LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Indiana State All-Americans
Casey Hood Jr. and
Will Staggs broke program records in the 100m and pole vault, respectively, as the Sycamores put together a weekend full of season-best performances at the Clark Wood Invitational.
Hood Jr. ran a wind-legal 100m time of 10.08, the fastest time in the MVC in nearly a decade, as Indiana State athletes ran the top three 100m times in the conference this season. Staggs broke his own program record in the pole vault by clearing 5.51m (18-1), the best by an MVC athlete since 2007. Both Hood Jr. and Staggs rank among the top 25 nationally this season in their respective events.
In addition to Hood's first-place finish,
Kilan Macklin claimed a win in the long jump in his return to his hometown of Louisville, while 29 season or personal-best marks were set by the Sycamores over the course of the weekend. Freshmen
Jahnel Bowman and
Justice Boston also moved their way up the program triple jump charts, while
Terrance O'Bannon and
Daunte Majors joined Hood Jr. in the top five 100m times in program history.
Event Winners
- Casey Hood Jr. – 100m (10.08, school record)
- Kilan Macklin – long jump (7.56m/24-9.75, sixth in program history – wind legal, eighth in program history – all conditions)
Top-Three Finishes
Other Notable Marks
- Daunte Majors – 100m (10.39, fifth in program history)
- Jahnel Bowman – triple jump (12.37m/40-7, fifth in program history – wind legal, seventh in program history – all conditions)
- Justice Boston – triple jump (12.33m/40-5.5, eighth in program history – all conditions)
Sprints/Hurdles
Indiana State's 100m sprinters stole the show in Louisville, with
Casey Hood Jr. leading the way with a school record-setting time of 10.08. Hood Jr.'s time was the best by an MVC athlete since 2017 and put him in the top 20 times nationally for the 2025 season.
Terrance O'Bannon, competing in his hometown for the first time as a Sycamore, and
Daunte Majors also ran career-best times of 10.30 and 10.39, respectively, as O'Bannon rose to third in program history in the event and Majors moved up to fifth in program history. The Trees also had a pair go under the 12-second mark on the women's side, as
Janiya Bowman clocked a time of 11.61 and
Michelle McDonald ran a season-best time of 11.80.
Hood Jr. also earned a top-three finish in the 200m, going under the 21-second mark for the third time this season at 20.94.
Jahnel Bowman and
Krystian Dilosa both went under the 25-second mark in the women's 200, with Bowman running a time of 24.97 and Dilosa right behind in a career-best 24.98.
Kathryn Ison also added a career-best time in the 100m hurdles for the Blue and White at 14.70, while
Noelle Dilosa ran the second-fastest 400m hurdles time of her career at 1:03.34.
Deangelo Hughey was the lone Sycamore to compete in the 400m, finishing with a time of 49.93.
Mid-Distance/Distance
Many of Indiana State's distance athletes competed at the Drake Relays, but that didn't stop the Sycamores from putting down multiple season-best performances in Louisville.
Morgan Dyer ran a season-best 1500m time of 4:45.23, while
Emersyn Bland (4:46.83) and
Jcim Grant (4:02.82) were both within a second of their season-best times on the women's and men's side, respectively.
The Trees also took to the steeplechase, as
Brandon Mueller made his event debut by winning his heat with a time of 9:36.28.
Tommy Claxton also shaved more than 25 seconds off his previous best in the event with a time of 9:44.78.
Indiana State also had a pair of season-best performances in the 5000m, as
Layton Hall ran a time of 15:16.69 and
Ian Gadberry ran a time of 15:32.02. Hall's time was four seconds ahead of his previous season best, while Gadberry was 11 seconds ahead of his previous top time this season.
Jumps
Will Staggs' record-setting ways carried on once again, as he broke his own program record in the pole vault by clearing 5.51m (18-1) to place second in a field featuring five of the top 30 pole vaulters in the nation. Staggs' mark was the best by an MVC athlete since 2007 and put him in the top 10 pole vault marks nationally for the 2025 season. Staggs wasn't the only Sycamore men's pole vaulter to have success in the Bluegrass State, as
Lincoln Hulsey cleared a career-best 4.91m (16-1.25) to become the fourth different Sycamore to clear 4.90m (16-1) or better this season.
Kilan Macklin made his return to his hometown a triumphant one, recording a career-best long jump mark of 7.56m (24-9.75) to place first in the event. Macklin moved up to sixth among wind-legal marks in program history and eighth for all-conditions marks.
Jake Ottersbach also placed in the top 15 with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). On the women's side,
Janiya Bowman continued her consistent season with a mark of 5.99m (19-8) to place eighth in the invite section while
Justice Boston had a career-best attempt of 5.78m (18-11.75) to place second in the open section.
Boston also continued her climb up the charts in the triple jump, finishing with a top mark of 12.33m (40-5.5) which ranks eighth among all-conditions marks in program history. She wasn't the only triple jumper with a big weekend for the Blue and White, as
Jahnel Bowman recorded a career-best wind-legal mark of 12.37m (40-7) which ranks fifth among wind-legal marks and seventh among all-conditions marks in program history. On the men's side,
Jaden Smith recorded a season-best mark of 13.99m (45-10.75) in his return to his hometown.
The Trees also had a trio of freshman high jumpers post season-best marks over the weekend.
Noah Gilmore and
Ethan Widenhoefer both cleared 2.00m (6-6.75), with Gilmore finishing eighth in the invite section and Widenhoefer having the top clearance in the B/C flights.
Ellie Irwin cleared a season-best 1.71m (5-7.25) to earn a top-10 finish on the women's side, while
Essence Johnson also recorded a season-best clearance of 1.61m (5-3.25).
Throws
Indiana State's throwers did not compete this weekend, with the only throws action for the Blue and White coming from the Sycamore multis.
Zenon Rule and
Ty Newsom competed in the discus, with Rule's top mark coming in at 26.71m (87-7) and Newsom right behind at 26.61m (87-3).
Chloe Rolen also competed in the javelin, finishing with a top mark of 24.68m (80-11).
Up Next
Indiana State heads east for the Jesse Owens Classic May 2-3 in Columbus, Ohio
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