Missouri Valley Conference Championships
Date	Friday, May 14 - Sunday, May 16, 2021
Location // Venue	Carbondale, Ill. // Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex
Live Results	TRXC Timing
Heat Sheets	Heat Sheets
Schedule	Final Schedule
Social Media	@IndStTrackField // @IndStAthletics
Attendance Information	No Spectators Allowed

CARBONDALE, Ill. – It's championship weekend for Indiana State track and field as the Sycamores will travel to Carbondale, Ill., for the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend (May 14-16).
 
No spectators will be allowed entrance to the MVC Championships at Southern Illinois.
 
THE FAVORITES
The Indiana State men were tabbed to finish first at the MVC Championships this weekend, collecting five first-place votes while the women were picked to finish third. The Sycamore men currently hold 13 top-three positions in the conference rankings, including conference leaders JaVaughn Moore (100m dash), the 4X100-meter relay and 4X400-meter relay squads and Frankie Young III (long jump). The ISU women boast four athletes in the top-three of their events, led by Ryann Porter who leads the Valley in the triple jump.
 
Men's Pre-Championship Poll

1. INS – 76 (5 first place votes)
2. UNI – 74 (3 first place votes)
3. ILS – 66 (1 first place vote)
4. DU – 49
5. SIU – 45
6. BU – 36
7. LUC – 32
8. VU – 14
9. UE - 13

 
Women's Pre-Championship Poll

1. ILS - 100 (10 first place votes)
2. SIU – 88
3. INS – 73
4. MSU – 68
5. UNI – 66
6. LUC – 50
7. BU – 44
8. DU – 33
9. UE – 17
10. VU - 15

 
AT THE OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
After no competition due to COVID-19 during the 2020 outdoor season, the Sycamores will be attempting to bring home their 11th title on the men's side and first since the 2014 season, a season the capped-off four-consecutive titles. The women will be seeking their eighth title as a program and first since the 2013 campaign.
 
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Hurdlers Matthew Lewis-Banks and Zoe Sullivan swept the final MVC Track Athlete of the Week awards for their performances at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational. Lewis-Banks clocked a personal-best and 10th-best time in school history of 13.98 in the 110-meter hurdles to win the event and he now sits at second in the Valley and 34th in the East Region. He was also the lead-off leg of the school record 4X100-meter relay squad that erupted for a victory and time of 39.76. That time now leads the MVC and sits at 17th in the East.
 
Only a freshman, Sullivan had her best day in a Sycamore uniform at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational. Sullivan placed second in the women's 100-meter hurdles, recording a time of 14.13. During the preliminary round she clocked a time of 14.10, the ninth-best time in ISU history and third-best time in the Valley.
 
ALSO IN THE RECORD BOOK
The Indiana State men's 4X100-meter relay squad had a historic day on the track at the Pacesetter Sports Invite. Managing to dodge the rain, the team composed of Matthew Lewis-Banks, JaVaughn Moore, Jhivon Wilson and Noah Malone clocked the fastest time in school history of 39.76, taking down the old record of 40.35 that has stood since the 1997 season. They now lead the Missouri Valley Conference, sit at 17th in the NCAA East Region and 34th in the nation. In the field for Indiana State's women, Ryann Porter was dominant. During Friday's triple jump competition, the freshman unleashed the third-best leap in Indiana State history of 12.82m (42-00.75) to win the event, pushing her to first in the Missouri Valley Conference by nearly two feet. She now sits at 22nd in the East Region and 57th in the nation.
 
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Sycamore track and field was in the hunt for a championship through the very end at the 2021 MVC Indoor Championships. Indiana State's men claimed the runner-up position as a team, falling narrowly to Northern Iowa, 167.5-165, by way of the 4X400-meter relay. The women took fourth as a team, falling to Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
 
VALLEY AWARDS
A duo of Sycamores was honored by the Missouri Valley Conference following the MVC Indoor Championships for their performances on the track and in the classroom. Mia Mackenzie earned the Elite 17 Award for being the female athlete with the best GPA in the meet. On the men's side, Matthew Lewis-Banks was named the MVC Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete for holding the highest national ranking at the conclusion of the meet, ranking 28th in the NCAA in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.85.
 
WINNING 'SHIPS
Five Sycamores earned individual championships at the 2021 MVC Indoor Championships, four of which came from the men's side. Matthew Lewis-Banks earned his second-consecutive title in the 60-meter hurdle while JaVaughn Moore also earned back-to-back titles in the 60-meter dash. In the men's high jump Nick Schultz claimed his first championship and Dearis Herron was victorious in the long jump. On the women's side, Jocelyn Quiles put on a dominant performance to win the women's 3000-meter run on day two.
 
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.