TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field takes part in its final meet before the conference championships Saturday when it welcomes regional competition to the Indoor Track and Field Facility for the 2022 ISU Open.
The first events are slated to begin at noon, with the final event of the day slated to go at 3:55 p.m.
Last Time Out
A quartet of Indiana State track and field athletes faced top-tier competition last weekend Saturday, with two Sycamores taking home top-five finishes at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational inside the Albuquerque Convention Center.
JaVaughn Moore and
Ryann Porter placed third and fourth in their events, respectively, against the toughest field Sycamore athletes have faced this season.
Indiana State also shined in its final away meet before the indoor conference championships, taking three event titles last week at Indiana's Hoosier Hills inside Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse.
Cale Kilian took home an event win for the second straight weekend, this time in the 3000m. He was joined atop the podium by fellow distance runner
Jocelyn Quiles in the mile and
Luigi Rivas in the 60m hurdles.
Indiana State recorded 26 top-three finishes at the meet, with
Cameron Stevens (200m, 4x400m relay),
Wyatt Wyman (mile, 4x400m relay) and
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith (60m hurdles, long jump) each earning top-three finishes in multiple events.
Who's in the Field?
Indiana State will be joined by a pair of Valley foes in Evansville and Valparaiso, along with Purdue Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Kentucky Wesleyan, Vincennes and Wabash in this weekend's ISU Open.
Home, Sweet Home
Indiana State has been nothing short of dominant when competing inside the Indoor Track and Field Facility. The Sycamore men have placed first in nine of the 10 meets since the facility opened, with the ISU women also earning seven first-place results in 10 meets.
Trees in the Rankings
Indiana State's men's team held steady as the top team in the Valley in this week's conference rankings, while the women's team remained at third in the conference rankings. Indiana State is ranked seventh on the men's side and 16th on the women's side in the Great Lakes region.
The Sycamores currently have three events in the #EventSquad top 25 (men's shot put-14th, men's long jump-16th, men's weight throw-18th), with the men's shot put group moving up one spot in the rankings. The shot put group has moved up in the rankings in back-to-back weeks following top performances by
Wyatt Puff,
Brett Norton,
Elias Foor and
Noah Bolt during that span.
ISU features student-athletes in the top three of the Valley in 11 men's events, including the top marks in the 60m (
JaVaughn Moore), 60m hurdles (
Luigi Rivas), long jump (
Shomari Rogers-Walton), high jump (
Lawrence Mitchell), triple jump (Rogers-Walton) and distance medley relay team. The Sycamores also have a trio of top-three women's marks in the conference, with
Selene Weaver (pole vault) and
Ryann Porter (triple jump) owning top marks in the Valley.
Looking Ahead to Championship Weekend
Indiana State returns three of its five Missouri Valley Conference indoor champions from last year's roster.
Dearis Herron (long jump, 7.37m),
Jocelyn Quiles (3000m, 9:42.54) and
JaVaughn Moore (60m, 6.74) are all back to defend their titles for the Sycamores.
The Sycamores had 20 All-Missouri Valley Conference performances at the 2021 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships, with 15 of those being earned by returners for this year's team. Not included in those 15 returning performances are the men's 4x400m relay team and the men's distance medley relay team, each of which returns three of the four legs from last year.
Indiana State is seeking to prove that it was undervalued on the men's side, which was picked third in the preseason poll. The Sycamore women were also picked third and are looking to make a charge towards the top of the conference.
Climbing the Charts
In addition to
JaVaughn Moore's school record in the 60m, Indiana State has set 13 different top-10 marks in program history this season on the men's side. The Sycamore women's team has also posted an additional six top-10 marks in school history this season.
Final Chance
Saturday's meet will be the final chance for Indiana State's athletes to showcase their talents before the Missouri Valley Championships. ISU's 32-athlete championship rosters will be finalized early next week, with the pre-championship poll scheduled to be released later next week.
