TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the first time this season, Indiana State track and field will have a split squad as the Sycamores will compete at both the Hoosier Hills at Indiana and the Don Kirby Elite Invitational at New Mexico. Hoosier Hills will take place Friday, while the Don Kirby Elite Invitational will be a two-day meet across Friday and Saturday.
Last Time Out
JaVaughn Moore broke his own record in the 60m at the Meyo Invitational, running a 6.65 in the event finals.
Moore was one of three event winners for the Sycamores over the course of the two-day meet, joined by
Cale Kilian in the mile (4:06.90) and
Ryann Porter in the triple jump (12.75m/41-10.00). Porter's mark was the second-best in school history, trailing only Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame member Lauren Martin, while Kilian's time in the mile also ranked inside the top 10 in school history.
Indiana State recorded 22 top-10 finishes on the weekend, including both men's relay teams. Moore earned top-five finishes in two events (60m and 200m), while
Wyatt Wyman and
Tahj Johnson earned top-10 finishes in their respective events (Wyman - 800m, Johnson - 400m) and as part of the 4x400m relay team.
Trees in the Rankings
Indiana State moved up two spots to No. 6 in the men's Great Lakes region rankings, while the women's Great Lakes region rankings saw the Sycamores move up one spot to No. 17. The Sycamore men's team was also ranked first in the Valley in the first set of conference rankings, while the women's team was ranked third in the conference.
The Sycamores had three events in the #EventSquad top 25 (men's long jump-13th, men's shot put-15th, men's weight throw-18th), with the men's shot put group moving up two spots in the rankings.
ISU features four student-athletes on the NCAA Performance List -
JaVaughn Moore (60m),
Shomari Rogers-Walton (long jump),
Frankie Young III (long jump) and
Ryann Porter (triple jump). All four will compete at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.
Rogers-Walton has the top long jump mark in the Great Lakes region, with
Luigi Rivas (60m hurdles - third), Moore (60m - third; 200m - fourth), Porter (triple jump - third), the men's distance medley relay team (third), Young III (long jump - fourth) and
Lawrence Mitchell (high jump - fifth) all posting top-five marks in the region.
Brittnee James (weight throw),
Wyatt Wyman (800m) and the men's 4x400 relay are all ranked inside the Great Lakes region top 10.
Weekly Winners
Following a season-best performance at the Meyo Invitational, Indiana State high jumper
Kevin Krutsch was named the Missouri Valley Conference Male Field Athlete of the Week.
Krutsch placed second in the event at Notre Dame, clearing 2.09m (6-10.25), which also tied for the second-best indoor mark of his career. He was one of just three competitors in the event to clear 2.09m, with the other two being from Miami (Fla.) and Rutgers.
Krutsch's weekly honor was the first of his career and is the sixth weekly honor for the Sycamores this season. He became the fifth different Indiana State track and field athlete to earn Valley weekly honors, joining
JaVaughn Moore,
Shomari Rogers-Walton,
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith and
Brittnee James.
First Time For Everything
Indiana State took part in the distance medley relay for the first time this season at the Meyo Invitational, landing a podium finish in the event
Using a lineup featuring just one person with previous DMR experience,
Cael Light,
Ben Shepard,
Jocqael Thorpe and
Jason Dworak teamed up to earn a third-place finish, completing the event in 10:12.11.
The Sycamore quartet currently ranks first in the Valley in the event, 15 seconds ahead of the second-best time. Indiana State also ranks third in the Great Lakes region in the event.
Record Setter
Indiana State's school record in the men's 60m had been untouched since 1973 prior to
JaVaughn Moore breaking it at Louisville. This time, it lasted all of seven days.
Moore broke his own school record in the 60m, crossing the line in 6.65 seconds in the final. He won the prelim (6.73), semifinal (6.74) and final (6.65) in the event.
Climbing the Charts
Ryann Porter has put up top marks in the triple jump in back-to-back weeks for the Sycamores, culminating with an event win at the Meyo Invitational.
Porter's mark of 12.75m (41-10.00) in her last attempt at Notre Dame was not only the top mark of the meet, but also the third-best mark in the Great Lakes region and the second-best mark in Indiana State indoor history. She has cleared 12 meters in every event this season and remains the only athlete in the Valley with a triple jump of more than 12 meters.
The Streak Continues
Few in the nation have put together a streak as impressive as
JaVaughn Moore's mark of consecutive 60m event wins. Moore has won the event each of the last nine times he has competed in it, a streak that dates back to the 2019-20 season.
Moore has won the Missouri Valley Conference 60m title in each of the last two seasons and broke the 60m school record, which had stood since 1973, in each of the last two meets.
