TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field hits the road for the second consecutive week to begin its outdoor season, as the Sycamores will take part in a pair of meets Friday.
ISU will send five distance runners to Washington University in St. Louis' WashU Distance Carnival, which begins at 2 p.m. The rest of the Sycamore contingent will take part in Eastern Illinois' Big Blue Classic, which begins at 11 a.m.
Last Time Out
Indiana State track and field opened its 2022 outdoor season in style last week, taking home 20 top-five finishes at the Ole Miss Classic.
Facing off against competition from the likes of the SEC and Big Ten, the Sycamores held their own against some of the nation's top athletes.
Ryann Porter continued her dominant 2021-22 season with a win in the triple jump, while
Kevin Krutsch (high jump),
Cale Kilian (1500m),
Landis Brandon (pole vault),
Zoe Sullivan (100m hurdles),
Wyatt Wyman (800m),
Frankie Young III (long jump) and both the men's and women's 4x400m relay team all earned top-three finishes.
Weekly Winner
Wyatt Wyman was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week following a career-best performance at the Ole Miss Classic.
Wyman opened his 2022 outdoor season with another top-three finish, placing third in the 800m at the Ole Miss Classic. His time of 1:50.35 was a personal best in the event, and also ranks seventh in school history. Wyman beat competitors from the likes of Ole Miss, Illinois and Missouri in the event.
His time is currently the best in the Missouri Valley Conference, second in the Great Lakes region, seventh in the NCAA East region and 16th in the nation.
Topping the Charts
Indiana State enters the weekend occupying the top spot in the Valley 12 different events through the opening weeks of the outdoor season.
Jarel Shaw is responsible for a pair of those high marks, as he currently owns the top time in both the 100m (10.78) and 200m (20.61).
Included in the Sycamores' high marks are sweeps of the top spots in the 200m (Shaw,
Reynei Wallace), pole vault (
William Staggs,
Landis Brandon) and triple jump (
Shomari Rogers-Walton,
Ryann Porter). The Sycamores occupy the top spot in the MVC in all three men's sprints events (Shaw – 100m, 200m;
Mitchell Cline – 400m).
ISU's success translates beyond just the conference level, though.
Wyatt Wyman ranks in the top 20 in the nation in the 800m (16th, 1:50.35), while seven different Sycamores currently sit in the top 50 in the NCAA East region in their respective events.
Trees in the Rankings
Indiana State opened the outdoor season ranked inside the top 20 in the Great Lakes region on both the men's and women's side in the first USTFCCCA rankings of the season. The Sycamore men are currently ranked 10th, while the Indiana State women are 18th in the regional rankings.
Long Haul
Indiana State will send five distance runners to Washington University in St. Louis this weekend to run the 10,000m. This weekend's WashU Distance Carnival gives the Sycamores a chance to compete in the event, which is not on most meet schedules for ISU this season, prior to the MVC Championships in May.
Cael Light,
Layton Hall and
Ian Gadberry will represent the Sycamore men in the event, while
Chloe Loftus and
Erica Barker will compete on the women's side.
Success on the World Stage
Indiana State sprinter
Noah Malone will begin his collegiate outdoor season this weekend, but it won't the first outdoor meet he has competed in during the 2022 campaign.
Malone, who won three Paralympic medals at last summer's Tokyo games, opened his season last week at the 2022 Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix, taking home gold in the 100m T12 with a time of 10.70.
What's On Deck?
Indiana State competes in its first of three home meets next weekend at the Gibson Track & Field Complex when it hosts the Pacesetter Sports Invitational.
