TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State seeks to add another chapter to its championship history Sunday and Monday, as the Sycamores take part in the 2026 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Fall Creek Pavilion.
Sunday's first events start at 9 a.m., with Monday's action beginning at 9:30 a.m. Coverage from both days will be aired on ESPN+, with Sunday's stream starting at 3 p.m. and Monday's stream beginning at 11:15 a.m.
Last Time Out
Indiana State's final meet before the MVC Indoor Championships was a success, with Sycamore athletes setting multiple program top-10 marks including an MVC Record Saturday at the ISU Open.
Rachel Mehringer broke her own school and MVC record in the 60m hurdles in prelims, while Sycamore athletes won 18 events and recorded 44 top-three finishes inside the Indoor Track and Field Facility. Seven Sycamores set program top-10 marks over the course of the day, with Indiana State's hurdles, distance and jumps groups all represented among the program-best marks.
The Dynasty
Indiana State's 2025 MVC Outdoor Championship sweep gave the Sycamore track and field/cross country program a combined 50 conference titles. The Sycamores have won 12 Missouri Valley Championships since the start of the 2021-22 season.
The Trees have seen plenty of success at indoor championships, with 16 of their 50 total conference championships coming courtesy of indoor track and field (seven men's, nine women's). Indiana State has three men's indoor championships and three women's indoor championships since the start of the 2021-22 season.
| Indiana State Cross Country/Track and Field MVC Championship Totals |
| Men's Cross Country (9) |
1996, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 |
| Women's Cross Country (2) |
1991, 1993 |
| Men's Indoor Track and Field (7) |
2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Women's Indoor Track and Field (9) |
1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| Men's Outdoor Track and Field (14) |
1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| Women's Outdoor Track and Field (9) |
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2013, 2024, 2025 |
Among The Favorites
Indiana State was selected as the near-unanimous favorite to win the MVC Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship, as announced Tuesday by the conference office.
The Sycamores received 10 of the 11 first-place votes and earned 120 out of a possible 121 points in the poll. Indiana State was also picked to finish second on the men's side, as the Sycamores earned three first-place votes and totaled 88 of a possible 100 points.
Indiana State features a deep roster on the women's side once again, with five Sycamore athletes owning Valley-leading marks and 14 currently owning top-three rankings in the conference. MVC hurdles record holder
Rachel Mehringer (8.16) leads the way for the Blue and White, while
Janiya Bowman's conference-leading 200m time (23.77) paces a strong sprints group for the Sycamores. Indiana State also boasts the top marks in the Valley in the triple jump (
Jahnel Bowman, 12.80m/42-0), shot put (
Aliseonna Garnett, 15.48m/50-9.5) and weight throw (
Niesha Anderson, 19.56m/64-2.25), with the field events being a strong suit for the Sycamores this season.
The Sycamore men are led by 2025 Second Team All-American
Casey Hood Jr., whose conference-leading 60m time (6.61) ranks in the top 30 nationally. Indiana State's top four 60m hurdles athletes have all run under the eight-second mark this season (
Kieran Barnewall 7.91,
Collin Forrest 7.93,
David Carnell 7.97,
Parker Doyle 7.98), while
Trent Jones (47.52) and
Ivan Weaver (47.64) rank among the conference leaders in the 400m.
Jaden Smith (triple jump, 15.11m/49-7) and
Landon Dobbs (pole vault, 5.05m/16-6.75) lead a young, but talented group of Trees in the field events, with
Jake Ottersbach (5217) expected to be in medal contention in the heptathlon.
Weekly Winners
Indiana State accounted for both MVC Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards for the second time this season, with
Rachel Mehringer and
Aliseonna Garnett recognized Thursday afternoon by the league office for their performances at the ISU Open. Mehringer was named MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week after breaking the conference record in the 60m hurdles, while Garnett was named MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week following a career-best performance in the weight throw.
Mehringer broke Indiana State and Missouri Valley Conference records in the 60m hurdles on her way to a first-place finish in the event at the ISU Open. Mehringer's time of 8.16 in prelims broke meet, facility, school and conference records in the event, with the 2025 Second Team All-American also running a time of 8.26 in finals to secure the win by more than four-tenths of a second. Mehringer owns the four fastest times in the MVC this season (8.16, 8.25, 8.26, 8.29) in addition to her conference record in the event. She also owns the top 60 hurdles time in the Great Lakes Region, which consists of all schools in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Mehringer's time of 8.16 ranks 25th nationally for the 2025-26 season.
Garnett continued her strong season with a career-best effort in the weight throw at the ISU Open, while also winning the shot put. Garnett's mark of 19.12m (62-8.75) in the weight throw was the best among collegiate athletes in the field, while being just the second athlete in the MVC to break the 19-meter mark this season. She also broke the 15-meter mark in the shot put for the second straight week and third time this season, claiming a first-place finish with her top throw of 15.18m (49-9.75). Garnett owns the top shot put mark in the MVC this season, while also ranking second in the conference in the weight throw. She also ranks eighth in the Great Lakes Region in the shot put and 13th in the region in the weight throw.
Mehringer's weekly honor is the ninth of her career and first this season (one indoor 2025-26, two outdoor 2025, three indoor 2024-25, one outdoor 2024, two indoor 2023-24). Garnett's weekly honor is the third of her career and her second straight MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week accolade. She also earned MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors following the season-opening
John Gartland Invitational. Indiana State has earned 12 MVC Athlete of the Week accolades during the 2025-26 indoor season, with multiple MVC weekly winners on five separate occasions (Dec. 17, Jan. 21, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 26).
Moving Up The Ranks
Indiana State had seven athletes move up the program top-10 charts at the ISU Open, the Sycamores' final meet before the MVC Championships.
Rachel Mehringer had the headliner of the bunch, breaking her own school and MVC record in the 60m hurdles (8.16).
Kieran Barnewall (7.91) and
Collin Forrest (7.93) both ran program-top 10 times in the 60 hurdles on the men's side.
Amy Luttrell and
Campbell Roberts both cleared their career-best mark of 3.91m (12-10) in the pole vault, improving on their previous top-10 program marks.
Reneisha Andrews clocked a career-best 7.38 in the 60m, while
Gnister Grant cracked the program top-10 charts in the mile with a time of 4:54.19.
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 and men's 60m hurdles groups both feature in the top 10 nationally, with both groups for the Blue and White checking in at No. 10. Indiana State's women's shot put group enters the weekend at No. 11, while the pentathon group sits at No. 12. Indiana State's women's triple group comes into the conference championships at No. 19 nationally, with the men's shot put group entering at No. 20.
Up Next
Athletes who rank among the top 16 nationally in their respective events will qualify for the 2026 NCAA Indoor National Championships, slated for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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
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