NORMAL, Ill. – Brett Norton, Claire Pittman and Kevin Krutsch all won individual conference titles Saturday, leading the charge for Indiana State in a strong showing for the Sycamores on day two of the MVC Outdoor Championships.
 
Norton (shot put) and Pittman (long jump) both won on their final attempts, while Krutsch's win in the high jump came as part of a sweep of the top three for Indiana State in the event. Norton's mark of 18.40m (60-04.50) in the shot put also tied the outdoor program record.
 
Saturday's action saw 24 Sycamores score points, with 11 of those earning top-three finishes and all-conference honors. Indiana State also had strong prelims sessions on the track, with the Sycamores advancing entries in every men's event along with both women's hurdles events.
 
Overall, Indiana State sits in first place on the men's side and third on the women's side through two days. The Sycamore men have 86 points, 31.5 ahead of Northern Iowa in second. Indiana State has 61 points on the women's side, four behind current leader Illinois State.
 
MVC Champions

• Kevin Krutsch – high jump (2.12m/6-11.50, tied-ninth in program history)
• Claire Pittman – long jump (5.93m/19-05.50)
• Brett Norton – shot put (18.40m/60-04.50, ties outdoor program record)

 
All-Conference

• Trevor Thompson – high jump (second, 2.12m/6-11.50, tied-ninth in program history)
• Brooklyn Giertz – pole vault (second, 3.95m/12-11.50)
• Frankie Young III – long jump (second, 7.23m/23-08.75)
• Wyatt Puff – shot put (second, 18.33m/60-01.75, third in program history)
• Mitch Conard – decathlon (second, 6328)
• Lawrence Mitchell – high jump (third, 2.09m/6-10.25)
• Selene Weaver – pole vault (third, 3.95m/12-11.50)
• Kamille Gaskin-Griffith – heptathlon (third, 4824, fourth in program history)

 
Scoring for the Sycamores

• Landis Brandon – pole vault (fourth, 3.80m/12-05.50)
• Ryann Porter – long jump (fourth, 5.77m/18-11.25)
• Eva Grace Quinlan – heptathlon (fifth, 4805, sixth in program history), high jump (eighth, 1.59m/5-02.50)
• Logan Pietrzak – 3000m steeplechase (sixth, 9:18.69)
• Faith Frye – long jump (sixth, 5.72m/18-09.25)
• Niesha Anderson – shot put (sixth, 14.78m/48-06.00)
• Kelsey Bowlds – high jump (seventh, 1.59m/5-02.50)
• Maddie Welsh – pole vault (seventh, 3.65m/11-11.75)
• Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (seventh, 7.00m/22-11.75)
• Elias Foor – shot put (seventh, 16.19m/53-01.50)
• Ethan Breen – 3000m steeplechase (eighth, 9:23.04)
• Cassidy Bagby – 3000m steeplechase (eighth, 11:10.54, 10th in program history)

 
Team Scores Through Saturday
MEN
1. Indiana State 86
2. Northern Iowa – 54.5
3. Southern Illinois – 43.5
4. Bradley – 32
T-5. Drake – 29
T-5. Illinois State – 29
7. Belmont – 25
8. Valparaiso – 9
9. UIC – 4
 
WOMEN
1. Illinois State – 65
2. Murray State – 63
3. Indiana State – 61
4. Northern Iowa – 58
5. Belmont – 32
6. Drake – 29
7. Missouri State – 23
8. Bradley – 11
9. Southern Illinois – 9
 
Sprints/Hurdles
Indiana State advanced at least one entry to finals from every men's prelim contested Saturday. JaVaughn Moore (10.22), Noah Malone (10.56) and Daunte Majors (10.51) started the prelim advancements for the Trees in the 100m.
 
Indiana State also had three 110m hurdlers advance, with Quincy Armstrong (14.22), Luigi Rivas (14.33) and Collin Forrest (14.70) all getting another go Sunday afternoon. The Trees also had three women advance in the 100m hurdles, as Ryann Porter (13.84), Riley Tuerff (14.07) and Taylor Jackson (14.22) all ran season-best times in the prelims to move on. Tuerff (1:01.60) and Armstrong (52.99) also qualified for the 400m hurdles finals, with Maria Biskopstoe (1:02.74) also joining Tuerff in the women's final.
 
Cameron Stevens rounded out the advancers from the sprints and hurdles group, with his season-best 400m time of 48.16 advancing him to Sunday afternoon's final.
 
Distance
Indiana State picked up points in both steeplechase races, with Cassidy Bagby moving into the top 10 in program history in the process. Bagby clocked a time of 11:10.54 to place eighth in the event. On the men's side, Logan Pietrzak came in sixth with a time of 9:18.69, while Ethan Breen was eighth at 9:23.04.
 
Wyatt Wyman also advanced to the 800m finals for the Sycamores, with his prelim time of 1:50.65 ranking first among all entrants.
 
Jumps/Pole Vault
The Sycamores had a banner day from the jumps and pole vault group, with two wins and six all-conference honors on Saturday. Indiana State swept the men's high jump podium, with Kevin Krutsch placing first (2.12m/6-11.50), Trevor Thompson finishing second (2.12m/6-11.50) and Lawrence Mitchell coming in third (2.09m/6-10.25). Kelsey Bowlds and Eva Grace Quinlan both cleared 1.59m (5-02.50), combining for three team points.
 
Claire Pittman also took home an MVC title Saturday, as her final long jump mark of 5.93m (19-05.50) won by one centimeter. Ryann Porter (5.77m/18-11.25) and Faith Frye (5.72m/18-09.25) also scored for the Sycamores in fourth and sixth, respectively. Frankie Young III also earned all-conference honors in the event on the men's side, with his top attempt coming in at 7.23m (23-08.75). Shomari Rogers-Walton picked up two points for the Trees with a seventh-place finish (7.00m/22-11.75).
 
Indiana State had another strong showing from the women's pole vault group, with four Sycamores scoring in the event. Brooklyn Giertz and Selene Weaver placed second and third, respectively, after both clearing 3.95m (12-11.50), while Landis Brandon finished fourth (3.80m/12-05.50) and Maddie Welsh placed seventh (3.65m/11-11.75).
 
Throws
Indiana State stole the spotlight in the men's shot put, with the Sycamores taking each of the top two spots in the event. Brett Norton's final throw of 18.40m (60-04.50) edged out teammate Wyatt Puff (18.33m/60-01.75) for the title and tied the school record in the process. Elias Foor also added a seventh-place finish for the Trees (16.19m/53-01.50), marking the third different throws event he has scored in this weekend.
 
Niesha Anderson also scored in the women's shot put in her first MVC Outdoor Championships, with her top mark of 14.78m (48-06.00) earning her a sixth-place finish in the event.
 
Multis
Indiana State picked up all-conference honors in both the heptathlon and decathlon Saturday. Mitch Conard, competing in his first decathlon since the 2021 MVC Outdoor Championships, was the runner-up in the decathlon with 6328 points. Conard finished in the top three of six of the 10 events, including strong showings in the 110m hurdles (15.53), discus (34.23m/112-03) and pole vault (3.70m/12-01.50) Saturday.
 
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith moved up to fourth in program history in the heptathlon, with her total of 4824 also placing her third in the conference. Gaskin-Griffith was second in the long jump (5.56m/18-03.00) and fifth in the javelin (30.48m/100-00) Saturday. Eva Grace Quinlan also moved into the top 10 in program history, with her 4805 points ranking sixth all-time. Quinlan had a career-best performance in the long jump (5.43m/17-09.75) and also placed fourth in the 800m (2:32.04).
 
Up Next
Competition at the MVC Outdoor Championships concludes Sunday, with the final day of competition starting at 11 a.m.
 
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