CARBONDALE, Ill. – Indiana State's 2025 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships got off to a strong start Saturday, as the Sycamores stand in first place on both sides following the opening day of competition.
 
Four different Sycamores – Noah Bolt, Ryan Handy, Brooklyn Pfaff and Emma Yoder – won their first-ever MVC outdoor individual title as the Trees built double-digit leads on both the men's and women's side on the first day of competition. Bolt and Yoder swept the discus titles, Pfaff took home the women's pole vault crown and Handy became the first Sycamore since 2011 to win the men's steeplechase.
 
Indiana State tallied 66.5 points on the women's side and 64 points on the men's side, with the women sitting 35.5 points ahead of Northern Iowa and the men 20 points ahead of Illinois State in their quest for a championship sweep, which would give the combined cross country/track and field programs 50 total MVC titles. The Trees have a strong opportunity to build on those totals tomorrow, with nearly every Indiana State athlete on the track qualifying for finals.
 
TEAM SCORES
MEN
1. Indiana State – 64
2. Illinois State – 44
3. Northern Iowa – 37
4. Belmont – 35
5. Drake – 23
T6. Southern Illinois – 11
T6. Valparaiso – 11
8. Bradley – 6
9. Evansville – 3
10. UIC – 0
 
WOMEN
1. Indiana State – 66.5
2. Northern Iowa – 31
T3. Missouri State – 29
T3. Illinois State – 29
5. Drake – 26
6. Belmont – 21
7. Murray State – 11.5
8. Bradley – 11
9. Southern Illinois – 9
T10. Evansville – 0
T10. UIC – 0
T10. Valparaiso – 0

 Saturday MVC Champions

• Ryan Handy – 3000m steeplechase (8:51.38, third in program history)
• Brooklyn Pfaff – pole vault (3.92m/12-10.25)
• Noah Bolt – discus (54.11m/177-7)
• Emma Yoder – discus (48.38m/158-9)

 
Saturday All-Conference

• Brittney Burak – 10,000m (third, 36:50.41)
• Will Staggs – pole vault (second, 5.28m/17-3.75)
• Lincoln Hulsey – pole vault (third, 4.98m/16-4)
• Amy Luttrell – pole vault (third, 3.82m/12-6.25)
• Piere Hill – long jump (second, 7.51m/24-7.75 – eighth in program history – wind-legal marks)
• Kilan Macklin – long jump (third, 7.36m/24-1.75)
• Justice Boston – long jump (third, 5.74m/18-10)
• Wyatt Puff – discus (second, 51.95m/170-5)
• Lillian Gibbs – javelin (second, 44.27m/145-3)

 
Saturday Scorers

• Hadley Gradolf – 10,000m (sixth, 38:18.65)
• Ryan York – 3000m steeplechase (fifth, 9:02.12, ninth in program history)
• Parker Speth – pole vault (fifth, 4.88m/16-0)
• Kennedy Merrell – pole vault (fourth, 3.72m/12-2.5)
• Campbell Roberts – pole vault (sixth, 3.57m/11-8.5)
• Janiya Bowman – long jump (fifth, 5.70m/18-8.5)
• Aaliyah Thurman – long jump (eighth, 5.46m/17-11)
• Aliseonna Garnett – discus (seventh, 44.22m/145-1)
• Brooklyn Pfaff – javelin (sixth, 39.02m/128-0)

 
Sprints/Hurdles
Indiana State's sprinters and hurdlers had as ideal a start to the championships as they could imagine, with nearly every Sycamore athlete advancing to finals. The Sycamores had three qualify for the men's 100m final in Casey Hood Jr. (10.24), Terrance O'Bannon (10.43) and Daunte Majors (10.55), with Hood Jr. and O'Bannon owning the top two qualifying times. Hood Jr. (20.81) and Majors (21.09) will both have a busy Sunday after also qualifying for the 200m finals and both participating in the Sycamores' 4x100m relay.
 
Likewise on the women's side, Michelle McDonald qualified for the 100m (11.74) and 200m (24.34) finals and is a part of the Sycamores' 4x100m relay. McDonald isn't the only Sycamore in the women's 100m finals, though, with Janiya Bowman (11.76), another leg of the Trees' 4x1 relay, also advancing to tomorrow's final.
 
The Blue and White went a perfect 7-for-7 in hurdles entries advancing to finals, including four in the 110m hurdles. Indiana State had the top three qualifiers in Collin Forrest (14.10), Parker Doyle (14.17) and Luigi Rivas (season-best 14.18), with David Carnell (14.26) also advancing to give the Sycamores four of the top five qualifiers in the event. Doyle also added a career-best 400m hurdles time of 53.33 to qualify for finals in a second event Sunday. Indiana State also owns the top qualifying time in the 100m hurdles courtesy of Rachel Mehringer (13.12), while Noelle Dilosa ran a program top-10 time of 1:01.36 to qualify for the 400m hurdles finals.
 
