TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its second of three home meets this season when it welcomes competition to Terre Haute for the Gibson Invitational Thursday through Saturday.
The heptathlon and decathlon will take place Thursday and Friday, with Thursday's action starting at 10 a.m. and Friday's first events starting at 9:30 a.m. Throws events will start at noon Friday, with distance events starting at 6 p.m. that evening.
Saturday's first events will start at 11:30 a.m., with Indiana State officially dedicating the John McNichols Memorial Track at the Gibson Track and Field Complex at 11:15 a.m. Gates will open at 10:30 a.m., with admission for home track and field meets being $5.
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 Saturday morning at 11:15 a.m. at the Gibson Invitational, which will also serve as Alumni Weekend for Indiana State.
Last Time Out
Indiana State track and field continued its assault on the program top-10 charts, with 10 Sycamores moving up the program best lists at the Crimson Tide Invitational.
Competing against its deepest field to date, the Trees took home six first-place finishes, four of which came in field events. Indiana State got first-place finishes on the track from
Rachel Mehringer (100m hurdles) and
Ryan Handy (3000m steeplechase), while
Will Staggs (pole vault),
Justice Boston (triple jump),
Wyatt Puff (discus) and
Aliseonna Garnett (discus) picked up wins in field events for the Blue and White.
Indiana State's distance crew accounted for six of the Sycamores' 10 program top-10 marks set over the course of the meet, putting together its best outdoor meet of the season.
Ivan Weaver (400m),
Erica Barker (1500m), Handy (3000m steeplechase),
Alli Steffey (3000m steeplechase),
Brittney Burak (5000m),
Peyton Smith (5000m),
Emerson Fayman (5000m),
Justice Boston (triple jump),
Noah Bolt (hammer throw) and
Lillian Gibbs (javelin) all moved their way up the program top-10 lists.
In addition to the strong marks from the distance runners, Gibbs broke the school record in the javelin for the second time this season and numerous Indiana State athletes put themselves in a strong position to qualify for next month's NCAA East First Round.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State sophomore sprinter
Casey Hood Jr. and senior pole vaulter
Will Staggs combined to sweep the MVC Men's Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors Tuesday afternoon following strong performances at the Crimson Tide Invitational. Hood Jr. was named the MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while Staggs was named the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week. Both Sycamore standouts own the top marks in the MVC in their events.
Hood Jr. ran a wind-legal 100m time of 10.26 (w: +1.2) to place second in a stacked Crimson Tide Invitational field featuring multiple All-Americans. He also ran the anchor leg of the Sycamores' 4x100m relay which placed second overall and first among NCAA schools with a time of 40.25. Hood's 100m time was his second-fastest this season and marked the second straight week with a sub-10.30 time in the event, while the Trees' 4x100m time was the second-fastest this season for Indiana State. Hood Jr. ranks first in the MVC, fourth in the Great Lakes Region, 21st in NCAA East Qualifying and 33rd nationally in the 100m. Additionally, he also owns the top time in the conference in the 200m (20.96w), which ranks eighth in the Great Lakes Region and 62nd in NCAA East Qualifying. Indiana State's 4x100m relay team sits first in the MVC, sixth in the Great Lakes Region and 33rd in NCAA East Qualifying (excluding B/C teams).
Staggs cleared a season-best 5.45m (17-10.5) to place first in the pole vault at the Crimson Tide Invitational, defeating four top-40 NCAA East Qualifying athletes in the process. Staggs cleared marks of 5.15m (16-10.75), 5.25m (17-2.75) 5.35m (17-6.5) and 5.45m (17-10.5) at the meet, and was the only athlete in the field to clear 5.35m or 5.45m. It was Staggs' 13th time clearing a mark of 5.40m (17-8.5) or better in his career, 12 of which have come since the start of the 2024 indoor season (2025 outdoor – once; 2025 indoor – three times; 2024 outdoor – three times; 2024 indoor – five times; 2023 indoor – once). Staggs pole vault mark ranks first in the MVC and Great Lakes Region, fourth in NCAA East Qualifying and 10th nationally. He is the only athlete in the conference to clear 5.45m (17-10.5) or better during an outdoor season in the last 15 years.
