TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field makes its second straight trip to an SEC venue when the Sycamores compete in the Crimson Tide Invitational Friday and Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Friday's first events for the Sycamores will take place at 11 a.m., while Saturday's action for the Trees will start at 1:30 p.m.
Who's In The Field?
Joining Indiana State and meet host Alabama in this weekend's Crimson Tide Invitational Field are Alabama A&M, Alabama-Huntsville, Alabama State, Arkansas State, Barton CC, Belmont, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Jackson State, Kennesaw State, Louisiana, Memphis, Meridian CC, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, North Alabama, Samford, South Alabama, Southeast Missouri State, Troy, UAB, UConn and UL-Monroe.
Last Time Out
Competing in its first of two straight meets at SEC venues, Indiana State track and field put on a show at the Joe Walker Invitational Friday and Saturday.
The Blue and White took home six event titles while also setting nine program top-10 marks over the course of the weekend.
Casey Hood Jr. cracked the NCAA top 20 this season in the 100m with a blistering 10.22, while the men's 4x100m relay team ran the fastest season-opening time in program history at 40.19. Also winning for the Sycamores at Ole Miss were the distance duo of
Ryan York (15:22.96) and
Emma Gresham (16:53.54) in the 5000m,
Rachel Mehringer (13.48) in the 100m hurdle and
Wyatt Puff (54.87m/180-0) in the discus.
Hood Jr. (100m),
Ray Brodie III (100m), Gresham (5000m), the men's 4x100m relay team,
Janiya Bowman (long jump),
Jahnel Bowman (triple jump),
Sloan Cox (shot put) and
Aliseonna Garnett (shot put and discus) all moved up the program top-10 charts during the Sycamores' stay at Prefontaine Stadium.
Weekly Winner
Indiana State sophomore
Rachel Mehringer was named the MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week Tuesday afternoon after a dominant performance at the Joe Walker Invitational.
Mehringer clocked a wind-legal 100m hurdles time of 13.48 (w: +1.6), cruising to a first-place finish in the event at Ole Miss. Her time was more than three-tenths of a second faster than anyone in the field, and also marked her seventh wind-legal 100m hurdles time under 13.5 since the start of last season. In addition, she also ran the first leg of Indiana State's 4x100m relay which placed third with a time of 45.69, just one-tenth of a second off the program top-10 charts.
Mehringer owns the fastest 100m hurdles time in the MVC this season, more than three-tenths of a second faster than anyone in the field. Her time also ranks second in the Great Lakes Region, 21st in NCAA East Qualifying and 47th nationally. Indiana State's 4x100m relay team sits third in the MVC, fifth in the Great Lakes Region and 42nd in NCAA East Qualifying.
The weekly honor is Mehringer's sixth career MVC weekly award and fourth during the 2024-25 campaign, having won three during the recent indoor season. She earned one MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week honor during the 2024 outdoor season.
Speed Kills
Indiana State's sprinters have been among the best in the nation in recent years, and this year appears to be no different. The Sycamores boast the top two wind-legal men's 100m times in the MVC this season in
Casey Hood Jr. (10.22) and
Ray Brodie III (10.44), with both running their best times of the season at last week's Joe Walker Invitational.
Brodie III and Hood Jr. also ran the last two legs of Indiana State's conference-leading 4x100m relay (40.19), with
Terrance O'Bannon and
Daunte Majors, the MVC's top two 100m times from last season, running the first two legs. Indiana State's 4x100m time ranked seventh in program history and was also the fastest season-opening 4x100m relay time in program history.
In addition, Hood Jr. (20.96) and
Tahj Johnson (21.07) own the top two men's 200m times in the MVC this season, which came at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational, while
Janiya Bowman (11.51) ranks second in the MVC in the women's 100m.
Starting Strong
Indiana State currently ranks in the top 20 nationally in four different throws events through the Sycamores' first two meets of the outdoor season. The Trees rank 12th in the men's shot put, 13th in the women's shot put, 14th in the men's discus and 18th in the women's discus.
Noah Bolt currently owns the top mark in the MVC in a pair of throws events, leading the conference in both the discus (56.00m/183-9) and hammer throw (61.10m/200-5), while
Wyatt Puff (shot put, 18.07m/59-3.5),
Aliseonna Garnett (discus, 48.60m/159-5) and
Lillian Gibbs (javelin, 45.84m/150-5) also own conference-leading marks in throws events.
Indiana State throwers currently own seven NCAA East Qualifying marks, with all four throws disciplines (shot put, discus, hammer throw, javelin) being represented within the Trees' current qualifying marks.
Jumping Up The Charts
Indiana State had a pair of athletes vault their way up the program top-10 charts in jumps events at the Joe Walker Invitational.
Janiya Bowman recorded a career-best wind-legal long jump mark of 6.05m (19-10.25), which ranks third in program history for wind-legal marks and fifth in program history for all-conditions marks.
Jahnel Bowman cracked the program top-10 in the triple jump in her outdoor season debut, with her mark of 12.32m (40-5) ranking sixth in program history.
The Bowman sisters currently lead the MVC in their respective events, with
Janiya Bowman owning the only women's long jump mark over six meters in the conference and
Jahnel Bowman having the only triple jump mark over 12 meters in the MVC this season. Both Bowman sisters currently occupy NCAA East Qualifying spots in their events.
1-2 Punch
Indiana State distance runners
Emma Gresham and
Erica Barker took the top two spots in the women's 5000m at the Joe Walker Invitational, with Gresham leading the way in 16:53.54 and Barker right behind in 16:54.88.
Both Sycamore standouts rank in the top five of the MVC, with Gresham sitting third in the conference and Barker in fifth heading into the weekend. Gresham's time also moved her to seventh in program history in the event, while Barker's career-best time of 16:48.33 from the 2023 season ranks fourth in program history.
Honoring A Legend
The Indiana State University Athletic Department has announced the Gibson Track & Field Complex will now honor John McNichols by naming the John McNichols Memorial Track after the legendary Sycamore Hall of Famer. The Sycamores made the announcement in October following the passage of a vote by the Indiana State Board of Trustees.
McNichols, who led the Sycamore cross country/track and field programs from 1983 until his death in 2016, guided the Blue and White to 38 MVC Championship titles while winning 23 MVC Coach of the Year honors. He coached 15 NCAA Track National Champions, 112 All-Americans, 173 NCAA Track National Qualifiers and 13 NCAA Cross Country National qualifiers. He oversaw the design, development and construction of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course which has hosted 13 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships.
The John McNichols Memorial Track will officially be dedicated April 17-19 at the Gibson Invitational, which will also serve as Alumni Weekend for Indiana State.
Up Next
Indiana State plays host to the Gibson Invitational April 17-19 at the Gibson Track and Field Complex. The three-day meet serves as Alumni Weekend for the Sycamores, and Indiana State will also dedicate the John McNichols Memorial Track at the Gibson Track and Field Complex April 19, prior to that day's first events.
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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