TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field looks to sweep the MVC Indoor Championships for the third time in the last four years when it heads to Chicago to compete Sunday and Monday.
 
Sunday's first events start at 10 a.m. with the combined events, with field events starting at 3 p.m. and prelims on the track starting at 3:15 p.m. Monday's first events start at 10:30 a.m. with the combined events, with field events starting at 11:30 a.m. and finals on the track beginning at 12:30 p.m.
 
Staying On Top
Indiana State was selected to repeat as MVC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Champions, as unveiled in the MVC Pre-Championship Poll Wednesday. The poll, which was voted on by the head coaches in the conference, had the Sycamores occupying the top spots on both the men's and women's side.
 
The Trees finished with four first-place votes and 94 out of a possible 100 points on the men's side. Indiana State was just two points ahead of Northern Iowa, who received five first-place votes. The Sycamores also received nine of the 12 first-place votes on the women's side and finished with 140 out of a possible 144 points. Indiana State was 13 points ahead of Illinois State on the women's side, with the Redbirds picking up two of the three remaining first-place votes.
 
Men's Championship Outlook
Indiana State enters championship weekend as favorites by a narrow margin over Northern Iowa, in a meet which will likely come down to the final events. The Sycamores and Panthers have been the top two teams in the MVC for the entirety of the season, and have combined to win the last five MVC indoor titles (UNI 2020-21, Indiana State 2022-24).
 
The Sycamores enter the MVC Indoor Championships with four conference-leading marks this season, two of which come from Casey Hood Jr. (60m – 6.59, 200m – 21.14). Will Staggs' school record pole vault (5.56m/18-2.75) and Noah Bolt's top-three program mark in the weight throw (20.94m/68-8.5) are the Trees' conference-leading marks in field events.
 
Indiana State features depth across its roster, with 14 top-three marks in the conference this season. The Sycamores have multiple top-three program marks in the 60m (Hood Jr. and Terrance O'Bannon), 200m (Hood Jr. and Daunte Majors), pole vault (Staggs and Parker Speth) and weight throw (Bolt and Elias Foor). Indiana State also has a strong possibility of three-plus scorers in the 60m (Hood Jr. O'Bannon, Majors), 60 hurdles (Parker Doyle, David Carnell, Collin Forrest), high jump (Kevin Krutsch, Noah Gilmore, Kilan Macklin, Ethan Widenhoefer) and shot put (Wyatt Puff, Sloan Cox, Bolt, Foor).
 
Women's Championship Outlook
Indiana State seeks to repeat its title-winning run from a season ago, and the Sycamores bast a deep roster to continue their chase. The Blue and White will look to weather challenges from Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Murray State to capture another conference crown.
 
The Trees enter the championships with four conference-leading marks, including MVC 60m hurdles record holder Rachel Mehringer (8.19). Indiana State has top marks in field events from Brooklyn Pfaff in the pole vault (4.01m/13-1.75), Jahnel Bowman in the triple jump (12.39m/40-7.75) and Niesha Anderson in the weight throw (21.28m/69-9.75).
 
Indiana State's depth is on full display with additional top-three marks in the 200m (Janiya Bowman), 3000m (Emma Gresham), 5000m (Erica Barker and Hadley Gradolf), pole vault (Abby Ballengee), long jump (Bowman), triple jump (Dominique Wood) and shot put (Aliseonna Garnett). The Sycamores currently have three-plus athletes in scoring positions in the 5000m (Barker, Gradolf, Brittney Burak), pole vault (Pfaff, Ballengee, Amy Luttrell, Campbell Roberts, Kennedy Merrell), triple jump (Bowman, Wood, Justice Boston) and shot put (Garnett, Anderson, Olivia Marshall).
 
Weekly Winners
Indiana State claimed three of the four MVC weekly track and field honors following a strong showing at the John Gartland Invitational. David Carnell, Rachel Mehringer and Niesha Anderson all earned conference accolades for their efforts over the weekend in Terre Haute. Carnell was tabbed the MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, Mehringer earned MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week and Anderson was named MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.
 
Carnell put together the best meet of his young career at the John Gartland Invitational, running his two fastest 60m hurdles times of the season on his way to a first-place finish in the event. He clocked a prelims time of 8.19, the second-fastest during the opening round, and followed with a career-best time of 8.06 to win finals in the event. Carnell's time was tied for the fastest 60 hurdles time by a Sycamore this season, with his time also ranking fourth in the MVC and 12th in the Great Lakes Region.
 
Mehringer broke meet and facility record in both the 60m dash and 60m hurdles on her way to a pair of first-place finishes at the John Gartland Invitational. Mehringer clocked her two fastest 60m times of her career over the weekend, running a 7.60 in prelims and her record-breaking time of 7.52 in the finals. She also ran a 60m hurdles facility record time of 8.20 in prelims, just one-hundredth of a second off her school and conference record time set earlier this season. Mehringer added a 60 hurdles finals time of 8.28, and was the only athlete to win multiple events at the meet. Entering championship week, Mehringer ranks first in the MVC in the 60 hurdles and sixth in the 60m. Her 60 hurdles time also ranks fifth in the Great Lakes Region and 30th in the nation, while her 60m time is 23rd in the Great Lakes Region.
 
Anderson went over the 20-meter mark for the fifth straight meet in the weight throw to place first at the John Gartland Invitational. Her top mark of 20.66m (67-9.5) was a full two meters better than anyone else in the field, and she also had an additional mark over 20m among her six attempts. Anderson also added an season-best mark of 14.54m (47-8.5) in the shot put, which also tied her indoor career best, to earn a second-place finish in the event. Anderson owns the top mark in the weight throw, one which ranks fifth in the Great Lakes Region and 23rd in the nation, while her shot put mark also ranks in the top five in the MVC and the top 20 in the Great Lakes Region.
 
Chase For A Championshp
Indiana State has multiple athletes within reach of an NCAA Indoor National Championships appearance, with seven different Sycamores owning marks which rank in the top 45 nationally.
 
Will Staggs is the highest-ranked Sycamore in an event, with his school record-setting pole vault clearance putting him 16th nationally. Casey Hood Jr. (20th) and Terrance O'Bannon (23rd) are both ranked in the top 25 nationally in the 60m. Niesha Anderson ranks 24th in the weight throw and Rachel Mehringer is 31st in the 60m hurdles, while Wyatt Puff ranks 36th in the shot put and Noah Bolt sits 41st in the weight throw.
 
Up Next
Athletes who rank in the top 16 in the nation in their events will compete at the NCAA Indoor National Championships March 14-15 in Virginia Beach.
 
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.