The weekly honor is the fifth of Hood Jr.'s career, having been named MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week four times during the 2025 indoor season. Staggs' weekly honor is the 10th of his career, having previously earned the honor eight times during indoor track and field seasons and once during outdoor track and field seasons.
Chart Toppers
Indiana State's strength in numbers is evident once again, as the Sycamores own 11 conference-leading marks with the 2025 outdoor season nearing the midway point. The Trees are the only MVC school to have the top mark in the conference in 10 or more events this season.
Seven of Indiana State's 11 conference-leading marks are in field events, while four come on the track. The Sycamores' conference-leading marks heading into the Gibson Invitational come in the following events:
Trees In The National Ranks
Indiana State is seeking its fourth straight season with double-digit entries in the NCAA East First Round, and the Sycamores are currently on pace to accomplish the feat.
Entering the weekend, Indiana State has 13 entries currently in a qualifying spot, with multiple additional entries near the current cutline. The Sycamores currently in qualifying positions for the NCAA East First Round are:
- Casey Hood Jr. – 100m (21st, 10.22)
- Janiya Bowman – 100m (36th, 11.51), long jump (39th, 6.05m/19-10.25)
- Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (27th, 13.48)
- Will Staggs – pole vault (fourth, 5.45m/17-10.5)
- Brooklyn Pfaff – pole vault (23rd, 4.08m/13-4.5)
- Wyatt Puff – shot put (27th, 18.07m/59-3.5)
- Sloan Cox – shot put (30th, 17.88m/58-8), discus (24th, 54.87m/180-0)
- Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (32nd, 15.34m/50-4)
- Noah Bolt – discus (21st, 56.00m/183-9), hammer throw (43rd, 61.28m/201-0)
- Lillian Gibbs – javelin (31st, 47.07m/154-5)
Record Setter
Indiana State sophomore
Lillian Gibbs broke the school record in the javelin for the second time this season at the Crimson Tide Invitational, with her top throw of the meet coming in at 47.07m (154-5). Gibbs' top three attempts came in at 46.88m (153-10), 47.07m (154-5) and 46.23m (151-8), all of which were better than her previous school record mark of 45.84m (150-5).
Gibbs earned a top-five finish in the javelin at the Crimson Tide Invitational, competing in a field with seven athletes currently in the top 40 for NCAA East First Round Qualifying. She owns the top mark in the MVC by more than two meters, while also ranking in the top five in the Great Lakes Region in the event. Gibbs currently sits in 31st in NCAA East Qualifying and 63rd nationally in the javelin.
Gibbs is the one of three current Sycamores to hold a school record in an outdoor individual event, alongside
Rachel Mehringer (100m hurdles, set in 2024) and
Will Staggs (pole vault, set in 2024).
Dominant Distance Weekend
Indiana State's distance crew had its best meet of the season, and one of its best in recent years, at the Crimson Tide Invitational, with six program top-10 marks set over the course of the Sycamores' two days in Tuscaloosa. Half of those program top-10 marks came in the two 5000m races, with
Brittney Burak (16:58.51) and
Peyton Smith (17:02.95) both moved up the program ranks on the women's side, while
Emerson Fayman clocked a career-best 14:26.16 on the men's side. Burak and Smith moved up to eighth and ninth in the 5000m program history, respectively, while Fayman's time ranked seventh in program history on the men's side.
The 3000m steeplechase was another source of major success for the Blue and White during their time in the south, with multiple program top 10 marks set in the event. Indiana State had three of the top four finishers in the men's steeplechase, with
Ryan Handy's event-winning time of 9:03.10 also ranking eighth in program history.
Ryan York (9:13.49) and
Cannen Wolf (9:19.84) clocked career-best times to place second and fourth, respectively, while
Alli Steffey ran a career-best time of 11:03.28 to move up to ninth in program history in the event.
Indiana State also had a strong showing in the women's 1500m, as
Erica Barker and
Emma Gresham both recorded top-10 finishes in a strong field. Barker's time of 4:26.65 moved her up to sixth in program history in the event, while Gresham's time of 4:28.80 was the second-fastest time of her career in the event.
Up Next
Indiana State competes in a pair of meets April 24-26, with the Sycamores taking part in both the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky.
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