TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field begins its quest for an MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Friday, when the Sycamores begin competition in the three-day conference championship meet in Normal, Illinois.
 
Friday's first events for the Trees start at 9:45 a.m., with Saturday's proceedings beginning at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday's action starting at 11 a.m.
 

2023 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Date	Friday, May 12 | 9:45 a.m. // Saturday, May 13 | 12:30 p.m. // Sunday, May 14 | 11 a.m.
Location // Venue	Normal, Ill. // Redbird Track and Field Complex
Meet Info	Meet Information // Parking Information // ISU Outdoor Performance List
Records	ISU Outdoor Records
Live Stats	Live Stat Feed
Watch Live	Friday Stream (6 p.m.) // Saturday Stream (5:45 p.m.) // Sunday Stream (2:15 p.m.)
Social Media	@IndStXCTF // @IndStAthletics

  
Last Time Out
Frankie Young III, Dominique Wood, Ethan Breen and Brett Norton picked up event wins Friday, leading the way Indiana State in a strong performance for the Sycamores at the Billy Hayes Invitational.
 
Young III had a season-best mark of 7.36m (24-01.75) in the long jump, while Breen ran a career-best 3:46.59 in the 1500m. Breen used a strong final 250m to climb four spots in the last half-lap and was one of three Sycamores to run a sub-3:50 time in the event, marking the first time in program history that Indiana State had three athletes run sub-3:50 in the 1500m in the same race. Norton had to wait until the final event of the day, but came out on top in the shot put with a mark of 17.86m (58-07.25). Wood had a season-best triple jump mark of 11.76m (38-07.00).
 
Also among the notables for the Blue and White were William Staggs, who set a PR in the outdoor pole vault for a fifth straight meet, and Ryann Porter, who had a strong showing in both the 100m hurdles and long jump. Niesha Anderson had a season-best mark in the shot put while also throwing a USATF U20 Championship standard mark in the hammer throw.
 
Championship Previews
In advance of the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, program director and head coach Angela Martin, along with select student-athletes, talked about the upcoming weekend and the season. Those previews can be seen below.
 
MEN'S PREVIEW: Angela Martin, William Staggs, Daryl Black

 
WOMEN'S PREVIEW: Angela Martin, Ryann Porter, Selene Weaver

 
Pre-Championship Favorites
Indiana State was picked to repeat as champions on the men's side in the MVC Pre-Outdoor Track and Field Championship Poll, as announced by the conference Tuesday morning. The Sycamores were also picked to finish third on the women's side in the poll, which is voted on by the conference's track and field head coaches.
 
Indiana State received 96 out of a possible 100 points in the men's poll, while the Sycamores earned 123 points out of a possible 144 in the women's poll. The Sycamores are looking for their fourth consecutive men's track and field championship, having won the last two indoor titles in addition to last year's outdoor championship. Indiana State also has a women's indoor title in 2022 during their recent span of top-three finishes.
 
Topping the Charts
Indiana State enters the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with five marks that rank first in the MVC. Four of those come in field events, with the men's 4x100m relay (39.77) being the only track event where the Trees rank first.
 
Other events where the Sycamores own the top spot in the conference are the men's high jump (Trevor Thompson, 2.11m/6-11.00), men's pole vault (William Staggs, 5.29m/17-04.25), women's pole vault (Selene Weaver, 4.02m/13-02.25) and women's triple jump (Ryann Porter, 12.84m/42-01.50).
 
What keeps Indiana State rooted to the top part of the conference standings is its depth. Despite having just five marks that rank first in the conference, the Sycamores have point scorers in nearly every event. Indiana State has a staggering 43 marks that rank in the top-10 in the conference on the men's side, and an additional 31 top-10 marks on the women's side. Most of those top-10 marks are in point-scoring positions (top eight) for the Blue and White.
 
Sycamores in the Rankings
Entering this weekend's MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Indiana State finds itself with 10 entries that would qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Nearly half of those entries come from the throws group, with Wyatt Puff in good shape to qualify in both the discus (20th) and shot put (31st), Brett Norton on pace to qualify in the shot put (37th) and Noah Bolt in position to compete in the discus (40th).
 
Also sitting in qualifying positions for the Sycamores are the men's 4x100m relay team of JaVaughn Moore, Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas and Noah Malone (16th), the men's high jump duo of Trevor Thompson (26th) and Kevin Krutsch (29th), pole vaulters William Staggs (20th) and Selene Weaver (48th), and triple jumper Ryann Porter (28th).
 
Among that group, Puff, Norton, Moore, Malone, Thompson, Staggs, Weaver and Porter were all NCAA Preliminary Round qualifiers last season, while Krutsch also has previous NCAA Preliminary Round experience. Porter has qualified for each of the last two NCAA Outdoor National Championships, while Moore was a 2023 NCAA Indoor National Championship qualifier.
 
Declarations and entries for the NCAA Preliminary Rounds will be announced following this weekend's conference championship meets across the nation. Athletes in the top 48 in the East and West regions in their respective events and the top 24 relay teams (4x1, 4x4) will qualify for the preliminary rounds, which take place May 24-27.
 
Up Next
Following this weekend's meets across the country, the NCAA will announce the qualifiers for the NCAA East and West Preliminary Rounds. Indiana State's qualified athletes will compete in the NCAA East Preliminary, slated for May 24-27 in Jacksonville, Florida.