NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Rachel Mehringer made Missouri Valley Conference history as the first athlete in the history of league to run under 13 seconds in the 100m hurdles, leading the Blue and White in a big weekend at the Music City Challenge.
Mehringer ran wind-legal times of 12.95 in prelims and 12.96 in finals to place first in a field featuring multiple All-Americans.
Kieran Barnewall also took home a first-place finish in the 110m hurdles with an MVC-leading 13.89, while
Aliseonna Garnett and
Theo Thurmond swept the top spots in the discus.
Olivia Marshall tacked on a career-best performance to win the open section of the hammer throw.
Seven different Sycamores set program top-10 marks in the Music City, with Mehringer's Valley record in the 100m hurdles highlighting the bunch. Barnewall and Garnett registered program top-10 performances in the 110m hurdles and shot put, respectively, while a pair of Sycamore distance runners in
Gnister Grant and
Kamilla Gibson tallied top-10 times in program history in the 3000m steeplechase.
Ivan Weaver rose up the program ranks in the 400m in his outdoor season debut, while
Hadley Gradolf cracked the top 10 in program history in the 5000m.
Event Winners
Top-Three Finishes
- Casey Hood Jr. – 100m (invite section) (second, 10.52), 200m (second, 20.99)
- Janiya Bowman – 200m (second, 23.72), long jump (invite section) (third, 5.92m/19-5.25)
- Collin Forrest – 110m hurdles (second, 14.00)
- Casey Hood Jr., Will Riley, Parrish Hartley Jr., Terrance O'Bannon – 4x100m relay (third, 40.14)
- Jahnel Bowman – triple jump (second, 12.32m/40-5)
- Sloan Cox – shot put (second, 17.05m/55-11.25)
- Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (invite section) (third, 16.13m/52-11, fifth in program history)
Other Notable Marks
Sprints/Hurdles
Rachel Mehringer accomplished something no athlete in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference had done, which was break the 13-second mark in the 100m hurdles. Mehringer ran an Indiana State and MVC-record 12.95 in prelims and backed it up with a 12.96 in finals, both of which were wind-legal. Her time ranks in the top 10 nationally this season, and made her one of 15 athletes in the nation to run a 100 hurdles time under 13 seconds this season.
Mehringer wasn't the only Sycamore hurdler to see success in the Music City.
Kieran Barnewall and
Collin Forrest claimed the top two spots in the 110m hurdles at 13.89 and 14.00, respectively. Barnewall's time was the best in the MVC this season and ranked eighth among wind-legal times in program history, while Forrest's time was a season best in the event.
David Carnell finished third in prelims with a time of 14.17, while
Sophie Hale advanced to finals in the open section of the 100m hurdles with her time of 14.36. A pair of Sycamores also clocked season-best 400m hurdles times in
Parker Doyle (53.95) on the men's side and
Aubrey Runyon (1:02.58) on the women's side.
Casey Hood Jr. had another productive weekend for the Blue and White, with second-place finishes in both the 100m and 200m. Hood Jr. ran a 100m time of 10.52 in finals, while his prelims time came in at 10.38. He also ran a season-best 20.99 in the 200m and teamed with
Will Riley,
Parrish Hartley Jr. and
Terrance O'Bannon to place third in the 4x100m relay at 40.14.
Janiya Bowman continued her strong season in the 200m, placing second at 23.72 with her third time under 24 seconds in the event this season.
Ivan Weaver had an instant impact in his first meet back from injury, with the Sycamore sophomore running a career-best 47.24 in the 400m to secure a top-five finish in the event. Weaver moved up to sixth in program history in the event in his first meet of the 2026 outdoor season.
Mid-Distance/Distance
Three Sycamore distance runners worked their way into the program top-10 charts, with a pair of those high marks coming in the 3000m steeplechase.
Gnister Grant and
Kamilla Gibson both broke the 11-minute mark for the first time in their careers, with Grant's time of 10:57.69 ranking eighth in program history and Gibson's 10:57.76 sitting ninth in program history.
Ryan York added a season-best time on the men's side of 9:16.90.
Hadley Gradolf also cracked the program top-10 charts for the Sycamores in the Music City, running a career-best time of 16:53.47 in the 5000m. Gradolf moved into 10th in program history in the event, while
Nick Burns tacked on a top-10 finish in the 800m for the Blue and White with a time of 1:51.78.
Halle Miller led the way for the Trees in the women's 800m at 2:14.69, while
Hallie Mimbela clocked a season-best 2:15.60.
Jumps
Janiya Bowman tallied a top-three finish in the long jump to go alongside her strong showing in the 200m, with her best attempt of 5.92m (19-5.25) placing her third. Bowman has recorded marks above 5.90m in every meet this season.
Aaron Massiah added a top-five finish for the Blue and White on the men's side, with his best attempt coming in at 6.85m (22-5.75)
Indiana State's triple jumpers continued to make their mark on the conference, with
Jahnel Bowman earning a second-place finish with her mark of 12.32m (40-5).
Justice Boston also kept her strong season rolling on with a top-10 finish at 11.75m (38-6.75), while
Jaden Smith carded a top-five finish on the men's side at 14.42m (47-3.75).
Kyler Kidd matched his outdoor career-best performance in the pole vault to earn a top-five finish, with his clearance at 4.70m (15-5) representing his best clearance since April 2025 at Alabama. Kidd has recorded two of his three best outdoor clearances in the last two weekends.
Ellie Irwin earned another top-five finish for the Trees in the high jump, clearing 1.67m (5-5.75) to place fifth in the invite section. Irwin has cleared 1.66m (5-5.25) or higher in each of her meets this outdoor season.
Throws
Sycamore throwers continued to put on a show, with
Aliseonna Garnett once again leading the charge for the Blue and White. Garnett recorded an outdoor career-best performance of 16.13m (52-11) in the shot put, ranking fifth in program history, while also winning the discus at 51.07m (167-6).
Theo Thurmond completed a sweep of the discus titles for the Sycamores with his mark of 49.88m (163-8), while
Emma Yoder (47.22m/154-11) and
Ben Brown (47.01m/154-2) recorded top-five finishes on the women's and men's sides, respectively.
Yoder also had a big day in the hammer throw, breaking the 60-meter mark for the second meet this season and earning a top-five finish in the invite section at 60.51m (198-6).
Cora Williams (55.99m/183-8) also finished in the top five in the invite section, while
Olivia Marshall recorded a personal best by more than two meters of 54.98m (180-4) to win the open section. Thurmond surpassed the 50-meter mark on the men's side at 50.86m (166-10), finishing as the top Sycamore in the event.
Garnett wasn't the only Sycamore to find success in the shot put, either.
Sloan Cox finished second on the men's side at 17.05m (55-11.25), while Brown (16.21m/53-2.25) and Thurmond (16.07m/52-8.75) also placed in the top five. Thurmond's throw was an outdoor season best to cap a statement weekend for the freshman.
Up Next
Indiana State competes in its final home meet of the regular season Friday, hosting the Sycamore Open at the Gibson Track and Field Complex. The Sycamores will recognize their senior class during the meet, which kicks off at noon.
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