2.05m (6-08.75) to lead the competition, while fellow juniors Avery Taylor and Nathan Kiger took second and third, each with marks of 2.00m (6-06.75).
 
On the women's side, Allana Ince got things going on the track in the women's 60-meter hurdles. The senior claimed the victory with the fifth-best time of 8.60 en route to the win. She also was the top finisher in prelims at 8.74. Tajaa Fair was the other scorer in the event for the Trees, taking fourth with a time of 8.87.
 
The 200-meter dash provided the ISU women with a runner-up finish, thanks to freshman Reynei Wallace. Wallace took second with a time of 26.40, holding off Mya Robinson of Illinois State by .47.
 
Freshman Iyanla Hunter was the leader for the women in the 400-meter dash, placing second and clocking a time of 58.76, just .06 away from Jaclyn Greci of Illinois State. Rebecca Odusola also picked-up a second place finish for the women, crossing the line as the runner-up in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:35.50.
 
In the women's mile run, Alli Workman led the Sycamore delegation. The senior crossed the line in second place, recording a time of 5:07.26. She also was the runner-up in the 800-meter run later in the day, recording a time of 2:33.03.
 
Indiana State's women were dominant in the long jump, earning a one-two-three finish in the event. Junior Kaitlyn Davis took home the victory for the blue and white, recording a jump of 5.44m (17-10.25) and she was followed by freshmen Claire Pittman and Faith Frye who both ended with jumps of 5.37m (17-07.50).
 
Taylor Pierce had a strong showing in the pole vault for the women, finishing second behind a vault of 3.55m (11-07.75). Also earning silver in the field was freshman Lauren England in the shot put. England earned second with a toss of 13.13m (43-01.00).
 
Sycamore track & field returns to action next weekend, Jan. 24-25 when they host the John Gartland Invitational at the Indoor Track & Field Facility.
 
Other Notable Performances:
Women's 60m Dash
4. Daija Springer - 7.88
5. Faith Lindsey - 7.91
 
Men's 60m Hurdles
5. Avery Taylor - 8.51
7. Bryce Byrdsong - 8.57
 
Women's 60m Hurdles
5. Riley Tuerff - 9.28
6. Emily Robertson - 9.49
 
Men's 200m Dash
4. Ejiroghene Biokoro - 22.34
5. Daryl Black - 23.98
 
Men's 400m Dash
3. Michael Marling - 51.43
4. Antonio Davis - 52.19
5. Xion Russell - 54.16
 
Women's 400m Dash
4. Ayana Parchman - 1:01.26
 
Men's 600m Run
3. Ben Shepard - 1:23.95
4. Wyatt Wyman - 1:24.51
5. Justin Niederhaus - 1:25.46
 
Men's 800m Run
3. LeRoy Russell - 1:58.53
4. Will Smith - 2:00.49
5. Ben Payton - 2:05.33
 
Men's Mile
3. Cale Kilian - 4:24.57
5. Isaac Bentz - 4:31.03
 
Women's Mile
4. Maggie Falater - 5:32.43
 
Women's 3K
3. Michaela Ward - 10:14.87
4. Tara Cassidy - 10:25.29
 
Men's 4X400m Relay
2. Antonio Davis, Jamal Safo, Matthew Lewis-Banks, Michael Marling - 3:27.65
 
Women's 4X400m Relay
2. Rebecca Odusola, Iyanla Hunter, Jezel Martin, Reynei Wallace. - 4:02.59
 
Women's High Jump
3. Kelsey Bowlds - 1.68m (5-06.00)
5. Janea Bell - 1.58m (5-02.25)
 
Men's Long Jump
4. Corey DuPriest - 6.72m (22-00.75)
5. Frankie Young III - 6.69m (21-11.50)
 
Men's Triple Jump
3. Dearis Herron - 13.91m (45-07.75)
 
Women's Triple Jump
3. Brittney Walker - 10.52m (34-06.25)
4. Kaitlyn Davis - 10.13m (33-03.00)
 
Men's Pole Vault
3. Callan Whitehouse - 4.30m (14-01.25)
4. Dayton Black - 4.30m (14-01.25)
 
Men's Shot Put
3. Brett Norton - 16.32m (53-06.50)
4. Joe Barnes - 15.20m (49-10.50)
 
Women's Shot Put
4. Jayla Bynum - 12.73m (41-09.25)
 
Women's Weight Throw
5. Brittnee James - 16.56m (54-04.00)
7. Lauren England - 15.22m (49-11.25)
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country and Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.