TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field plays host to its first home meet of the outdoor season Friday and Saturday, as the Sycamores welcome teams to the Gibson Track & Field Complex for the Pacesetter Sports Invitational.
Friday's events will begin at 3 p.m. with the hammer throw, with Saturday's schedule slated to begin at 11 a.m. with the long jump.
Last Time Out
Indiana State track and field put on a dominant display Friday at the EIU Big Blue Classic, winning 20 of the 28 events it competed in.
The 20 Sycamore event wins were won by 20 different athletes. In addition to the event wins, the Sycamores finished the meet with 44 top-three finishes and 63 top-five finishes. The wins were split across the board, as Indiana State won in six sprints and hurdles events, three distance events, five jumps events and six throws events.
Jocelyn Quiles had the top result of the meet for Indiana State, shattering her personal record in the 5000m by more than 30 seconds on her way to the second-best outdoor time in school history at 16:31.47.
Home Sweet Home
This weekend's Pacesetter Sports Invitational marks the first of three home meets for Indiana State this season, with all three taking place in the month of April.
The Sycamores will also host the Gibson Invitational April 21-23 and the Sycamore Open April 30.
Weekly Winner
Indiana State's
Tahj Johnson and
Jocelyn Quiles picked up Misssouri Valley Conference honors this week, as Johnson was named the MVC Male Track Athlete of the Week and Quiles was selected as the MVC Female Track Athlete of the Week.
Johnson cruised to a win in the 400m at the EIU Big Blue Classic last week, running a time of 48.20 to best the field by more than a second. His time was a new personal record, beating his previous outdoor best by 0.26 seconds. Johnson currently owns the top time in the Valley by nearly a half-second. His time also ranks 16th in the Great Lakes region and 79th in the NCAA East region.
Quiles broke her personal record in the 5000m by more than 30 seconds last week at the EIU Big Blue Classic, running a time of 16:31.47 to place first in the event. She led nearly wire-to-wire in the race, and was in the top two for the duration of the event. Her final lap was three seconds better than anyone else in the field. Quiles' time ranks third in the Valley, 10th in the Great Lakes region, 33rd in the NCAA East region and 80th in the nation. Her time was also the second-best outdoor 5000m time in program history.
The weekly awards were the second and third outdoor MVC honors for Indiana State this season. The Sycamores have won 10 weekly awards during the 2021-22 track & field season.
Topping the Charts
Indiana State enters the weekend with a staggering 31 top-three marks in the Valley through the first two meets of the outdoor season. The Sycamores currently own the top marks in six different events this season, including a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's 200m with
Jarel Shaw (21.61)
Tahj Johnson (21.65) and
Cameron Stevens (21.77).
Other Sycamores in the top spots of their respective events include
Reynei Wallace in the women's 200m (24.42), Johnson in the men's 400m (48.20),
Wyatt Wyman in the men's 800m (1:50.35),
Erica Barker in the women's 10,000m (37:32.43) and
Ryann Porter in the women's triple jump (12.49m/40-11.75).
Trees in the Rankings
Indiana State currently has sixathletes sitting inside the NCAA Regional qualifying marks.
Wyatt Wyman's time in the 800m ranks 21st in the region, while
Ryann Porter is 27th in the triple jump.
Jocelyn Quiles sits 33rd in the 5000m (16:31.47), while
Lawrence Mitchell and
Kevin Krutsch are tied for 35th in the high jump (2.05m/6-08.75).
Brett Norton rounds out the current Sycamore qualifying marks, as he ranks 46th in the shot put (16.80m/51-01.50).
In addition, Indiana State ranks 11th in the Great Lakes region on the men's side and 16th on the women's side in the latest USTFCCCA Regional Rankings Index.
Record Chasing
Indiana State has already put a small dent in the outdoor top 10 marks this season, with three different Sycamores ranking among the best in school history during the 2022 campaign.
Jocelyn Quiles time of 16:31.47 in the 5000m at last week's EIU Big Blue Classic was the second-best time in program history in the event.
Wyatt Wyman posted the seventh-best mark in the 800m at the Ole Miss Classic (1:50.37), while
Brooklyn Giertz ranks eighth in school history in the javelin after a throw of 40.07m (131-05) at the EIU Big Blue Classic.
Who's Competing for the Trees?
Indiana State will have 44 men and 38 women competing this weekend at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational.
Those competing on the men's side for the Sycamores are
Quincy Armstrong,
Ejiroghene Biokoro,
Daryl Black,
Noah Bolt,
Ethan Breen,
Kaleb Budde,
Bryce Byrdsong,
Mitchell Cline,
Mitch Conard,
Jason Dworak,
Elias Foor,
Ian Gadberry,
Ryan Golliher,
Elijah Grider,
Layton Hall,
Napoleon Hernandez,
Dearis Herron,
Thomas Hickerson,
Tahj Johnson,
Bryan Keubeng,
Nathan Kiger,
Cale Kilian,
Jackson Krieg,
Cael Light,
Noah Malone,
Justin Miller,
Lawrence Mitchell,
JaVaughn Moore,
Brett Norton,
Emmanuel Odubanjo,
Bryce Patterson,
Brandon Peck, Logan Pietrzak,
Wyatt Puff,
Luigi Rivas,
Jarel Shaw,
Ben Shepard,
William Staggs,
Cameron Stevens,
Callan Whitehouse,
Caine Wilson,
Jhivon Wilson,
Wyatt Wyman and
Frankie Young III.
Wesley Beitler will also compete unattached.
The competitors on the women's side for the Sycamores are
Cassidy Bagby,
Kelsey Bowlds,
Landis Brandon,
Hannah Bryant,
Jayla Bynum,
Mirlege Castor,
Cloe Clark,
Morgan Dyer,
Maggie Falater,
Faith Frye,
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith,
Brooklyn Giertz,
Alexis Grider,
Kaylen Gustafson,
Iyanla Hunter,
Sierra Long,
Mia Mackenzie,
Marisa Marshall,
Michelle McDonald,
Saadiya Mitchell,
Ayana Parchman,
Claire Pittman,
Ryann Porter,
Jocelyn Quiles,
Eva Grace Quinlan,
Hannah Redlin,
Chloe Rolen,
Aliyah Schwenk,
Daija Springer,
Mackenzie Stoltz,
Zoe Sullivan,
Riley Tuerff,
Brittney Walker,
Reynei Wallace,
Selene Weaver,
Maddie Welsh,
Dominique Wood and
Devon Zeck.
Who's in the Field?
Indiana State will be joined by Dayton, Eastern Illinois, Grand Valley State, Huntington, IUPUI, Lewis, Northwood, Rose-Hulman, Triton College and Vincennes as full teams in the field. In addition, Azusa Pacific will have one sprinter – Brynn Santos in the women's 100m, while Indiana will compete in the shot put.
What's On Deck?
Indiana State heads back to SEC territory for the second time this season when it takes part in Auburn's War Eagle Invitational April 15-16.