Also expected to have a sizable contribution on Sunday is Trent Jones, who qualified for the 400m finals with a time of 47.41, his third sub-48 time this season. Jones and Ivan Weaver form a strong duo who will also play a significant factor in the 4x400m relay.
 
Mid-Distance/Distance
Indiana State's distance crew put together a strong day one, with an MVC individual champion, three more scorers and four entries advancing to Sunday afternoon finals. Ryan Handy had the headliner for the group with one of the more memorable steeplechase wins in 8:51.38, the third-fastest time in program history. Handy originally missed the first water barrier and had to go back and clear it, losing valuable time and falling to the bottom half of the pack before coming back for a three-second win. Ryan York added a career-best 9:02.12 to place fifth, also recording a program top-10 time in the process.
 
The Sycamores' first event of the day saw a pair of athletes earn points for the Blue and White in the 10,000m, including all-conference honors for Brittney Burak. Burak placed third with a time of 36:50.41, while Hadley Gradolf also finished in a scoring position with her time of 38:18.65 putting her sixth.
 
Indiana State also went a perfect 4-for-4 in advancing athletes to the 1500m finals. Emma Gresham (4:31.67) and Erica Barker (4:34.28) both advanced among the top five times in their heats on the women's side, while Emerson Fayman (3:54.64) and Jason Dworak (3:56.56) both placed in the top four of their heats to advance on the men's side.
 
Jumps
Indiana State put significant points on the board in all four jumps events contested Saturday, led by Brooklyn Pfaff's conference championship in the pole vault. Pfaff cleared 3.92m (12-10.25) for the win and was joined on the podium by Amy Luttrell, who cleared 3.82m (12-6.25) to finish third. Kennedy Merrell (3.72m/12-2.5) and Campbell Roberts (3.57m/11-8.5) finished fourth and sixth, respectively, to give the Trees more than 20 points in the event.
 
The Sycamore women weren't the only ones with success in the pole vault, as Indiana State had two of the top three in the men's pole vault. Will Staggs cleared 5.28m (17-3.75) to finish second, while Lincoln Hulsey cleared a career-best 4.98m (16-4) on his first attempt to place third. Parker Speth also finished sixth for the Sycamores by clearing 4.88m (16-0).
 
Indiana State had two of the top three finishers in the men's long jump, with Piere Hill having a career-best day to lead the way. Hill's mark of 7.51m (24-7.75), by far the best of his career, placed him second, while Kilan Macklin also had a strong showing to finish third with a mark of 7.26m (24-1.75). Justice Boston also earned all-conference honors on the women's side with a mark of 5.74m (18-10) to place third, while Janiya Bowman (5.70m/18-8.5) and Aaliyah Thurman (5.46m/17-11) placed fifth and eighth to add more points to the Sycamore tally.
 
Throws
Indiana State's throwers swept the discus titles to headline their first day of competition at the MVC Championships, with Noah Bolt and Emma Yoder both being crowned individual conference champions. Bolt 54.11m/177-7) and Wyatt Puff (51.95m/170-5) finished as the top two in the conference on the men's side, while Yoder's mark of 48.38m (158-9) was nearly a full meter ahead of the rest of the field on the women's side. Aliseonna Garnett (44.22m/145-1) also earned a seventh-place finish on the women's side.
 
The Sycamores also had a pair of athletes score in the women's javelin, with Lillian Gibbs (44.27m/145-3) earning all-conference honors with her second-place finish. Brooklyn Pfaff played double-duty Saturday afternoon, finishing sixth with a mark of 39.02m (128-0) after also winning the pole vault.
 
Multis
Indiana State has four athletes in scoring position between the decathlon and heptathlon following the opening day of competition, led by Jake Ottersbach in the decathlon. Ottersbach currently ranks second with 3725 points following strong performances in the 100m (11.01), long jump (6.97m/22-10.5) and high jump (1.92m/6-3.5). Ty Newsom is in sixth place with 3534 points after the opening day, with strong 100m (11.12), shot put (11.02m/36-2) and 400m (49.43) helping his cause. Zenon Rule heads into Sunday in eighth place with 3200 points, with the 100m (11.27) and 400m (52.73) being his top finishes from the opening day.
 
Kathryn Ison ranks sixth in the heptathlon with 2844 points after the first day of competition. Ison had a strong 100m hurdles (14.38) while also earning top-10 high jump (1.52m/4-11.75) and shot put (9.97m/32-8.5) finishes. Chloe Rolen heads into Sunday in 12th place with 2700 points, just over 100 points shy of a scoring position. Similar to Ison, Rolen had a strong showing in the 100m hurdles (15.01) while placing in the top 10 in the high jump (1.52m/4-11.75).
 
Up Next
Indiana State looks to clinch a second straight sweep of the MVC Outdoor Championships Sunday, with the first events starting at 10 a.m.
 
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