TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Longtime Missouri Valley Conference rivals Indiana State and Illinois State square off Friday for the 20th Annual Coughlan-Malloy Cup inside Horton Field House in Normal, Illinois.
Friday's proceedings kick off with field events at 11 a.m., with the first events on the track starting at 12:40 p.m.
Last Time Out
Indiana State's 2024-25 indoor track and field season got off to a strong start, with 10 different Sycamores putting up top-25 national marks at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite.
Included in the Sycamores' season opener was a school record, as
Tahj Johnson broke Indiana State's program record in the 300m with a time of 33.85. The Trees set a trio of top-10 national marks Friday, with
Casey Hood Jr. (60m, 6.67),
Rachel Mehringer (60m hurdles, 8.34) and
Noah Bolt (weight throw, 20.32m/66-8) all putting themselves among the nation's best in the early stages of the season.
Indiana State racked up eight first-place finishes as a team, with the Sycamores recording 23 top-three finishes over the course of the day. The Sycamores' depth was on full display, especially in the field events with multiple top-three finishes in nearly every field event contested.
About The Meet
Longtime Missouri Valley Conference rivals Indiana State and Illinois State meet Friday afternoon for the 19th Annual Coughlan/Malloy Cup. The dual meet event, which is named after longtime coaches John Coughlan (Illinois State) and Bill Malloy (Indiana State), has taken place every year since 2005, with the exception of the 2020-21 season.
The Sycamores won the Coughlan-Malloy Cup last season by a 178-118 margin, marking the first time since 2017 that the cup resided in Terre Haute. The 60-point margin was also the largest in the dual meet since 2015.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State sophomores
Casey Hood Jr. and
Rachel Mehringer earned their first conference honors of the season following the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, as the Sycamore duo swept the MVC's weekly track awards. Hood Jr. was named the MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while Mehringer was tabbed the MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week.
Hood Jr. set a Blue Demon Holiday Invite record in his season debut, clocking a time of 6.67 in the 60m prelims to advance as the fastest time in the field. He followed that with a time of 6.71 in the finals to place second overall. Hood Jr. was two-hundredths of a second off his career-best time, which was set at the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships. He owns the two fastest 60m times in the MVC this season, and he also ranks second in the Great Lakes Region and sixth nationally in the event.
Mehringer started her 2024-25 season in style, posting 60m hurdles times of 8.36 in the prelims and 8.34 in the finals to place second in the event. Her time was just one-hundredth off her career-best time, which was set at the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships. Mehringer also ran the 200m for the first time in her indoor career, finishing with a time of 26.10. Her 60m hurdles time ranks first in the MVC, third in the Great Lakes Region and 10th nationally.
Trees At The Top
Indiana State enters Friday's meet with the top athlete in the MVC in six different events. Not included in those six are either of the Sycamores' returning All-Americans from last season, showcasing Indiana State's depth throughout its roster.
The six Sycamores who currently hold top marks in the MVC are:
Top-Tier Trees
Indiana State currently features 10 athletes who rank in the top 50 in the NCAA in an event, with the wealth spread out across every event group which competed in the season opener. The Sycamores' 10 top-50 national marks currently rank second in the MVC.
Indiana State's nationally-ranked athletes through the opening meet of the season are:
- Casey Hood Jr. – 60m (10th, 6.67)
- Rachel Mehringer – 60m hurdles (17th, 8.34)
- Noah Bolt – weight throw (20th, 20.32m/66-8)
- Niesha Anderson – weight throw (20th, 19.75m/64-9.75)
- Sloan Cox – shot put (31st, 17.92m/58-9.5)
- Kevin Krutsch – high jump (32nd, 2.06m/6-9)
- Will Staggs – pole vault (33rd, 5.15m/16-10.75)
- Brookyln Pfaff – pole vault (34th, 4.00m/13-1.5)
- Wyatt Puff – shot put (34th, 17.85m/58-6.75)
- Jaden Smith – triple jump (45th, 14.88m/48-10)
Up Next
Indiana State makes the short trip east for the Crossroads of America Invitational January 24-25 at the Fall Creek Pavilion in Indianapolis.
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
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Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the
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