OXFORD, Miss. – Indiana State track & field began their 2021 outdoor season with several strong efforts on Saturday afternoon at the Ole Miss Classic, highlighted by the Sycamores sprinting group.
 
Freshman Noah Malone led the impressive group of Indiana State sprinters, collecting the only individual wins for the Sycamore track & field program on both the men's and women's side. He began his day with a victory in the men's 100-meter dash, clocking an impressive time of 10.61 which leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is 34th in the NCAA East Region. His time was also faster than both the Americas and USA Para Records. Malone followed that performance by clocking a time that is faster than the 200-meter dash Para World Record en route to winning the event at 21.55. That time also gives him the lead in the Valley for the 200-meter dash.
 
Also sprinting to a top-three finish at the Ole Miss Classic was teammate JaVaughn Moore. Moore followed Malone closely, ultimately taking third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.62, the second-best time in the MVC and 36th-best time in the East Region. Both Moore and Malone were also a part of the runner-up 4X100-meter relay team, along with Blayne Harrington and Jhivon Wilson, that clocked a Valley-leading time of 41.27.
 
Will Smith had a strong performance for the Trees in the men's 800-meter run, running the sixth-fastest time in Indiana State history of 1:50.62 to claim a second-place finish. Smith sits atop the league standings currently and is 17th in the East Region.
 
A duo of mid-distance runners also brought home top-three finishes for the Blue & White in the 1500-meter run. Cale Kilian claimed silver in the event, racing to a time of 3:52.84 while Leroy Russell took bronze, crossing the line at 3:53.18.
 
In the field for the men, the high jumpers continued to build off of their momentum from indoor season. Kevin Krutsch led a talented group by placing second with a clearance of 2.01m (6-07.00) while Nick Schutlz and Nathan Kiger placed third and fourth at 1.96m (6-05.00). Krutsch currently sits at third in the conference and 36th in the East Region.
 
The horizontal jumps continued to produce results on for the ISU men, beginning with a third-place finish in the long jump from Frankie Young III who finished with the current best jump in the MVC of 7.21m (23-08.00). He is also 29th in the NCAA East Region.
 
Emmanuel Odubanjo made sure the Sycamores would be represented in the top-three of the triple jump as well. The sophomore took third in the event with a jump of 14.51m (47-07.50), pushing him to second in the MVC and 37th in the East.
 
On the women's side, Indiana State picked-up four top-three finishes on a humid day in Oxford. Jocelyn Quiles raced her way to the first third-place finish of the day, earning bronze in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:34.73. She is the Valley leader in the event.
 
Another third-place finish on the track came from Rebecca Odusola in the women's 800-meter run. She clocked a time of 2:14.74 en route to placing third. Odusola now sits atop the conference while her teammate, Quiles, is second after posting a time of 2:15.63.
 
In the final event of the day, the women's 4X400-meter relay team of Iyanla Hunter, Odusola, Riley Tuerff and Sierra Long placed third while clocking a time of 3:52.96, the second-best effort in the league currently.
 
Kaityln Davis earned the top finish in the field for the ISU women, taking third in the long jump with the second-best Valley mark of 5.73m (18-09.75) which is also 47th in the East Region. Elsewhere in the field, Selene Weaver had her best performance in a Sycamore uniform, taking fifth with a personal-best jump of 3.86m (12-08.00). Her clearance ties her for first in the Missouri Valley Conference and is 25th in the East.
 
Indiana State will be back in action when they host their first meet of the outdoor season at the Gibson Track & Field Complex on Saturday, Apr. 3 for a dual meet with Eastern Illinois.
 
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.