TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field takes part in its first split-squad weekend of the season Friday and Saturday, with the Sycamores set to take part in the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational at Missouri and the Rose-Hulman Classic.
Friday's action from Mizzou starts at 10 a.m., with Saturday's first events set to begin at noon. Saturday's Rose-Hulman Classic is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
Last Time Out
Competing in its deepest field to date, Indiana State put together a strong showing at the Crossroads of America Invitational with four wins and 19 top-three finishes.
Facing multiple Power Four institutions while competing at the site of the MVC Indoor Championships, the Sycamores featured first-place finishes in distance, jumps and field events with
Brittney Burak,
Noah Gilmore,
Austin Grays and the women's distance medley relay team all taking home top spot in their events.
Sprinters
Janiya Bowman and
Trent Jones also set program top-10 marks at the Fall Creek Pavilion in the 200m and 400m, respectively.
Climbing The Charts
Indiana State had a pair of sprinters move up the program ranks in its last meet, with
Janiya Bowman and
Trent Jones both cracking the top-10 charts at the Crossroads of America Invitational.
Bowman became the first Sycamore to break the 24-second mark during indoor season since 1995, with her time of 23.98 ranking third in program history. It was the redshirt junior's third different event with a program top-10 mark this season, as she also features among the best in school history in both the 300m and long jump.
Jones ran an indoor career-best 400m time of 48.31, moving into 10th all-time. Jones also ranks among the best outdoor 400m times in program history with his 47.20 from last season.
Career Day
Indiana State sophomore high jumper
Noah Gilmore recorded the best clearance of his young career at the Crossroads of America Invitational, getting over the bar at 2.05m (6-8.75) to take the top spot in the invite section of the event.
Gilmore was an all-conference honoree during the 2025 outdoor season. The Robinson, Illinois, native ranks in the top five in the MVC and top 10 in the Great Lakes region in the event this season.
Grip It And Rip It
Indiana State freshman thrower
Austin Grays registered his first career first-place finish as a member of the Blue and White, as the Avon, Indiana, native registered a career-best attempt of 17.66m (57-11.25) in the weight throw at the Crossroads of America Invitational.
Grays won the open section of the weight throw with his mark, which also ranks in the top 10 in the MVC this season.
Easy As 1, 2, 3
Indiana State swept the podium in the women's 5000m at the Crossroads of America Invitational, as
Brittney Burak paced the Blue and White with her time of 16:57.30.
Peyton Smith and
Hadley Gradolf followed behind with times of 17:29.74 and 17:31.83, respectively. Burak, Smith and Gradolf all rank in the top five of the MVC in the 5000m this season, with Burak also ranking in the top 10 in the conference in the 3000m.
Topping The Conference
Indiana State enters the weekend with nine first-place marks in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Five of the Sycamores' conference-leading marks are on the track, with four coming in field events. The Sycamores' sprints, distance, jumps and throws groups are represented among the MVC leaders.
Indiana State's conference-leading marks come from:
Indiana State enters the weekend ranked first on the women's side and second on the men's side in the MVC in the USTFCCCA Conference Rankings.
High Marks
Indiana State found itself in the top 10 in the Great Lakes region on both the men's and women's side in the first set of USTFCCCA Region Rankings. The Sycamores enter the weekend ranked fifth on the men's side and eighth on the women's side in the Great Lakes region, and are the only school outside of the Big Ten to rank in the top eight on both sides in the Great Lakes region.
Indiana State features 25 marks which rank in the top 10 in the Great Lakes region this season. Of those 25 top-10 regional marks, 12 rank in the top five of the Great Lakes Region, consisting of schools from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Indiana State's top-five region marks come from:
- Casey Hood Jr. – 60m (second, 6.61)
- Reneisha Andrews – 60m (third, 7.40)
- Janiya Bowman – 200m (fourth, 23.98), long jump (fourth, 5.99m/19-8)
- Nick Burns, Xavier Wills, Caden Ememert, Emerson Fayman – distance medley relay (third, 10:07.30)
- Gnister Grant, Lilly Gilbertson, Halle Miller, Eve Schurr – distance medley relay (fourth, 12:13.55)
- Jaden Smith – triple jump (first, 15.11m/49-7)
- Aaron Massiah – triple jump (third, 14.83m/48-7.75)
- Jahnel Bowman – triple jump (first, 12.80m/42-0)
- Ellie Irwin – pentathlon (fourth, 3492 – track conversion from 3471)
- Jake Ottersbach – heptathlon (fourth, 4960 – track conversion from 4936)
- Ty Newsom – heptathlon (fifth, 4763 – track conversion from 4739)
In The National Spotlight
Indiana State has sent athletes to the NCAA Indoor National Championships in each of the last three seasons, and the Sycamores will look to continue that trend in 2026.
The Sycamores enter the weekend with seven top-50 national marks this season, including one which ranks inside the top 16. The Trees are also ranked inside the top 100 nationally on the men's side this season.
Indiana State's top-50 national rankings come from:
- Casey Hood Jr. – 60m (14th, 6.61)
- Nick Burns, Xavier Wills, Caden Ememert, Emerson Fayman – distance medley relay (27th, 10:07.30)
- Gnister Grant, Lilly Gilbertson, Halle Miller, Eve Schurr – distance medley relay (28th, 12:13.55)
- Jahnel Bowman – triple jump (36th, 12.80m/42-0)
- Sloan Cox – shot put (43rd, 18.00m/59-0.75)
- Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (48th, 15.48m/50-9.5)
- Jake Ottersbach – heptathlon (45th, 4960 – track conversion from 4936)
Up Next
Indiana State travels back to the site of the MVC Indoor Championships for the Fairgrounds Invitational February 6-7 at Fall Creek Pavilion in Indianapolis.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out
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