TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its second consecutive meet at a Big Ten venue Friday and Saturday when it takes part in the Michigan Invitational.
The first events for the Sycamores on both days will begin at noon.
Who's In The Field?
Indiana State will compete against another strong field in Ann Arbor. The Division I schools in this weekend's field, in addition to the Sycamores, are Butler, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Toledo and Wisconsin.
Five of the top 10 men's teams in the Great Lakes region rankings are set to compete in this week's field in Indiana State (No. 1), Wisconsin (No. 2), Michigan (No. 4), Notre Dame (No. 8) and Michigan State (No. 10).
Additionally, five of the top eight women's teams in the Great Lakes region are in the field in Michigan (No. 1), Wisconsin (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 4), Michigan State (No. 5) and Indiana State (No. 8).
Last Time Out
Indiana State track and field put together a strong showing for the third straight meet at the Indiana Invitational, picking up seven first-place finishes over the course of the weekend at Gladstein Fieldhouse.
The Sycamores nearly swept the first-place finishes in the men's field events, as
Will Staggs (pole vault),
Shomari Rogers-Walton (long jump),
Wyatt Puff (shot put) and
Noah Bolt (weight throw) all took top spots in their respective events, while
Kevin Krutsch was second in the high jump.
Casey Hood Jr. (60m) was the lone Sycamore winner on the track, with
Kyrsten Fehribach (high jump) and
Dominique Wood (triple jump) picking up first-place finishes in women's field events.
In addition to the top spots at the meet, the Sycamores also had multiple performances that cracked the program top-10 rankings.
Niesha Anderson continued her stellar start to the 2023-24 season by moving into the top three in program history in the weight throw, while
Napoleon Hernandez moved up to 10th in program history in the 600m.
Starting On Top
Indiana State was ranked No. 1 in the Great Lakes region in the first set of USTFCCCA men's regional rankings, which were announced Monday. The Sycamores earned their second-ever No. 1 regional ranking in program history with the announcement, as Indiana State was ranked first in the region once during the 2023 outdoor season, which culminated with another MVC Championship.
In addition, the Sycamores were ranked No. 8 in the Great Lakes region in the first set of USTFCCCA women's regional rankings. The ranking was Indiana State's highest ranking on the women's side since opening the 2023 outdoor season at No. 6 in the region.
The Sycamores are ranked in the top 100 nationally on both the men's and women's side, based on the program's top-50 national marks. The Sycamore women check in at No. 88, while the men are ranked at No. 96.
Sycamores On The National Stage
Indiana State's strong start to the season has seen six Sycamore athletes ranked among the nation's best in their respective events this season.
Niesha Anderson lead the way for the Blue and White, with her weight throw mark of 21.36m (70-01.00) ranking 13th nationally. Anderson is one of three Sycamore throwers to earn a top-50 national ranking, alongside
Wyatt Puff in the shot put (21st, 18.28m/59-11.75) and
Noah Bolt in the weight throw (49th, 20.16m/66-01.75).
Joining the trio of thowers in the top-50 national rankings for the Sycamores are pole vaulter
Will Staggs (15th, 5.35m/17-06.50), and sprinters
Terrance O'Bannon (24th, 6.66) and
Casey Hood Jr. (27th, 6.67) in the 60m.
Trees At The Top
Indiana State's season has gotten off to a strong start, as evidenced by the current MVC Performance List. The Sycamores own 12 marks that rank first in the conference, with 14 different athletes compiling those marks.
Two Indiana State athletes are responsible for multiple conference-leading marks this season.
Shomari Rogers-Walton leads the MVC in both the long jump (7.37m/24-02.25) and triple jump (15.11m/49-07.00), while
Tahj Johnson is the conference leader in the 400m (48.37) and runs one of the legs in the Sycamores' top-ranked 4x400m relay (3:17.19) alongside
Trent Jones,
Nick Burns and
Cameron Stevens.
Also owning top marks in the MVC are
Terrance O'Bannon (60m – 6.66),
Casey Hood Jr. (200m – 21.39),
Rachel Mehringer (60m hurdles – 8.42),
Kevin Krutsch (high jump – 2.04m/6-08.25),
Will Staggs (pole vault – 5.35m/17-06.50),
Wyatt Puff (shot put – 18.28m/59-11.75),
Hannah Redlin (shot put – 15.06m/49-05.00) and
Niesha Anderson (weight throw, 21.36m/70-01.00).
Indiana State's 12 conference-leading marks are the most among MVC schools this season.
Up Next
A split-squad weekend is on deck for the Sycamores, with Indiana State set to compete in a pair of meets. The Trees will send a contingent to the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame February 2-3, while also playing host to the Blue-White Classic February 3.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including
Facebook and
Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the
App Store and the
Google Play Store.
- #MarchOn -
