TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Championships are on the line in Terre Haute Saturday and Sunday, as Indiana State welcomes the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships to the Gibson Track and Field Complex for the second time in the last three seasons.
Saturday's action starts at 8 a.m., with Sunday's proceedings beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Meetday Info
There is a $15 admission fee per day for adults and a $10 admission fee per day for children (ages 5-18). Children 4 and under are admitted free. Gates will open one hour prior to the start of competition on each day
Parking is available in Lot K (Chestnut Street, behind the Imperial Lanes bowling alley). Additional parking can be found in campus lots located within walking distance of the complex. 1st Street/Riverside Road is closed.
DO NOT park in the Annex or Riverfront Lofts parking lots. Any cars who park in the lots for the apartment complexes by the track and field complex (Annex and Riverfront Lofts) and any non-Indiana State University lots will be towed at the owner's expense.
Last Time Out
Indiana State recognized its senior class Friday in its final meet before the MVC Championships, as the Trees capped the regular season with 12 event wins at the Sycamore Open.
Aliseonna Garnett was responsible for a pair of those event wins in the shot put and discus, while
Trent Jones clocked a top-five time in program history in the 400m on his way to an event win. The Sycamores swept the 100m and 110m hurdles for a second straight weekend, courtesy of
Rachel Mehringer and
Kieran Barnewall, while a quartet of distance runners in
Halle Miller,
Brittney Burak,
Parker Mimbela and
Eve Schurr also claimed first-place finishes on the track.
Sloan Cox and
Lillian Gibbs joined Garnett as throws event winners with their first-place finishes in the shot put and javelin, respectively, while
Campbell Roberts carried her consistency in the pole vault to another top finish in the event.
High Expectations
Indiana State has been a mainstay near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference, and the Sycamores are poised to be among the Valley's best once again in 2026. The Trees were picked to finish second on both the men's and women's side behind only Northern Iowa.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Indiana State has won 13 MVC Track and Field Championships while never finishing below third in the conference during that span. The Sycamores have won 51 MVC Championships in program history between cross country and track and field.
| 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 (10) |
1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026 |
| 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 |
Women's Championship Outlook
Indiana State seeks its third straight MVC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and the Sycamores will be among the favorites to lift the hardware. Led by Second Team All-American
Rachel Mehringer and a host of high-level athletes in the field, the Sycamores are poised to continue their reign atop the conference.
Mehringer, who owns the Indiana State and MVC records in the 100m hurdles, became the first person in conference history to break 13 seconds in the 100m hurdles, while
Aliseonna Garnett is one of two athletes to top the MVC charts in multiple field events. Sycamore throwers will be among the top in the conference, with Garnett,
Emma Yoder,
Cora Williams and
Olivia Marshall all ranking near the top of the Valley in events this season.
Sycamore long jump record holder
Janiya Bowman will have a busy weekend for the Blue and White between the horizontal jumps and short sprints, while
Amy Luttrell and
Jahnel Bowman top the conference rankings in the pole vault and triple jump, respectively.
Indiana State's combined events athletes will also be a source for points, as
Ellie Irwin and
Sophie Hale both have a strong chance of scoring in multiple events. In addition to the heptathlon, Irwin ranks near the top of the conference in the high jump and Hale ranks in the top 10 in the conference in the 100m hurdles.
The Sycamores have multiple distance events where they will be a factor. A trio of Trees in
Alli Steffey,
Gnister Grant and
Kamilla Gibson have broken 11 minutes in the steeplechase this season, while
Brittney Burak and
Hadley Gradolf are both strong contenders in the 5000m and 10,000m.
Men's Championship Outlook
Winners of four straight MVC Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Indiana State seeks to extend its title reign on home turf. The Sycamores feature the top four 110m hurdles athletes in the MVC in
Kieran Barnewall,
Collin Forrest,
David Carnell and
Parker Doyle, while sprinters
Casey Hood Jr. and
Trent Jones are near the top of the conference charts in their events.
Jones and
Ivan Weaver form a strong duo in the 400m, while
Xavier Wills and
Nick Burns will look to score in the 800m after doing so at the MVC Indoor Championships. Carnell and Doyle will look to pull double-duty and also score in the 400m hurdles, while
Ryan York and
Brandon Mueller will lead the Sycamore contingent in the steeplechase.
The jumps continue to be a strength for the Blue and White, as
Aaron Massiah projects to score in both horizontal jumps events while
Kilan Macklin and
Jaden Smith bring NCAA East First Round experience to the table. The Trees feature four of the top 10 pole vaulters in
Landon Dobbs,
Lincoln Hulsey,
Dan O'Laughlin and
Kyler Kidd, while high jumpers
Noah Gilmore and
Ethan Widenhoefer are among the conference's best in their event.
Sloan Cox and
Theo Thurmond lead a young Sycamore throws group which will look to make noise. Cox and Thurmond are in scoring position in the shot put and discus, respectively, while
Ben Brown ranks in the top 10 in the conference in both events.
Jake Ottersbach,
Ty Newsom and
Zenon Rule will all be in scoring position in the combined events, with Ottersbach seeking to win his second decathlon title in a three-year span.
Chart Toppers
Indiana State enters the championships with high expectations, led by a strong contingent of Valley-leading marks. The Sycamores have five athletes who own conference-leading marks this season, with
Aliseonna Garnett occupying the top spot in two events.
Indiana State's current athletes occupying conference-leading spots are:
In addition, the Sycamores have 20 marks which rank in the top three in the MVC, which would signify all-conference accolades.
Postseason Feeling
Indiana State has fared well in the postseason, with the Sycamores sending double-digit entries to the NCAA East First Round in each of the last four seasons with a pair of All-Americans in 2025. The Blue and White currently have nine athletes occupying regional qualifying spots, with
Aliseonna Garnett currently on pace to qualify in multiple events.
Indiana State's current athletes occupying qualifying spots are:
In addition, the Sycamores also have multiple athletes who are within reach of qualifying spots, which go to the top 48 athletes in each event and the top 24 relay teams with the exception of the heptathlon and decathlon. Those who are just outside qualifying positions entering the weekend include:
Up Next
Following this weekend's meets across the country, the NCAA will announce the qualifiers for the NCAA East and West First Rounds. Indiana State's qualified athletes will compete in the NCAA East First Round, slated for May 27-30 in Lexington, Kentucky.
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.
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