TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field begins competition at the 2026 NCAA East First Round Wednesday evening, with 12 Sycamore entries set to compete over the course of four days at the UK Track and Field Complex in Lexington, Kentucky.
Men's competition days are Wednesday and Friday, with women's competition days set for Thursday and Saturday.
Postseason Bound
Indiana State has double-digit entries at the NCAA East First Round for the fifth straight season, with the Blue and White having 12 entries and 10 athletes set to appear in the 2026 NCAA East First Round. The Trees had 16 entries at the 2025 NCAA East First Round (14 athletes), 14 entries at the 2024 NCAA East First Round (17 athletes), 14 entries at the 2023 NCAA East First Round (15 athletes) and 15 entries at the 2022 NCAA East First Round (12 athletes).
The Sycamores are in the midst of their best stretch in over a decade from a regional standpoint, with the current five-year stretch of double-digit entries being the program's best since a 10-year stretch from 2006-15.
Rooted To The Top
Indiana State's reign atop the Missouri Valley Conference will carry on, as the Sycamores won the MVC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships for a third straight year on Sunday.
The Sycamores scored a program record 183.5 points to claim the conference hardware on their home turf. Indiana State finished third on the men's side with 148.5 points, a significant increase from its pre-championship projection.
Indiana State athletes accounted for four individual titles on Championship Sunday, those coming from blistering performances in the hurdles from
Rachel Mehringer and
Collin Forrest, and strong performances from
Jahnel Bowman in the triple jump and
Aliseonna Garnett in the discus. The Blue and White also had a banner start to the championships, as
Brittney Burak closed the opening day on the track with Indiana State's first women's 10,000m champion in nearly 20 years, while a quartet of Sycamores –
Lincoln Hulsey,
Amy Luttrell,
Janiya Bowman and
Emma Yoder – claimed conference hardware in the field events on the first day of competition.
Sycamore athletes also racked up a plethora of specialty awards following their standout performances over the weekend. Mehringer was named MVC Most Outstanding Women's Track Athlete, while Yoder was selected as the MVC Most Outstanding Women's Field Athlete.
Aaron Massiah was named the MVC Freshman of the Year, while
Olivia Marshall earned the MVC's Elite 18 Award, which goes to the medalist with the highest GPA.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Indiana State has won 14 out of a possible 20 MVC Track and Field Championships (2022-24 men's indoor, 2022 women's indoor, 2022-25 men's outdoor, 2024-26 women's indoor, 2024-26 women's outdoor). The vast majority of those conference titles have seen the Sycamores clinch the title before the 4x400m relay, the final event of the championships.
Back For More
Half of Indiana State's 10-athlete delegation for the 2026 NCAA East First Round will be repeat qualifiers, with five Sycamores set to make at least their second straight postseason appearance.
Terrance O'Bannon (2023-DNC, 2024-26) will be making his fourth NCAA East First Round appearance, the most on the team.
Collin Forrest (2024-DNC, 2025-26) and
Rachel Mehringer (2024-26) will each be making their third appearance at the NCAA East First Round, while
Sloan Cox (2025-26) and
Aliseonna Garnett (2025-26) are both set to make their second straight NCAA East First Round appearance. Garnett will pull double-duty in Lexington after qualifying in both the shot put and discus, marking the first time in her career that she qualified for the NCAA East First Round in multiple events.
Welcome To The Show
Indiana State has five athletes who will be making their NCAA East First Round debut during the week in Lexington, with three men and two women representing the Sycamores at the regional round for the first time in their careers.
Three of the five Sycamore debutants come in throws events, with
Theo Thurmond (discus),
Cora Williams (discus) and
Emma Yoder (hammer throw) all reaching the NCAA East First Round for the first time in their respective careers.
Janiya Bowman (100m and long jump) and
Kieran Barnewall (110m hurdles) are also making their NCAA East First Round debut in 2026, with Bowman being one of two Indiana State athletes to qualify for the postseason in multiple events this season.
Not included in the totals is
Jahnel Bowman, who qualified for the postseason in the triple jump but is unable to compete in Lexington. Bowman would have been making her first NCAA East First Round appearance.
Meet The Sycamores
Indiana State's 10 athletes in the 2026 NCAA East First Round are scheduled to compete in 12 events over the course of the four-day regional meet. Below is a summary of each qualified Sycamore, along with their event schedule for the week and season highlights.
Kieran Barnewall | 110m Hurdles
Wednesday, May 27 | 6 p.m. (First Round)
Friday, May 29 | 6:15 p.m. (Quarterfinals)
One of three Indiana State freshmen to qualify for the NCAA East First Round, Barnewall has been one of the top hurdlers in the MVC in 2026. He owns four of the top six 110m hurdles times in the conference this season, including a season-best 13.80 to place second at the MVC Championships. Barnewall has also qualified for the Canada U20 Championships, which take place in mid-June in Ottawa. He is in lane two of heat three, and will need to either finish in the top three of his heat or be one of the six fastest times among those who don't automatically qualify to advance to Friday's quarterfinals.
Janiya Bowman | 100m and Long Jump
Thursday, May 28 | 6 p.m. (Long Jump)
Thursday, May 28 | 7 p.m. (100m First Round)
Saturday, May 30 | 6:35 p.m. (100m Quarterfinals)
Bowman is one of two Indiana State athletes who qualified for the NCAA East First Round in multiple events, as she will take part in both the 100m and long jump in Lexington. Indiana State's indoor (6.15m/20-2.25) and outdoor (6.27m/20-7) record holder in the long jump, she also ran a career-best 11.29 in the 100m to earn all-conference honors in both events. Bowman also ranked among the top 200m sprinters this season, finishing second at the MVC Championships. She is in lane three of heat six for the 100m, and will need to either finish in the top three of her heat or be one of the six fastest times among those who don't automatically qualify to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals. Bowman is also in the second flight of the long jump and will jump 10th in that flight.
