ST. LOUIS – Indiana State junior hurdler Rachel Mehringer and junior thrower Aliseonna Garnett completed their second straight MVC Athlete of the Week sweep following standout performance for the Sycamores at the Music City Challenge, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Mehringer was named MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week for the fourth consecutive week, while Garnett was named MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week for a second straight week after the Sycamore duo posted career-best outings in Nashville.
 
Mehringer made Missouri Valley Conference history at the Music City Challenge, becoming the first athlete in the history of conference to run under 13 seconds in the 100m hurdles. Mehringer ran a program and conference record-breaking time of 12.95 in prelims, then backed up her performance with a time of 12.96 in finals to place first in a field which featured three All-Americans along with the Sun Belt and ASUN indoor hurdles champions. Mehringer's MVC record time ranks first among wind-legal times in the Great Lakes Region, which includes six Big Ten schools, while placing her eighth in the NCAA East Qualifying list. She also ranks ninth nationally in the event this season, making her the highest-ranked athlete in the conference in any event. Mehringer is one of just 16 athletes in the nation to run a 100 hurdles time under 13 seconds this season, and one of two athletes outside of the Power Four conferences to accomplish the feat. 
 
Garnett continued her career-best campaign by finishing as the top collegiate athlete in two throws events at the Music City Challenge, including an outdoor career-best performance in the shot put. Her shot put mark of 16.13m (52-11) placed her fifth in program history and made her the first athlete in the MVC to surpass the 16-meter mark. Garnett also added a first-place finish in the discus by clearing the 50-meter mark for the fourth time this season, with her best attempt measuring at 51.07m (167-7). In addition to her high marks in the shot put and discus, Garnett claimed a sixth-place finish in the invite section of the hammer throw with a mark of 53.30m (174-10), the second-best of her career. Garnett owns the top mark in the conference in both the shot put and discus, while also ranking seventh in the hammer throw. Her shot put mark ranks eighth in the Great Lakes Region, 28th in NCAA East Qualifying and 47th nationally, while her discus mark is fifth in the Great Lakes Region, 24th in NCAA East Qualifying and 47th nationally.
 
Mehringer's weekly honor is her fifth straight of the 2026 outdoor season and her 14th MVC Athlete of the Week award (five outdoor 2026, one indoor 2025-26, two outdoor 2025, three indoor 2024-25, one outdoor 2024, two indoor 2023-24). Garnett's weekly honor is her second straight of the 2026 outdoor season and the fifth of her career, after earning MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors three times during the 2025-26 indoor season. Indiana State athletes have now earned nine MVC Athlete of the Week honors through the first five weekends of the 2026 outdoor season.
 
Indiana State's final meet before the MVC Outdoor Championships takes place Friday in Terre Haute, as the Sycamores celebrate their senior class at the Sycamore Open.
 
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