TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – After sweeping the MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the second time in the last three years, Indiana State begins its 2024 outdoor season Friday and Saturday at the Ole Miss Classic.
 
Friday's events from the Ole Miss Track and Field Complex will begin at 1 p.m., with Saturday's events slated to start at noon.
 
Who's In The Field?
Indiana State opens its 2024 outdoor season with a stern challenge. Joining the Sycamores in this week's field at the Ole Miss Classic are Alcorn State, Arkansas State, Aurora, Belmont, Christian Brothers, Harding, Memphis, North Dakota, Ole Miss, Pittsburg State, Rhodes, Southeast Missouri State, Troy and Virginia Tech.
 
This weekend's field features six Division I teams that won indoor conference championships (Arkansas State men and women, Indiana State men and women, Southeast Missouri State women, Virginia Tech women) and the NCAA Division II Men's National Champion in Pittsburg State. Pittsburg State also finished runner-up on the women's side at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships, while Ole Miss finished in the top 15 on both the men's (15th) and women's (fifth) side at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships. Virginia Tech was 12th on the women's side at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State pole vaulter Will Staggs capped off a stellar indoor season at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, earning a top-10 finish in the pole vault at The TRACK at New Balance.
 
Staggs cleared marks of 5.30m (17-04.50) on his second attempt and 5.40m (17-08.50) on his third attempt, placing ninth in the field. The ninth-place finish earns Staggs Second Team All-America honors.
 
For Staggs, the All-America performance caps an indoor season which saw him break the school pole vault record twice, along with the Indiana State facility record in the pole vault. He became the first MVC Athlete since 2001 to clear a mark of 5.50m (18-00.50) or better, having done so twice this season. A model of consistency this season, Staggs cleared 5.25m (17-02.75) or better at every meet he competed in this season.
 
Trees On Top
Indiana State continues to top the chart in the Missouri Valley Conference, with the Sycamores' most recent MVC Indoor Championship sweep giving ISU seven team conference titles in the last three years (men's indoor – 2022, 2023, 2024; women's indoor – 2022, 2024; men's outdoor – 2022, 2023). In addition to the team indoor championships, Indiana State won seven individual championships and took home multiple MVC specialty awards at this year's indoor championships.
 
The Sycamores winning specialty awards were:

• Shomari Rogers-Walton – Most Valuable Athlete of the MVC Championships (20 points scored, first place in both long jump and triple jump)
• Will Staggs – Most Outstanding Men's Field Athlete (5.52m/18-01.25 in the pole vault ranked 13th nationally)
• Niesha Anderson – Most Outstanding Women's Field Athlete (21.40m/70-02.50 in the weight throw ranked 19th nationally)
• Casey Hood Jr. – Freshman of the Year (16 points scored, first place in the 60m, third place in the 200m)
• Will Staggs – MVC Elite 17 (highest GPA among medalists in an event at the conference championships)
• Angela Martin – MVC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (led Indiana State to second championship sweep in the last three years)

 
In addition to the accolades from indoor season, Indiana State also returns four outdoor conference champions from the 2023 season. Those individuals who placed atop the podium a season ago were:

• Kevin Krutsch (high jump) – Krutsch led a sweep of the high jump podium for the Sycamores, clearing 2.12m (6-11.50) in a statement event win for the Sycamores on their way to another team title. He also placed in the top 25 at the NCAA East First Round.
• Brett Norton (shot put) – Norton had a career-best afternoon on a day when it mattered most, as his mark of 18.40m (60-04.50) vaulted him to the top of the conference ranks and led Indiana State to a 1-2 finish at the top of the shot put podium.
• Claire Pittman (long jump) – After coming agonizingly close to an individual conference title on multiple occasions, Pittman rose to the top at last year's conference championships with a wind-legal career-best mark of 5.93m (19-05.50) to win the long jump.
• Shomari Rogers-Walton (triple jump) – Rogers-Walton always has a knack for performing on the big stage, and his mark of 15.18mw (49-09.75) delivered his second straight outdoor triple jump conference title.

 
Staggs On The National Stage
In addition to all the success against conference foes, Indiana State has regularly found itself competing against the best at NCAA regional and national championships. Last season, the Sycamores had 14 entries in the NCAA East First Round, with a majority of that talent back for the Blue and White this season.
 
Indiana State's returning NCAA East First Round Entries are:

• Noah Bolt (discus, hammer throw) – one of two Sycamore throwers to qualify in multiple events, Bolt placed above his seed line in the hammer throw with a mark of 58.70m (192-07).
• Elias Foor (hammer throw) – One of the last qualifiers in the field, Foor finished above his seed line in the hammer throw with a mark of 53.15m (174-04).
• Kevin Krutsch (high jump) – One of three Sycamores to qualify in the men's high jump, Krutsch placed in the top 25 at the NCAA East First Round in the high jump with his clearance of 2.04m (6-08.25) in unfavorable conditions.
• Lawrence Mitchell (high jump) – Mitchell did not compete at the NCAA East First Round, but qualified for the regional round after clearing an outdoor career-best mark of 2.09m (6-10.25) at the MVC Championships.
• Brett Norton (shot put) – Noton closed out a strong season for the Blue and White with a mark of 17.66m (57-11.25) in the shot put.
• Wyatt Puff (discus, shot put) – Puff earned a top-20 finish in the discus (54.32m/178-02) and also placed in the top 25 of the shot put (18.41m/59-06.25), finishing ahead of where he was seeded in both events.
• Will Staggs (pole vault) – Staggs punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships last season with an outdoor-best mark of 5.30m (17-04.50) at the NCAA East First Round.
• Selene Weaver (pole vault) – one of the last entries in the field, Weaver finished 20 spots ahead of where she was seeded after clearing 3.97m (13-00.25).

 
Indiana State also returns three-fourths of its 4x100m relay team (Daunte Majors, Terrance O'Bannon, Isiah Thomas) which earned a top-15 finish at the NCAA East First Round.
 
Up Next
Indiana State makes a short trip northwest to compete in the EIU Big Blue Classic March 29-30 in Charleston, Illinois.
 
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.