TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Fresh off another strong indoor season, Indiana State track and field heads north to compete in the 2024 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships Sunday and Monday at Gately Park in Chicago.
Trees At The Top
Indiana State was once again picked among the favorites on both the men's and women's side in the MVC Pre-Championship Poll, which was unveiled Friday.
The Sycamores received nine of the 10 first-place votes on the men's side, being tabbed pre-championship favorites with 99 points out of a possible 100 in the poll. Indiana State also earned four first-place votes on the women's side, placing second in the pre-championship poll with 133 points out of a possible 144.
Men's Championship Outlook
Indiana State enters the conference championships with high expectations on the men's side. The Sycamores feature 22 marks that rank in the top five in the MVC, including
Will Staggs' school-record mark of 5.52m (18-01.25) in the pole vault. Indiana State features a pair of top-two rankings in both the 60m (
Terrance O'Bannon 6.63,
Casey Hood Jr. 6.67) and the 200m (Hood Jr. 21.39,
Daunte Majors 21.39), while
Tahj Johnson (400m, 48.16),
Luigi Rivas (60m hurdles, 7.95) and the DMR team (9:50.13) all rank in the top three in the conference.
Logan Pietrzak (8:15.10 3000m, 14:15.42 5000m) and
Jason Dworak (8:12.43 3000m, 14:35.66 5000m) lead a strong distance crew, while
Shomari Rogers-Walton (7.67m/25-02.00 long jump, 15.11m/49-07.00 triple jump), Kevin Krustch (2.08m/6-09.75 high jump) and Staggs combine to top the conference in all the jumps events.
In addition to the conference leaders,
Lawrence Mitchell (high jump, 2.02m/6-07.50),
Mitch Conard (long jump, 7.25m/23-09.50) and
Jaden Smith (triple jump, 14.69m/48-02.50) all rank in the top three of the MVC in their respective events. Indiana State's throws group is also deep, as
Wyatt Puff leads the conference in the shot put (18.28m/59-11.75), while
Noah Bolt (weight throw, 20.65m/67-09.00) and
Brett Norton (shot put, 17.61m/57-09.50) also own top-five conference marks.
Women's Championship Outlook
Indiana State's women's track and field team enters the conference championships off the heels of a strong indoor season. The Sycamores feature a trio of conference-leading marks, with
Rachel Mehringer (60m hurdles, 8.39),
Grace Quinlan (high jump, 1.77m/5-09.75) and
Niesha Anderson (weight throw, 21.36m/70-01.00) all topping the MVC in their respective events.
The Trees are deep in the 200m with a pair of top-five conference marks (
Michelle McDonald 24.40,
Janiya Bowman, 24.41), with
Erica Barker leading the way for the Blue and White in the distance events (9:38.99 3000m, 16:49.68 5000m).
Shanisa Stinson (8.57) gives the Sycamores a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the hurdles charts with Mehringer, while
Kyrsten Fehribach (1.71m/5-07.25) give the Trees a second athlete in the top five of the high jump alongside Quinlan.
Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff (3.90m/12-09.50) leads a pole vault group that features half of the MVC's top 10 in the event, while
Claire Pittman (5.87m/19-03.25) and Bowman (5.81m/19-00.75) account for two of the conference's top three marks in the long jump.
Hannah Redlin (shot put, 15.06m/49-05.00) and Anderson pace the Sycamores in the throws events, while
Kamille Gaskin-Griffith (3368) cracked the top 10 in program history in the pentathlon this season.
Last Time Out
Rachel Mehringer shattered her own 60m hurdles facility record Saturday afternoon, leading the way for Indiana State at the ISU Open on a day where seven meet records were broken by the Sycamores.
Mehringer's time of 8.39 further extended her conference-leading mark, while
Michelle McDonald had a banner day with meet records in both the 60m (7.60) and 200m (24.77).
Grace Quinlan moved into the top five in program history in the high jump (1.77m/5-09.75), while
Niesha Anderson (20.77m/68-01.75) and
Noah Bolt (20.65m/67-09.00)
Indiana State swept the top spots in the men's and women's high jump, long jump, shot put and weight throw. The Sycamores placed first on both the men's and women's side in the field.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State track and field athletes
Rachel Mehringer and
Grace Quinlan combined to sweep the MVC's Athlete of the Week awards, with Mehringer being named MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week and Quinlan being named MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week Thursday by the conference office.
Mehringer shattered Indiana State's facility record in the 60m hurdles on her way to a first-place finish at the ISU Open. She ran a prelims time of 8.39, the fastest in the Valley this season, to break the facility record that she set just one month prior.
Mehringer finished off the day by placing first in the finals with a time of 8.50. She ranks first in the MVC and 10th in the Great Lakes region in the 60m hurdles this season.
Quinlan had a career-best day in the high jump on her way to a first-place finish in the event at the ISU Open. She cleared 1.77m (5-09.75) on her third attempt after clearing marks of 1.62m (5-03.75), 1.67m (5-05.75) and 1.72m (5-07.75) all on her first attempt.
Quinlan's mark moved her to a tie for fourth in program history in the event. She moved up to first in the MVC in the high jump, with her mark also ranking fifth in the Great Lakes region and 50th in the nation.
The weekly honor is Mehringer's second this season and Quinlan's first career weekly honor. Indiana State has earned 10 MVC Athlete of the Week honors this season.
Highly Rated
Indiana State has gone wire-to-wire at the top of the USTFCCCA's MVC Ratings Index, with the Sycamores checking in at No. 1 on both the men's and women's side in each week the rankings were released.
The 2023-24 season has been a special one for the Sycamores, who earned their first-ever indoor No. 1 Great Lakes Region on the men's side in January
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, women's triple jump and men's long jump have all come during that span.
Up Next
Athletes who rank in the top 16 in the nation in their events will compete at the NCAA Indoor National Championships March 8-9 in Boston.
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
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