NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana State's split-squad weekend featured multiple top-10 finishes Friday and Saturday at the Music City Challenge, with a program top-10 mark also being set during the Trees' time in Nashville.
 
The Sycamores picked up first-place finishes in both open sections of the shot put, with those event titles coming courtesy of Ben Brown and Olivia Marshall. Additionally, Peyton Smith moved up to eighth in program history in the 5000m with her time of 17:07.29.
 
Event Winners

• Ben Brown – shot put (17.09m/56-1)
• Olivia Marshall – shot put (14.75m/48-4.75)

 
Top-Three Finishes

• Aliseonna Garnett – weight throw (third, 18.66m/61-2.75)

 
Notable Program Marks

• Peyton Smith – 5000m (17:07.29, eighth in program history)

 
Sprints/Hurdles
Indiana State sprinters recorded multiple strong outings during their time in the Music City, which included a pair of top-10 finishes in the 400m from Nevaeh Wren and Kyarra DeGroote. Wren clocked a time of 57.56 to finish seventh, while DeGroote was ninth at a career-best 57.67. Ty Newsom had the top 400m time on the men's side at 50.45.
 
Jake Ottersbach continued his strong season by qualifying out of the first round of 60m hurdles. Ottersbach ran times of 8.32 in the first round and 8.49 in the second round. Sophie Hale had the top 60 hurdles time on the women's side at 8.88. Will Riley also advanced to the second round of the 60m, running identical times of 6.91 in both rounds.
 
Indiana State also featured entries in the 200m, with Matthew Wray clocking a time of 22.24 on the men's side and Krystian Dilosa crossing the line in 25.74 on the women's side.
 
Mid-Distance/Distance
Indiana State's distance crew continued its strong run of form, with Peyton Smith's top-10 program mark in the 5000m being the headliner of the weekend. Smith's time of 17:07.29 bumped her up to eighth in program history in the event. Mason Nobles had the top 5000m time on the men's side at 14:44.81.
 
Brittney Burak continued her strong season in the 3000m, with the redshirt sophomore running a time of 9:49.34 to finish in the top five in the event. Ryan York carded a career-best time of 8:27.83 to earn a top-10 finish on the men's side in the event.
 
Emerson Fayman also added the best mile time by a Sycamore this season, with his time of 4:11.58 also representing a career best in the event. Halle Miller clocked the top time on the women's side, going under the 5-minute mark for the third time this season at 4:58.64.
 
Jocqael Thorpe also ran his second-fastest 800m time of the season for the Sycamores, stopping the clock at 1:54.71.
 
Jumps
Indiana State featured entries in the high jump and long jump in the Music City, with many of the Sycamores' entries in those events being the multis.
 
Ethan Widenhoefer finished in the top five in the high jump by clearing 1.95m (6-4.75), while Ottersbach cleared 1.85m (6-0.75). Essence Johnson and Emily Ritenour both cleared 1.54m (5-0.5) on the women's side.
 
Hale had the top long jump mark on the women's side at 5.17m (16-11.5), while Kathryn Ison had a top attempt at 5.14m (16-10.5). Newsom recorded a mark of 6.09m (19-11.75) on the men's side.
 
Throws
Indiana State's throwers continued to put up high-level results, with multiple first-place finishes among the group. The Sycamores swept the open shot put titles, courtesy of Ben Brown (17.09m/56-1) and Olivia Marshall (14.75m/48-4.75), while Cora Williams (13.98m/45-10.5) also earned a top-five finish for the Trees. The Sycamores also featured entries in the invite sections, as Sloan Cox recorded a top mark of 17.04m (55-11) on the men's side and Aliseonna Garnett had a top mark of 15.27m (50-1.25) on the women's side.
 
The Trees also had strong performances in the weight throw, with a pair of top-five finishes in the event from Garnett (18.66m/61-2.75) and Williams (18.60m/61-0.25). Niesha Anderson also competed in the invite section, with her best throw coming in at 18.45m (60-6.5). Austin Grays had the top mark on the men's side at 17.47m (57-3.75).
 
Also In Action
Indiana State had a pair of mid-distance athletes compete in the Heartland Invitational in Indianapolis, with Nick Burns and Caden Emmert both placing in the top 10 in the 800m inside the Fall Creek Pavilion.
 
Burns finished fifth with a time of 1:52.97, while Emmert placed seventh with a time of 1:53.47.
 
Up Next
Indiana State plays host to one final meet before the MVC Indoor Championships, welcoming competition to the Indoor Track and Field Facility for the ISU Open February 21.
 
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