SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Indiana State track & field teams will send eight athletes to semi-final rounds on Saturday thanks to several strong performances, while the men's sprinters led the ISU effort on the track on day one of the Meyo Invitational.
 
In the first event of the day on the track, Allana Ince and Tajaa Fair qualified for the 60-meter hurdle semi-finals on Saturday at 9:45 a.m. Ince was the top Sycamore finisher in the preliminary round, placing second in heat six and 18th overall with a time of 8.83. Also qualifying, Fair placed third in heat four and 21st overall with a time of 8.84.
 
Three Sycamores on the men's side will compete in the 60-meter hurdles semi-final round on Saturday at 9:55 a.m. Matthew Lewis-Banks was victorious in heat five with a time of 8.13, giving him the seventh-fastest preliminary time. Fellow sophomores Daryl Black and Bryce Byrdsong also qualified, placing 15th and 24th with times of 8.31 and 8.63, respectively.
 
The men's 60-meter dash also saw three athletes qualify for the semi-final round on Saturday at 10:10 a.m. Sophomore JaVaughn Moore led the way for the Trees, winning heat four and posting the fourth-fastest prelim time of 6.80. Jhivon Wilson and Jarel Shaw will be joining Moore in the semi-finals, placing 16th and 21st in prelims with times of 6.91 and 6.94, respectively.
 
Qualifying for the 60-meter semi-finals wasn't even the highlight of Moore's day. The sophomore had a stellar day in the 200-meter dash, running the sixth-fastest time in Sycamore history in the event, clocking a time of 21.57 for fourth-place. His time pushes him up to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. His fellow sprinter Wilson clocked a time just outside of the ISU top-10, placing 11th at 21.87.
 
Freshman Kelsey Bowlds continued her strong indoor freshman campaign on Friday, picking up another top-10 finish in the high jump. The Rockport, Ind. native placed sixth in the competition behind a jump of 1.69m (5-06.50) to lead ISU.
 
Leading the women in the long jump was junior Kaitlyn Davis. Davis had her best indoor performance in a Sycamore uniform on day one of the Meyo Invitational, leaping to an indoor-best mark of 5.63m (18-05.75), good for third in her flight and 15th overall. Her mark moves her to third in the Valley.  
 
On the men's side, Brett Norton had a solid showing in the weigh throw. The freshman recorded a career-best toss of 17.77m (58-03.75), nearly a two-foot personal-best, to place 20th overall. Norton's mark is now the fifth-best mark in the MVC.
 
Emmanuel Odubanjo was a finals qualifier for the men in the triple jump on Friday evening. Odubanjo placed eighth in the event with a jump of 14.20m (46-07.25) on his final attempt.
 
Action on the track will begin tomorrow morning at 9:45 a.m. with the women's 60-meter hurdles semi-finals.
 
Other Notable Performances:
Women's 60m Dash Prelims
27. Reynei Wallace - 7.80 (PR)
 
Women's 5K
24. Michaela Ward - 18:08.88
 
Men's Pole Vault
12. Antoine Howard - 4.70m (15-05.00)
13. Callan Whitehouse - 4.55m (14-11.00)
 
Women's Long Jump
21. Claire Pittman - 5.47m (17-11.50)
 
Women's Weight Throw
26. Brittnee James - 16.29m (53-05.50)
 
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.