CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Indiana State men's track & field program battled on Sunday, earning All-MVC honors in each contested event, but fell just short of the Missouri Valley Conference title by placing second as a team while the Sycamore women placed fourth.
 
Northern Iowa claimed the men's team title, edging out the Sycamores by 2.5 points after winning the 4X400-meter relay with 167.5 while the Trees tailed 165. The Sycamores defeated Illinois State (138), Drake (60), Bradley (51), Southern Illinois (31), Loyola (26), Valparaiso (18.5) and Evansville (6). The Sycamore women placed fourth with 75 points, falling to Illinois State (138), Southern Illinois (118) and Northern Iowa (107). ISU finished in front of Missouri State (73), Bradley (58), Loyola (46), Drake (35), Evansville (10) and Valparaiso (2).
 
At the conclusion of the meet, Mia Mackenzie was named the Elite 17 Award winner due to her efforts in the classroom as the female athlete with the top GPA.
 
The first final event on the track managed to set the tone early for the Blue & White on the men's side. Matthew Lewis-Banks, racing as the lone Sycamore in the 60-meter hurdles, clocked the ninth-best time in Sycamores history of 7.85 en route to his second-consecutive 60-meter hurdle title. The junior was named the MVC Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete for his efforts and 28th national-rankings.
 
Freshman Tahj Johnson took advantage of the momentum from Lewis-Banks and opened heat one of the 400-meter dash finals in impressive fashion. Johnson raced to a heat victory with a personal-best time of 49.04, but ultimately finished as the Valley runner-up by just .01 to Brandon Gage of Illinois State.
 
For the second day in-a-row, the flood gates opened during the men's 60-meter hurdles. JaVaughn Moore sprinted to his second-straight 60-meter dash title with a time of 6.74, holding off Tayshaun Cooper of UNI by .01 for the crown. Jarel Shaw also earned All-MVC honors for the Trees, placing third behind a time of 6.82.
 
Outside of Moore and Shaw, three other Sycamores put up points in the 60-meter dash. Ending right behind Shaw was Jhivon Wilson in fourth with a time of 6.85. Freshman Noah Malone claimed the sixth-place finish, clocking a time of 6.91 while Blayne Harrington took seventh at 7.01.
 
Moore's day on the track wasn't over with the 60-meter dash however. Two events later the junior earned All-MVC honors once again with a silver finish in the 200-meter dash and time of 21.78. His teammate, Shaw, brought home four points for the Trees in fifth at 22.11.
 
Will Smith managed to continue the string of All-MVC honorees for the men, crossing the line in third in a deep field of the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.35, the ninth-best time in ISU history. He was followed closely by Leroy Russell who finished in fourth with the 10th-best time in Indiana State history of 1:52.37. Also bringing in points for the Trees was Wyatt Wyman who recorded a personal-best time of 1:53.96, good for sixth-place.
 
Also having a career-day for the Sycamores was Mitch Conard in the heptathlon. The sophomore put together several strong efforts to close out the competition, including winning the 1000-meter run at 2:50.69 before placing third overall in heptathlon with the sixth-best point total in ISU history of 5041.
 
In the field for the men, the high jumpers continued to assert their dominance in the conference. Senior Nick Schultz claimed the first title of his career with a clearance of 2.09m (6-10.25) while Nathan Kiger earned a runner-up finish and All-MVC honors with the same mark. Freshman Kevin Krutsch finished just outside the top-three in fourth with a clearance of 2.06m (6-09.00).
 
The team standings came down to the final event of the day on the men's side. The men's 4X400-meter relay squad of Johnson, Ben Shepard, Smith and Moore raced their way to All-Valley honors by placing third with a time of 3:19.63, but couldn't hold-off the surging Panthers who ended up taking the event and the title.
 
On the women's side, freshman Ryann Porter earned the only All-MVC performance. She began the day by hurdling her way to a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a personal-best time of 8.81. Fellow Sycamore Riley Tuerff claimed eighth at 9.00.
 
The women's 4X400-meter relay team of Iyanla Hunter, Rebecca Odusola, Sierra Long and Zoe Sullivan battled their way to a fourth-place finish in the event, clocking a time of 3:54.88 to close out the MVC Championships.
 
Hunter's first appearance on the track wasn't in the 4X400-meter relay, however, as the sophomore competed in the final round of the 400-meter dash. She ended-up running a time of 57.33 to earn four points with a fifth-place finish.
 
The last scorer for the Sycamore women came from Janea Bell in the high jump who claimed the sixth position after a clearance of 1.66m (5-05.25).
 
Indiana State will now have a three-week hiatus before returning to the track for outdoor season. The Blue & White are scheduled to open the season on Mar. 27 in Oxford, Miss., at the Ole Miss Classic.
 
