Valley teams took to competition this past weekend at 7 different meets across the nation. Valley teams were spotted at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational, Tyson Invitational, GVSU Big Meet- (Friday), Music City Challenge, SDSU Indoor Classic, Marian Invitational, and the 9th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic. The Valley holds 17 national top 50 spots this season, with 7 top 35 performances, and 2 top 15 performances. The Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship are just around the corner and Valley student-athletes look to pull out the stops in the final opportunities to qualify for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, March 8th and 9th, 2024.
Men's Regional Rankings - Week 4
Indiana State leads The Valley men at a statement 6th place ranking in the Great Lakes Region. Northern Iowa ranks 9th in the Midwest followed by Drake at 14th, Illinois State in 15th, Belmont in 23rd, and Valparaiso 17th in their respective regions. Bradley in the 21st in the midwest followed by Evansville's 23rd ranking in the Great Lakes. Southern Illinois, and UIC round out the regional rankings for the conference in the Midwest Region.
Women's Regional Rankings - Week 4
Indiana State sets the highest in the rankings in the MVC at 13th in the Great Lakes in by Murray State in the Southeast at 13th and Belmont in 16th in the South Region. In the Midwest is led by Bradley in 16th and Southern Illinois at 17th, followed by Drake in 23rd, Missouri State in 24th, Illinois State 25th, and UNI in 30th.
TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK HONORS
Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Isaac Basten, Sr, Drake [Buffalo, Minn.] - Almost exactly a year after setting the Drake school record in the men's mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, Isaac Basten returned to Boston and broke his school record with a mile time of 3:53.54 on Saturday to finish eighth overall (second amongst collegiate competitors). Basten also rebroke his MVC mile record he set last year at a time of 3:54
Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Julia Nielsen, Jr., Bradley [Gothenburg, Sweden] - Julia finished 13th out of 304 competitors in the women's 800M at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational in a time of 2:04.58. She sets a new MVC record in the All-Time category with a total of 00.15 seconds faster time. Nielsen ran 00.09 seconds faster than the record she broke last week (2:04.67). The previous record holder set a time of 2:04.73 in the 800m set by Alethia Marrero, Indiana State in 2015. Nielsen is 1st in MVC, 35th in NCAA, and 2nd Bradley History.
Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Will Staggs, Pole Vault, Jr., Indiana State [Vincennes, Ind.] - Staggs continued his record-setting season at the Tyson Invitational, breaking his own program record in the pole vault for a second consecutive meet. Competing in the invitational section, which consisted of All-Americans and professional athletes, Staggs cleared marks of 5.17m (16-11.50), 5.32m (17-05.50), 5.42m (17-09.25) and 5.52m (18-01.25) to place inside the top five in the field. Staggs’ record-setting mark placed him first in the MVC, second in the Great Lakes region and 11th nationally in the pole vault. His mark is also the best by an MVC athlete since 2001.
Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Niesha Anderson, Throws, So., Indiana State [Fort Wayne, Ind.] - Anderson continued her strong season in the weight throw at the Tyson Invitational, placing in the top three with a mark of 20.51m (67-03.50). She was the only athlete from outside the Power Five conferences to finish in the top five in the event, which consisted of multiple athletes ranked in the top 25 nationally. Anderson also competed in the shot put, finishing with a top mark of 12.59m (41-03.75) in the event. Anderson continues to lead the MVC in the weight throw, where she also ranks third in the Great Lakes region and 17th nationally. She also ranks fifth in the MVC in the shot put.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
WOMEN - TRACK
- Kayla Bell, Sr., Murray State
- Kayla Bell helped set a new school record for the indoor 4x400-meter relay, seeing a first-place finish in 3:39.60 at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Olivia Rogers, Fr., Missouri State
- Olivia Rogers finished second in the finals for the 60-meter dash at the Gorilla Classic. Her time of 7.57 seconds landed her a new personal record. Rogers also competed in the 4x400-meter relay where the Bears finished third with a time of 3:49.32.
- Rachel Anderson, Gr, SIU
- Set a school record for the third time this season, this time breaking Noa Beitler's record in the one mile with a time of 4:44.34. She also holds the school record in the 3000 and 5000-meter runs.
WOMEN-FIELD
- Centaine Noom-Duckworth, Jr., Drake
- Noom-Duckworth bettered her women’s weight throw school record with a throw 19.26m/63’ 2.25” to finish sixth at the Tyson Invitational.
- Windsor Roberts, Jr., Illinois State
- Roberts posted a personal-best mark in the pole vault of 4.06m (13-3), which is 2nd All-Time in school history. Roberts sits atop the MVC for the best mark.
- Logan Gray, Jr., Belmont
- 1st place in women’s shot put (seeded) with a throw of 15.72m. Ranks No.1 in the MVC and No. 60 on NCAA indoor qualifying list.
nOTABLE PERFORMANCES
MEN- TRACK
- Evan Walda, Sr.,Valparaiso
- Record-setting times with an 8:15.75, placing seventh in a competitive field.
- Jerome Jessup, Fr., UNI
- Jessup finished second place in the men’s 60-meter dash with a career-best time of 6.73 at the SDSU Indoor Classic.
- