TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its final meet before the MVC Outdoor Championships Friday when it makes the short trek down SR-46 to Bloomington for the Billy Hayes Invitational.
Friday's proceedings from the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex begin at noon with field events, with the first events on the track slated for 4 p.m.
Last Time Out
Competing inside the friendly confines of the Gibson Track and Field Complex for the second straight weekend, Indiana State closed its home regular season slate with first-place finishes on both the men's and women's side at the Sycamore Open.
The Sycamores had multiple highlight-worthy performances on home soil, with
Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff firmly entering the NCAA East First Round qualifying mix in the pole vault and
Elias Foor moving his way to the fringe of US Olympic Trials marks in the discus. Season and personal bests came by the bunches for the Trees on Saturday, with Indiana State's athletes taking advantage of ideal weather conditions to post their best marks of the year.
As a team, Indiana State recorded 15 first-place finishes, with nine on the men's side and six on the women's side. The Sycamores finished with 188.5 points on the men's side and 161 points on the women's side.
Indiana State's also competed at the 114th Drake Relays, with program top-10 marks being set in nearly every event the Sycamores competed in at Drake Stadium.
Sycamore relay teams accounted for seven additions to the program top-10 charts in their three days on the Blue Oval, with Indiana State also adding three program top-10 marks in individual events.
Last Chance
Friday's meet represents the last opportunity for the Sycamores before the 2024 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships come to Terre Haute. With that comes the final opportunity for Sycamore athletes to play their way on to the championship roster.
Championship rosters are limited to 32 athletes per gender, with teams limited to a maximum of five entries per event.
Top Of The Charts
Heading into the final weekend before the MVC Outdoor Championships, Indiana State currently has 10 marks that rank first in the MVC, along with 20 additional top-three marks in the conference. Included in those marks are the top spots in the men's and women's pole vault and long jump.
Indiana State's conference-leading marks heading into the weekend are:
All of Indiana State's event groups (sprints/relays, hurdles, distance/mid-distance, jumps, throws, combined events) feature at least one athlete ranked in the top three of the conference in an event, with all but the combined events having multiple top-five entries in The Valley.
Sycamores on the National Stage
Entering the final stretch of the season, Indiana State is poised to send double-digit entries to the NCAA East First Round for the third straight season under program director
Angela Martin.
With two weekends, including the conference championships, remaining, the Sycamores currently have 12 entries in qualifying position. To qualify for the regional round, athletes must be ranked in the top 48 in an event or on a relay team ranked in the top 24.
The Sycamores' current marks in qualifying position are:
- Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (35th, 13.34)
- Casey Hood Jr., Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Tahj Johnson – 4x100m relay (17th, 39.64)
- Kevin Krutsch – high jump (42nd, 2.10m/6-10.75)
- Grace Quinlan – high jump (39th, 1.75m/5-08.75)
- Will Staggs – pole vault (eighth, 5.45m/17-10.50)
- Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff – pole vault (23rd, 4.15m/13-07.25)
- Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (fourth, 7.89m/25-10.75), triple jump (30th, 15.33m/50-03.50)
- Brett Norton – shot put (30th, 18.31m/60-01.00)
- Elias Foor – discus (10th, 59.51m/195-03), hammer throw (39th, 62.16m/203-11)
- Lillian Gibbs – javelin (40th, 45.32m/148-08)
Top-25 Squads
One thing that has propelled Indiana State back to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in recent years is depth, and this year's Sycamores are no different. Indiana State features seven different groups ranked in the top 25 nationally in the latest #EventSquad rankings.
- Men's long jump – 16th
- Men's shot put – 16th
- Women's heptathlon – 17th
- Women's pole vault – 20th
- Men's steeplechase – 22nd
- Women's 100m hurdles – 25th
- Women's discus – 25th
The Sycamores also have two more groups ranked in the top 40 nationally, those being the men's hammer throw (26th) and men's pole vault (31st).
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on the 2024 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which the Sycamores will host May 10-12 at the Gibson Track and Field Complex.
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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