TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its final meet before the conference championships Saturday, playing host to the ISU Open starting at noon inside the ISU Indoor Track and Field Facility.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State showed it belonged with some of the top talent Division I, going toe-to-toe with elite talent at the Tyson Invitational.
 
Shomari Rogers-Walton produced Indiana State's lone first-place finish of the meet with a season-best mark in the long jump (7.67m/25-02.00), while Will Staggs broke his own school record in the pole vault (5.52m/18-01.25) for a second consecutive weekend. The Trees also got a career-best performance in the 60m from Terrance O'Bannon (6.63), while Niesha Anderson continued her strong season with another high mark in the weight throw (20.51m/67-03.50).
 
Indiana State's depth was also on full display at the Fall Creek Pavilion, as the Sycamores claimed eight first-place finishes at the Marian Indoor Invitational.
 
Six of those eight event wins came on the women's side, including season-best performances in the 60m from Michelle McDonald (7.70) and in the 400m from Alysha Bradford (57.78). The Sycamores' two men's event wins came from Parker Doyle in the 60m hurdles and Lawrence Mitchell in the high jump, with the former clocking a season-best 8.22 and the latter winning in his first meet back since the season opener.
 
As a whole, Indiana State racked up 31 top-five finishes at the state fairgrounds, with every event group represented by multiple top-five finishes on the day.
 
Indiana State's distance crew had a strong showing at the GVSU Big Meet, with four Sycamores climbing the program top 10 charts in events at the Kelly Family Sports Center.
 
Logan Pietrzak had the headline performance of the group, moving all the way up to second in program history in the 5000m with a time of 14:15.42. Pietrzak also earned a second-place finish at the meet with that time, which was an improvement of nearly 17 seconds from his previous best in the event. Also picking up a program top-10 mark on the men's side was Jason Dworak, whose 3000m time of 8:12.43 moved him to sixth in the event.
 
Indiana State also picked up a pair top-10 program mark on the women's side, courtesy of Emma Gresham in the 3000m and Erica Barker in the 5000m. Gresham ran a time of 9:47.17 to crack the top five in program history in the event, while Barker moved all the way up to second in program history in the 5000m with a time of 16:49.68.
 
Who's In The Field?
Joining the host Sycamores in the ISU Open are Evansville, Rose-Hulman, Southern Indiana, UIndy, Vincennes and Webster.
 
 
Weekly Winners
Indiana State swept the MVC Field Athlete of the Week awards, with Will Staggs and Niesha Anderson earning the conference honors Thursday morning.
 
Staggs was tabbed the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, with Anderson picking up MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors.
 
Staggs continued his record-setting season at the Tyson Invitational, breaking his own program record in the pole vault for a second consecutive meet. Competing in the invitational section, which consisted of All-Americans and professional athletes, Staggs cleared marks of 5.17m (16-11.50), 5.32m (17-05.50), 5.42m (17-09.25) and 5.52m (18-01.25) to place inside the top five in the field.
 
Staggs' record-setting mark placed him first in the MVC, second in the Great Lakes region and 11th nationally in the pole vault. His mark is also the best by an MVC athlete since 2001.
 
Anderson continued her strong season in the weight throw at the Tyson Invitational, placing in the top three with a mark of 20.51m (67-03.50). She was the only athlete from outside the Power Five conferences to finish in the top five in the event, which consisted of multiple athletes ranked in the top 25 nationally. Anderson also competed in the shot put, finishing with a top mark of 12.59m (41-03.75) in the event.
 
Anderson continues to lead the MVC in the weight throw, where she also ranks third in the Great Lakes region and 17th nationally. She also ranks fifth in the MVC in the shot put.
 
Final Call
Saturday's meet is the final tune-up for the Sycamores before they set their sights on the MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Chicago. Indiana State has fared well in recent championships, sweeping the men's and women's titles in 2022 and repeating as champions on the men's side in 2023.
 
Championship rosters are limited to 32 athletes per gender, meaning Saturday's meet is the final opportunity for Indiana State athletes to earn their way on to the championship roster.
 
Heating Up
Indiana State is finding its groove at the right time of the season, with several of the Sycamores' top indoor marks of the 2023-24 campaign being set within the last two weekends.
 
The Trees' top marks in every sprints and long distance event have come during the month of February, while the Sycamores' top mark in the men's and women's pole vault have also come during that span. Indiana State's top marks in the women's triple jump and men's long jump both came last week.
 
Rooted To The Top
Indiana State has consistently been among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference, and this season is no different. The Sycamores remained atop the MVC ratings index on both the men's and women's side for a second straight week.
 
Entering Saturday's meet, Indiana State has 15 marks on the men's side that rank in the top three in the MVC while sitting in scoring position in nearly every event. Among those top-three marks are an MVC-leading seven first-place rankings. The Sycamores also feature eight top-three marks on the women's side, with conference-leading marks in both the 60m hurdles and weight throw.
 
The Forest Runs Deep
Indiana State's depth has been on full display this season, as four Sycamore event groups remain in the top 10 in Division I in the latest set of USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings.
 
Indiana State's men's triple jump group leads the way for the Blue and White at No. 7 nationally. The Sycamores' men's throws events (shot put and weight throw) both check in at No. 9 this week, while the men's 60m group slotted in at No. 10 in the nation.
 
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on the MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships February 25-26 in Chicago.
 
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.