TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track opens the month of May with its final road meet before the MVC Championships, as the Sycamores travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Jesse Owens Classic Friday and Saturday.
 
Friday's first events from Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium start noon, with Saturday's action starting at 10:30 a.m.
 
Who's In The Field?
Joining the Sycamores and host institution Ohio State in the Jesse Owens Classic field are Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, IU Kokomo, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan State, Mount St. Joseph, Oakland, Ohio, Otterbein, Rio Grande (Ohio), Shawnee State, Toledo, West Virginia Wesleyan, Western Michigan, Wheeling (W.Va.), Wright State and Youngstown State.
 
Last Time Out
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.
 
Indiana State also set a program record in the men's distance medley relay at the Drake Relays Saturday, breaking the previous school record in the event by more than 10 seconds. 
 
The Sycamores' DMR team, which consisted of Emerson Fayman, Trent Jones, Caden Emmert and Jason Dworak, ran a time of 9:39.08. In doing so, the Sycamore quartet became the first Indiana State DMR team, indoor or outdoor, to break the 9:40 mark in the event.
 
Sycamore Sweep
Indiana State sprinter Casey Hood Jr. and pole vaulter Will Staggs were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference Tuesday afternoon for their record-setting performances at the Clark Wood Invitational, as the duo combined to sweep the MVC Men's Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this season. Hood Jr. was tabbed the MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while Staggs was named the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week.
 
Hood Jr. broke the school record in the 100m, which was previously held by Sycamore All-American JaVaughn Moore, by running a wind-legal time of 10.08 (w: +1.1) at the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville. Hood Jr. placed first by more than two-tenths of a second, as Indiana State took three of the top four spots in the event with a trio of Sycamores running top-five times in program history (Hood Jr. 10.08, Terrance O'Bannon 10.30, Daunte Majors 10.39). Hood Jr. also clocked a wind-legal 200m time of 20.94 (w: +1.8), his third time under 21 seconds in the event this season, to earn a top-three finish in the event. Hood Jr. owns the top time in the MVC in both the 100m and 200m, with his 100m time also ranking second in the Great Lakes Region, 12th in NCAA East Qualifying and 18th nationally. He owns the top wind-legal times in the Great Lakes Region, with his 10.08 ranking sixth in the nation among wind-legal 100m times. Hood Jr. also ranks eighth in the Great Lakes Region, 57th in NCAA East Qualifying and 97th nationally in the 200m.
 
Staggs broke his own outdoor school record in the pole vault at the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, clearing 5.51m (18-1) to tie for the top mark at the meet. Staggs cleared marks of 5.21m (17-1, first attempt) and 5.36m (17-7, second attempt) before clearing the record-breaking mark of 5.51m (18-1) on his third attempt. He was one of two athletes to clear 5.51m at the meet, which featured five of the top 30 pole vaulters in the nation this season, only finishing second on misses. Staggs owns the top mark in the MVC, Great Lakes Region and NCAA East Qualifying in the pole vault, while his mark ranks sixth nationally. He is the only athlete in the MVC to rank in the top 10 in the nation in any event, while his pole vault clearance of 5.51m was the best by a MVC athlete since 2007.
 
The weekly honor is the sixth of Hood Jr.'s career, having previously been named MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week once during the 2025 outdoor season and four times during the 2025 indoor season. Staggs' weekly honor is the 11th of his career, having previously earned the honor eight times during indoor track and field seasons and twice during outdoor track and field seasons.
 
Banner Weekend On The Blue Oval
Indiana State's DMR wasn't the only relay team to crack the program charts on the Blue Oval. The Trees' women's 4x1600m relay team of Erica Barker, Halle Miller, Gnister Grant and Emma Gresham ran the fastest time for a Sycamore team since 2017, with their time of 19:59.98 ranking third in program history. Indiana State's men's 4x800m relay team of Xavier Wills, Emmert, Nick Burns and Ryan York also cracked the top three in program history, as their time of 7:35.37 ranked third in program history.
 
Multiple Sycamore athletes also climbed their way up the program top-10 lists at the Drake Relays. Emma Gresham moved up to third in program history in the 5000m with a time of 16:30.04, while Erica Barker ran an outdoor career-best 16:46.54 to rank fifth in program history. Fayman also cracked the program top-10 in the 1500m, with his time of 3:46.78 ranking eighth in program history in the event. Ryan Handy also added a career-best steeplechase time of 8:57.68, breaking the nine-minute mark for the first time in his career and moving up to fifth in program history.
 
Indiana State's hurdle crew also had a strong performance on the Blue Oval, led by Rachel Mehringer finishing fourth in the 100m hurdles. Mehringer ran a time of 13.52, her fifth sub-13.55 time of the season, while Collin Forrest ran a time of 14.42 in the 110m hurdles. The men's shuttle hurdle relay team of Forrest, Parker Doyle, David Carnell and Graham West placed sixth with their time of 59.03.
 
It's Going Down
Indiana State athletes have already broken five school records this season, with at least one program record falling in four of the first five weekends of the 2025 outdoor season. All four disciplines (sprints, distance, jumps, throws) have had at least one school record broken this outdoor season, while three of those records (men's 100m, men's DMR, men's pole vault) were broken last week at either the Drake Relays or Clark Wood Invitational.
 
The Sycamores' program records broken during the 2025 season are:

• Casey Hood Jr. – 100m (10.08)
• Emerson Fayman, Trent Jones, Caden Emmert, Jason Dworak – distance medley relay (9:39.08)
• Will Staggs – pole vault (5.51m/18-1)
• Wyatt Puff – shot put (18.47m/60-7.25)
• Lillian Gibbs – javelin (47.07m/154-5)

 
Indiana State's record setting ways are just a continuation from the 2024-25 indoor season, where Tahj Johnson (300m – 33.85), Rachel Mehringer (60m hurdles – 8.19) and Staggs (pole vault – 5.56m/18-2.75).
 
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. Included in the Sycamores' current qualifying entries are the top-ranked pole vaulter in NCAA East Qualifying in Will Staggs and four school record holders (Casey Hood Jr., Will Staggs, Wyatt Puff, Lillian Gibbs)
 
Entering the weekend, Indiana State has 12 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 (12th, 10.08)
• Terrance O'Bannon – 100m (43rd, 10.30)
• Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (39th, 13.48)
• Will Staggs – pole vault (first, 5.51m/18-1)
• Brooklyn Pfaff – pole vault (39th, 4.08m/13-4.5)
• Kilan Macklin – long jump (29th, 7.56m/24-9.75)
• Wyatt Puff – shot put (20th, 18.47m/60-7.25), discus (28th, 55.06m/180-8)
• Sloan Cox – shot put (36th, 17.97m/58-11.5)
• Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (39th, 15.34m/50-4)
• Noah Bolt – discus (24th, 56.11m/184-1)
• Lillian Gibbs – javelin (33rd, 47.07m/154-5)

 
Forever A Sycamore
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 was officially dedicated at the Gibson Invitational, which took place April 17-19.
 
Up Next
Indiana State plays host to its final meet before the MVC Championships May 9 when it welcomes teams to the John McNichols Memorial Track at the Gibson Track and Field Complex for the Sycamore Open.
 
The Trees will also recognize their senior class, which has been a part of 10 MVC Championship-winning teams over the last four seasons, at the meet.
 
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.