Sloan Cox | Shot Put
Wednesday, May 27 | 6:30 p.m.
Cox has a penchant for putting together his best performances in pressure-packed moments, with his season best in the shot put coming at the MVC Championships for the second straight year. His mark of 18.42m (60-5.25) earned him all-conference accolades for a second consecutive season and he currently ranks second in program history in the event. He is in the third flight of the shot put and will throw second in that flight.
Collin Forrest | 110m Hurdles
Wednesday, May 27 | 6 p.m. (first round)
Friday, May 29 | 6:15 p.m. (quarterfinals)
Forrest won his third straight MVC title in the 110m hurdles with a career-best 13.75, leading an Indiana State squad which occupied the top four spots in the conference in the event. He will be making his third NCAA East First Round appearance after being an alternate for the 4x100m relay in 2024 and competing in the 110m hurdles in 2025. Forrest is in lane nine of heat five, and will need to either finish in the top three of his heat or be one of the six fastest times among those who don't automatically qualify to advance to Friday's quarterfinals.
Aliseonna Garnett | Shot Put
Thursday, May 28 | 6:30 p.m. (Shot Put)
Saturday, May 30 | 1 p.m. (Discus)
Garnett recorded program top-five marks in the shot put (16.13m/52-11) and discus (53.71m/176-2) this season to qualify for the NCAA First Round in both events. She also added a program top-10 mark in the hammer throw (57.51m/188-8), earning all-conference accolades in all three events in one of the best seasons a Sycamore thrower has produced. Garnett, who is making her second NCAA East First Round appearance, is in the second flight of both the shot put and discus. She will throw 10th in her flight of the shot put and fourth in her flight of the discus.
Rachel Mehringer | 100m Hurdles
Thursday, May 28 | 6 p.m. (First Round)
Saturday, May 30 | 6:15 p.m. (Quarterfinals)
The most decorated 100m hurdles athlete in MVC history, Mehringer won her third straight conference title in the event with a wind-aided 12.64 which ranks in the top five among all-conditions times in the world this season. Mehringer owns 16 of the 17 fastest all-conditions 100m hurdles times in conference history and has broken the 13-second barrier five times in 2026, including multiple wind-legal marks under that time. She is in lane five of heat two to start her third NCAA East First Round, and will need to either finish in the top three of her heat or be one of the six fastest times among those who don't automatically qualify to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals..
Terrance O'Bannon | 100m
Wednesday, May 27 | 7 p.m. (First Round)
Friday, May 29 | 6:35 p.m. (Quarterfinals)
O'Bannon saved his best performance for the end of the season, running a career-best 10.19 to place second at the MVC Championships and secure his fourth consecutive NCAA East First Round appearance. O'Bannon, who will compete in the 100m in the postseason for the second straight year, is in lane two of heat four, and will need to either finish in the top three of his heat or be one of the six fastest times among those who don't automatically qualify to advance to Friday's quarterfinals.
Theo Thurmond | Discus
Friday, May 29 | 1 p.m.
Thurmond produced a career-best performance at the MVC Championships to secure his spot in the NCAA East First Round, placing second in the discus at the conference championships with his mark of 54.39m (178-5). One of three Indiana State freshmen to qualify for the postseason, Thurmond also owns the top hammer throw mark by a Sycamore this season. He will be in the first flight of the discus, and will throw sixth in that flight.
Cora Williams | Hammer Throw
Thursday, May 28 | 10 a.m.
Williams has been one of the top hammer throwers in the conference this season, cracking the top 10 in program history as a freshman with her top mark of 58.81m (192-11). One of three Indiana State freshmen to qualify for the NCAA East First Round this season, Williams scored for the Sycamores in both the shot put and hammer throw at the MVC Championships. She is in the first flight of the hammer throw, and will throw seventh in that flight.
Emma Yoder | Hammer Throw
Friday, May 28 | 10 a.m.
Yoder was the MVC hammer throw champion in 2026, a year after winning a conference title in the discus on her way to Freshman of the Year honors. She already owns a top-three mark in program history in the hammer at 61.84m (202-11) and has three meets this season with a mark over 60 meters. Yoder, who scored in three different events at the MVC Championships, will be in the third flight of the hammer for her first NCAA East First Round appearance. She will throw seventh in that flight.
Where The Sycamores Are Seeded
Below is a list of where each of Indiana State's athletes are seeded in the NCAA East First Round field.
- Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (third, 12.71)
- Sloan Cox – shot put (22nd, 18.42m/60-5.25)
- Emma Yoder – hammer throw (23rd, 61.84/202-11)
- Collin Forrest – 110m hurdles (25th, 13.75)
- Janiya Bowman – long jump (27th, 6.27m/20-7), 100m (34th, 11.29)
- Kieran Barnewall – 110m hurdles (29th, 13.80)
- Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (29th, 16.13m/52-11), discus (32nd, 53.71m/176-2)
- Terrance O'Bannon – 100m (34th, 10.19)
- Theo Thurmond – discus (45th, 54.39m/178-5)
- Cora Williams – hammer throw (45th, 58.81m/192-11)
What's At Stake
The top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
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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