TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field plays host to its first home meet of the outdoor season when it welcomes competition to Terre Haute for the Gibson Invitational.
 
The three-day meet starts Thursday morning with the combined events opening at 10 a.m. Friday's events, which include the second day of the combined events along with select throws and distance events, will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday's final day of competition will start at 11 a.m.
 
Indiana State will also recognize its senior class on Saturday, along with an alumni recognition during the meet.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State track and field rewrote its record book Saturday afternoon at the Gary Wieneke Memorial, as three program records were broken inside Demirjian Park.
 
Lillian Gibbs (javelin) and Will Staggs (pole vault) both set school records in individual events, while Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas and Tahj Johnson teamed up to break the Sycamores' 4x100m relay record. Gibbs' record-braking performance came in just her third collegiate meet, while Staggs broke his own pole vault record for the second time this season.
 
As a team, Indiana State had five first-place finishes, with every event group being represented by at least one winner on the afternoon. The Sycamores racked up 23 top-five finishes as a team, while five program top-10 marks were set in the one-day meet. Indiana State also had multiple additional marks which rank among the conference leaders and will have athletes in contention for NCAA East First Round appearances.
 
Senior Weekend Special
Indiana State will recognize its 2024 senior class on Saturday, with this year's seniors playing a vital role in returning Sycamore Track and Field back to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
The men's track and field senior class has won five MVC Track and Field Championships (three indoor, two outdoor) and has won every conference title, indoor or outdoor, since the 2022 indoor title. The women's track and field senior class has won a pair of MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships, including this year's indoor title as part of a team sweep. The Sycamore cross country program has also seen continued improvement towards the top half of the MVC during that span.
 
Climbing The Charts
Indiana State jumper Shomari Rogers-Walton only recorded one mark in the long jump at the Gary Wieneke Memorial, but he certainly made the most of it. Rogers-Walton's mark of 7.89m (25-10.75) was his all-conditions career best, and also marked the best jump by an MVC Athlete since Sycamore Hall of Famer Frankie Young in 1999.
 
Rogers-Walton enters the weekend with the top long jump mark in both the MVC and Great Lakes region. He currently sits third in NCAA East Region qualifying and inside the top 15 nationally in the event. In addition, Rogers-Walton also leads the MVC in the triple jump, an event he has won the conference title in each of the last two seasons. He is in position to qualify for the NCAA East First Round in both events for the second time in the last three seasons.
 
Record-Setting Relay
Indiana State's men's 4x100m relay team of Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas and Tahj Johnson had a day to remember at the Gary Wieneke Memorial, as the Sycamore quartet broke the school record in the event on their way to a first-place finish
 
After strong opening legs from Hood Jr. and Majors, Thomas pulled the Sycamore team in front on the third leg and Johnson closed the deal on the anchor. Indiana State's 39.64 time was more than a tenth of a second faster than the previous program record. The Sycamores' time ranks first in both the MVC and Great Lakes region, and inside the top 15 in NCAA East Region qualifying.
 
The men's 4x100m relay has become a specialty for Indiana State in recent years. The Sycamores have five 4x1 relay teams under 40 seconds in program history, all of which have come since 2021.
 
Freshman Phenoms
Indiana State has a pair of freshmen standouts on the women's side who have already made plenty of noise in the first half of the outdoor season.
 
Rachel Mehringer has been a force in the hurdles dating back to indoor season when she won the 60m hurdles conference title. She already ranks third in program history in the 100m hurdles with a season-best of 13.62, which is also the top time in the MVC this season and ranks in the top 50 in NCAA East Region qualifying.
 
Lillian Gibbs broke Indiana State's program record in the javelin in just her third collegiate meet, as she recorded a new best mark of 45.32m (148-08) at the Gary Wieneke Memorial. Gibbs ranks second in the MVC in the event, and also sits in the top 40 in NCAA East Region qualifying.
 
Sycamores on the National Stage
With the outdoor season reaching the halfway point, Indiana State is in a position to have double-digit entries in the NCAA East First Round once again. To qualify for the NCAA East First Round, athletes must be ranked in the top 48 of an individual event or in the top 24 on a relay team in NCAA East qualifying.
 
With four weekends, including the conference championships, remaining, the Sycamores currently have 11 entries in qualifying position, with five additional entries within 10 spots of qualifying marks.
 
The Sycamores' current marks in qualifying position are:

• Logan Pietrzak – 3000m steeplechase (43rd, 9:03.70)
• Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Tahj Johnson – 4x100m relay (15th, 39.64)
• Kevin Krutsch – high jump (34th, 2.10m/6-10.75)
• Will Staggs – pole vault (eighth, 5.45m/17-10.50)
• Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (third, 7.89m/25-10.75), triple jump (29th, 15.17m/49-09.25)
• Ali Ilupeju – long jump (47th, 7.36m/24-01.75)
• Brett Norton – shot put (18.31m/60-01.00)
• Elias Foor – discus (10th, 59.51m/195-03), hammer throw (36th, 61.72m/202-06)
• Lillian Gibbs – javelin (35th, 45.32m/148-08)

 
Up Next
Indiana State splits its squad between the Drake Relays (April 25-27) and the Sycamore Open (April 27).
 
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.
 
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