TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field splits its squad for the first time this season Friday and Saturday, with the Sycamores set to compete in a pair of meets over the weekend.
Most of the Sycamores' roster will compete at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational Friday and Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, with the Sycamores also fielding a host of entries at the Friday Night Spikes meet on the campus of Rose-Hulman.
Last Time Out
Rachel Mehringer shattered Indiana State's 60m hurdles record as part of a strong Crossroads of America Invitational for the Sycamores at the Fall Creek Pavilion.
Mehringer clocked a time of 8.19 in Friday's prelims, breaking the previous program record by nine-hundredths of a second and becoming the second Sycamore to set a school record during the 2024-25 season.
Indiana State produced five program top-10 marks during their time in the capital city, headlined by Mehringer's performance in the hurdles. The Sycamores also received program top-10 marks from
Emma Gresham in the mile,
Brittney Burak in the 5000m,
Parker Speth in the pole vault and
Aliseonna Garnett in the shot put.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State track and field athletes
Will Staggs,
Rachel Mehringer and
Niesha Anderson earned MVC Athlete of the Week following standout showings at the Crossroads of America Invitational. Staggs was named the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, Mehringer was tabbed MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week and Anderson picked up MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors.
Staggs cleared a season-best 5.39m (17-8.25) to place second in the pole vault at the Crossroads of America Invitational. He cleared marks of 5.04m (16-6.4), 5.19m (17-0.25), 5.29m (17-4.25) and 5.39m (17-8.25), with his final attempts of the meet coming at a mark which would have broken his own school record (5.53m/18-1.75). Staggs owns the top mark in the MVC in the pole vault, an event in which he also ranks second in the Great Lakes Region and 23rd in the nation.
Mehringer shattered the school and MVC record in the 60m hurdles at the Crossroads of America Invitational, clocking a time of 8.19 in prelims to break both marks. She followed that with a time of 8.30 in finals to place third in the event. In addition, Mehringer also ran a career-best 60m time of 7.62 in prelims and followed with a time of 7.66 in finals to place fifth. Mehringer owns the top time in the MVC in the 60m hurdles, with her record-setting time also ranking fourth in the Great Lakes Region and 19th in the nation. She also ranks eighth in the MVC and 33rd in the Great Lakes Region in the 60m.
Anderson recorded a season-best mark of 21.28m (69-9.75) in the weight throw, earning a top-five finish at the Crossroads of America Invitational. Her mark was second among the collegiate athletes in the field, with four of her six throws going beyond 20 meters and two going more than 21 meters. In addition, Anderson also placed 14th in the shot put with a mark of 13.43m (44-0.75). Anderson is the MVC leader in the weight throw, an event in which she also ranks fourth in the Great Lakes Region and 14th in the nation. Her top shot put mark this season ranks eighth in the MVC and 27th in the Great Lakes Region.
Indiana State has earned seven MVC Athlete of the Week honors through its first three meets of the season, picking up multiple weekly awards in each of the first three meets.
Strength In Numbers
Indiana State features eight event groups ranked in the top 25 nationally in the first set of USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings. The rankings are an average of each team's top four marks in an event.
The Sycamores' men's 60m group is the top-ranked team for the Blue and White, coming in at eighth nationally. Indiana State's men's shot put (10th), women's triple jump (17th), men's high jump (19th), men's pole vault (19th), women's weight throw (21st), women's pole vault (24th) and men's weight throw (25th) groups all rank among the nation's best this season.
Record Book Rewritten
Indiana State sophomore
Rachel Mehringer made program history at the Crossroads of America Invitational, breaking the school record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.19. Mehringer's time also broke the MVC record in the event.
Mehringer is the fifth Sycamore to own a current MVC indoor record, alongside former All-Americans JaVaughn Moore (60m), Holli Hyche (60m and 200m), Aubrey Herring (60m hurdles) and Lauren Martin (triple jump). Hyche and Herring were both national champions in their respective events.
Climbing The Charts
Indiana State had five program top-10 marks set at its last meet, the Crossroads of America Invitational. On the track side,
Rachel Mehringer broke the school and conference record in the 60m hurdles (8.19), while
Emma Gresham (mile, 4:52.72) and
Brittney Burak (5000m, 17:07.83) both entered the program top-10 in distance events.
The Sycamores also had a pair of top-10 program marks in field events, with
Parker Speth (pole vault, 5.04m/16-6.5) and
Aliseonna Garnett (shot put, 15.52m/50-11) both notching career-best efforts to push their way up the charts.
Rising Up The Rankings
Indiana State was ranked among the top 15 teams in the Great Lakes Region on both the men's and women's side in the first set of USTFCCCA regional rankings. The Sycamores were ranked fifth on the men's side and 11th on the women's side in the region.
Indiana State has been ranked in the top 10 of every USTFCCCA Men's Indoor Great Lakes Region ranking for the last three seasons, while the Sycamores have also been in the top 15 of every USTFCCCA Women's Indoor Great Lakes Region ranking in that span.
Trees At The Top
Indiana State enters Friday's meet with the top athlete in the MVC in 10 different events. The Sycamores' 10 No. 1 rankings in the MVC are the most among any school in the conference.
The six Sycamores who currently hold top marks in the MVC are:
In addition to being among the conference's best, O'Bannon and Anderson both occupy top-16 spots in Division I in their respective events.
Top-Tier Trees
Indiana State currently features eight 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 three meets of the season are:
- Terrance O'Bannon – 60m (13th, 6.60)
- Niesha Anderson – weight throw (14th, 21.28m/69-9.75)
- Rachel Mehringer – 60m hurdles (19th, 8.19)
- Ryan York, Tahj Johnson, Caden Emmert, Jason Dworak – distance medley relay (22nd, 10:01.80)
- Will Staggs – pole vault (23rd, 5.39m/17-8.25)
- Casey Hood Jr. – 60m (26th, 6.64)
- Morgan Dyer, Noelle Dilosa, Halle Miller, Emma Gresham – distance medley relay (34th, 12:01.48)
- Noah Bolt – weight throw (41st, 20.32m/66-8)
Up Next
Indiana State makes its second trip to the Windy City this season when the Sycamores compete in the DePaul Alumni Classic February 8 at Gately Park in Chicago.
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For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out
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