TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays host to one final meet before the MVC Indoor Championships, welcoming competition to the Indoor Track and Field Facility Saturday for the ISU Open.
 
The first field events will start at 11:30 a.m., with the first events on the track slated for 12:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State's contingent at the Tyson Invitational made the most of their time at the Tyson Invitational, setting multiple season-best and program top-10 marks Friday and Saturday against high-level competition.
 
Nearly every Sycamore event group that competed recorded at least one season-best or program top-10 mark, with Janiya Bowman's MVC-leading 200m time of 23.77 and Trent Jones' Valley-leading 400m time of 47.52 leading the way for the Blue and White.
 
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.
 
AG's Big Week
Indiana State junior thrower Aliseonna Garnett was named MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week Wednesday afternoon by the conference office after another strong performance at the Music City Challenge.
 
Garnett posted two of her top marks this season in the throws events, with her marks of 15.27m (50-1.25) in the shot put and 18.66m (61-2.75) in the weight throw. The Indianapolis native finished third out of 31 competitors in the weight throw, while also finishing sixth in the invite section of the shot put. Garnett's marks in both events were her second-best this season, eclipsing the 15-meter mark in the shot put for the second time this campaign while recording her third weight throw mark over the 18.50-meter mark this season. She leads the MVC in the shot put this season while also ranking second in the conference in the weight throw. In addition, Garnett ranks eighth in the Great Lakes Region and 62nd nationally in the shot put, while also sitting 14th in the region in the weight throw.
 
Garnett's weekly honor is the second of her career, having also earned MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors following the season-opening John Gartland Invitational. Indiana State has earned 10 MVC Athlete of the Week accolades during the 2025-26 indoor season, with multiple MVC weekly winners on four separate occasions (Dec. 17, Jan. 21, Feb. 4, Feb. 11).
 
Climbing The Charts
Indiana State athletes continued to rack up program top-10 marks, with eight athletes combining to produce six program top-10 marks between the Tyson Invitational and Music City Challenge.
 
Janiya Bowman continued her rise up the ranks in the 200m, running the fastest time by a Sycamore since legendary sprinter Holli Hyche with her time of 23.77 at Arkansas. Bowman was one of two Sycamores to crack the top three in program history in an event in Fayetteville, as Trent Jones continued his career year with a Valley-leading 400m time of 47.52.
 
Xavier Wills also produced the best weekend of his indoor career at the Tyson Invitational, cracking the program top 10 in the 800m with his time of 1:51.55. Wills and Jones represented half of Indiana State's 4x400m relay, along with Ivan Weaver and Parker Doyle, with the Sycamores' running a season-best and program top-10 time of 3:13.79.
 
Freshman hurdler Aubrey Runyon cracked the program top-10 charts for the first time in her career at the Tyson Invitational. Facing her toughest competition to date, Runyon clocked a career-best 8.65 in the 60m hurdles to rank 10th in program history.
 
Peyton Smith produced the best indoor 5000m time of her career at the Music City Challenge, moving up the program ranks in the process. Smith's time of 17:07.29 put her eighth in program history in the event.
 
Sycamore athletes have combined to record 26 program top-10 updates this season, with every event group featuring in the accolades for the Blue and White.
 
Last Chance
Saturday's meet serves as Indiana State's final meet before the Sycamores set their 32-athlete rosters for the upcoming MVC Indoor Championships.
 
The Sycamores once again feature a deep roster, with a whopping 56 marks which currently rank in scoring position in the conference (top eight). Of those marks, 24 rank in the top three in the conference, with the Trees posting eight Valley-leading marks entering the final weekend of the regular season.
 
Squad Rolls Deep
Indiana State's depth has been on full display this season, as the Sycamores currently feature six event groups ranked in the top 25 nationally in the latest USTFCCCA EventSquad rankings.
 
The Sycamores' women's weight throw group is the highest of the bunch at No. 10 nationally, while the pentathlon and women's shot put groups both check in at No. 12. Indiana State also ranks 18th in the men's 60m hurdles, 21st in the women's triple jump and 23rd in the men's shot put.
 
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on more hardware when the Sycamores compete in the MVC Indoor Championships March 1-2 in Indianapolis.
 
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.