VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Indiana State sophomore sprinter Casey Hood Jr. picked up Second Team All-America honors Friday night with an 11th-place finish in the 60m at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.
 
Hood Jr., who entered the national championships seeded 13th in the event, ran a time of 6.59 to place fifth in his heat and two spots ahead of where he was seeded. The 6.59 was tied for the second-fastest 60m time of his career.
 
Friday's semifinal concluded the 2024-25 indoor season for Hood Jr., which was one of the best indoor seasons for a Sycamore sprinter in program history. Hood Jr. defended his 60m conference title, the sixth straight year a Sycamore won the event, and also captured the 200m conference crown on his way to being named MVC Most Outstanding Track Athlete for the 2024-25 indoor season.
 
Hood Jr. was named MVC Athlete of the Week a conference-leading four times this season, including three straight weeks in February. He ran four 60m times of 6.60 or faster this season, including Friday's national semifinal, and cracked the top three in program history in both the 60 (second, 6.57) and 200m (third, 21.14).
 
This year's 60m national semifinals was the fastest in NCAA history, with a 6.559 needed to advance to finals. Hood Jr.'s time of 6.59 would have advanced to finals in every national championship except for two – 2023 and 2025. The two fastest 60m national semifinals ever contested have both featured an Indiana State athlete (2023 – JaVaughn Moore, 2025 – Casey Hood Jr.).
 
Hood Jr. became the second Sycamore men's sprinter in program history to compete at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, joining JaVaughn Moore in 2023, and the 32nd Indiana State athlete in program history to earn a spot in the NCAA Indoor National Championships. Indiana State has had at least one athlete qualify for each of the last six national championships, including the last three indoor national championships.
 
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