TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its deepest meet to date Friday and Saturday, as the Sycamores take part in the Crossroads of America Invitational inside the Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Friday's first events from Indianapolis start at 5 p.m., with Saturday's first events beginning at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 per day, with parking at the state fairgrounds also $10.
Last Time Out
Indiana State returned to its winning ways inside Horton Field House, as the Sycamores won the Coughlan-Malloy Cup for the second straight year.
The Sycamores defeated longtime rival Illinois State by an overall score of 157-145, with Indiana State topping the Redbirds on both the men's (79-72) and women's (78-73) sides for the second consecutive season.
Indiana State and Illinois State split the 28 first-place finishes, with each school owning the top spot in 14 events. In the end, the Sycamores' depth beyond the top spots prevailed in a closely contested dual meet.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State juniors
Terrance O'Bannon and
Niesha Anderson were recognized for their standout performances at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup, as the Sycamore duo earned MVC Athlete of the Week honors Tuesday afternoon. O'Bannon was named the MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while Anderson was tabbed the MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.
O'Bannon ran a blistering time of 6.60 to win the 60m finals at the Coughlan Malloy Cup, setting a personal-best mark in the process. He also broke his own Coughlan-Malloy Cup record in the event, which he set last season, while his time shattered a Horton Field House record which had stood since 2001. O'Bannon owns the fastest 60m time in both the MVC and the Great Lakes Region, while his time currently sits in the top 10 nationally.
Anderson continued her strong start to the 2024-25 campaign, winning the weight throw at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup with a top mark of 20.60m (67-7). In addition, she also placed second in the shot put with a top throw of 13.83m (45-4.5). Anderson is the only athlete in the MVC with a mark over 20 meters in the weight throw this season. She ranks first in the MVC, sixth in the Great Lakes Region and 20th nationally in the event. In addition, she also ranks eighth in the MVC and 25th in the Great Lakes Region in the shot put.
Sophomore Stars
Indiana State's sophomore class has gotten off to a strong start, brushing away any notion of a second-year slump. Sycamore sophomores accounted for wins in the men's and women's 60m hurdles (
Parker Doyle, 8.17, and
Rachel Mehringer, 8.43), women's 300m (
Janiya Bowman, 40.39), women's mile (
Emma Gresham, 4:59.63), men's triple jump (
Jaden Smith, 14.78m/48-6) and women's shot put (
Aliseonna Garnett, 14.82m/48-7.5) to help the Trees retain the Coughlan-Malloy Cup.
Two Sycamore sophomores currently stand among the national leaders in events this season, as
Casey Hood Jr. ranks 16th in the 60m (6.64) and
Rachel Mehringer ranks 33rd in the 60m hurdles (8.34).
Fast Start
Indiana State features three of the top four men's 60m times in the MVC this season, including the two fastest in the conference in
Terrance O'Bannon (6.60) and
Casey Hood Jr. (6.64). O'Bannon, Hood Jr. and
Daunte Majors (6.74) all rank in the top five in program history in the event and combined to score 21 points in the event at the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships.
Hood Jr. is the reigning MVC Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year, while O'Bannon shattered Illinois State's 60m facility record which had stood for more than 20 years in the Sycamores' most recent meet.
Up, Up And Away
Indiana State's throwers picked up right where they left off at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup, sweeping all four throws events against Illinois State.
Wyatt Puff (17.32m/56-9.5) and
Aliseonna Garnett (14.82m/48-7.5) placed first in the men's and women's shot put, respectively, with
Noah Bolt (19.86m/65-2) and
Niesha Anderson (20.60m/67-7) earning the top spots in the men's and women's weight throw.
Bolt and Anderson also won the weight throw titles at the season-opening Blue Demon Holiday Invite, with
Sloan Cox winning the men's shot put at the Sycamores' first meet of the season.
Siblings Shining
Indiana State sophomore
Janiya Bowman and freshman
Jahnel Bowman both added marks to the Sycamore record books at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup, with the sisters combining for three program top-10 marks in the Trees' most recent meet.
Janiya Bowman, who already ranked among the top 200m times in program history, added to her account with a 300m time of 40.39, the fourth-fastest in program history.
Jahnel Bowman cracked the program charts in a pair of events in Normal, with her 300m time of 41.48 ranking sixth in program history and her triple jump mark of 12.01m (39-5) ranking ninth in the Sycamore charts.
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:
In addition to being among the conference's best, O'Bannon and
Casey Hood Jr. also currently occupy NCAA Indoor National Championship qualifying spots in the 60m, with both ranking in the top 16 in the nation in the event.
Top-Tier Trees
Indiana State currently features five athletes who rank in the top 50 in the NCAA in an event, with the Sycamores looking to place athletes in the NCAA Indoor National Championships for a third consecutive season.
Indiana State's nationally-ranked athletes through the Sycamores' first two meets of the season are:
Up Next
Indiana State heads west for the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational January 31-February 1 in Columbia, Missouri.
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
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