Men's Team Scores
1. Northern Iowa - 167.5
2. Indiana State - 165
3. Illinois State - 138
4. Drake - 60
5. Bradley - 51
6. Southern Illinois - 31
7. Loyola - 26
8. Valparaiso - 18.5
9. Evansville - 6
 
Women's Team Scores
1. Illinois State - 138
2. Southern Illinois - 118
3. Northern Iowa - 107
4. Indiana State - 75
5. Missouri State - 73
6. Bradley - 58
7. Loyola - 46
8. Drake - 35
9. Evansville - 10
10. Valparaiso - 2
 
MVC Specialty Awards:
 
Most Valuable Athlete (most points scored):
Women: Madison Meredith, Missouri State 
Men: Tayshaun Cooper, Northern Iowa 
 
Most Outstanding Track Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list):
Women: Madison Meredith, Missouri State
Men: Matthew Lewis-Banks, Indiana State 
 
Most Outstanding Field Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list):
Women: Shauniece O'Neal, Southern Illinois 
Women: Kameesha Smith, Illinois State 
Men: Darius King, Northern Iowa 
 
Freshman of the Year (most points scored):
Women: Wilma Nielsen, Bradley 
Men: Parker Kiewiet, Northern Iowa 
 
Elite 17:
Women: Mia Mackenzie, Indiana State 
Men: Jake Gillum, Illinois State 
 
Coach of the Year:
Women: Jeff Bovee, Illinois State 
Men: Dave Paulsen, Northern Iowa
 
Men's Day Three Champions
Matthew Lewis-Banks - 60m Hurdles
JaVaughn Moore - 60m Dash
Nick Schultz - High Jump
 
Men's Day Three All-MVC
Tahj Johnson - 400m Dash - 2nd
Nathan Kiger - High Jump - 2nd
JaVaughn Moore - 200m Dash - 2nd
Jarel Shaw - 60m Dash - 2nd
Mitch Conard - Heptathlon - 3rd
Tahj Johnson - 4X400m Relay - 3rd
JaVaughn Moore - 4X400m Relay - 3rd
Ben Shepard - 4X400m Relay - 3rd
Will Smith - 800m Run - 3rd
Will Smith - 4X400m Relay - 3rd
 
Women's Day Three All-MVC
Ryann Porter - 60m Hurdles - 3rd
 
Men's Day Three Scorers
Kevin Krutsch - High Jump - 4th
Leroy Russell - 800m Run - 4th
Jhivon Wilson - 60m Dash - 4th
Jarel Shaw - 200m Dash - 5th
Noah Malone - 60m Dash - 6th
Wyatt Wyman - 800m Run - 6th
Blayne Harrington - 60m Dash - 7th
 
Women's Day Three Scorers
Iyanla Hunter - 4X400m Relay - 4th
Sierra Long - 4X400m Relay - 4th
Rebecca Odusola - 4X400m Relay - 4th
Zoe Sullivan - 4X400m Relay - 4th
Iyanla Hunter - 400m Dash - 5th
Janea Bell - High Jump 6th
Riley Tuerff - 60m Hurdles - 8th
 
Women's Day Two Champions
Jocelyn Quiles - 3000m Run
 
Men's Day Two All-MVC
Dearis Herron - Triple Jump - 2nd
Emmanuel Odubanjo - Triple Jump - 3rd
 
Women's Day Two All-MVC
Mia Mackenzie - Pentathlon - 2nd
Selene Weaver - Pole Vault - 3rd
 
Men's Day Two Scorers
Cale Kilian - Mile - 4th
Wyatt Puff - Shot Put - 4th
Brett Norton - Shot Put - 5th
Callan Whitehouse - Pole Vault - 5th
Gavin Holz - Pole Vault - 8th
 
Women's Day Two Scorers
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith - Pentathlon - 4th
Ryann Porter - Triple Jump - 5th
Jayla Bynum - Shot Put - 6th
Sydney Partyka - Mile - 6th
Taylor Pierce - Pole Vault - 7th
Alexis Grider - Pentathlon - 8th
 
Men's Day One Champions
Dearis Herron - Long Jump
 
Men's Day One All-MVC
Napoleon Hernandez - 2nd
Cale Kilian - DMR - 2nd
Leroy Russell - DMR - 2nd
Wyatt Wyman - DMR - 2nd
Frankie Young III - Long Jump - 3rd
 
Women's Day One All-MVC
Morgan Dyer - DMR - 3rd
Sierra Long - DMR - 3rd
Jocelyn Quiles - DMR - 3rd
Sydney Partyka - DMR - 3rd
 
Men's Day One Scorers
Brett Norton - Weight Throw - 6th
 
Women's Day One Scorers
Kaitlyn Davis - Long Jump - 4th
Claire Pittman - Long Jump - 6th
 
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.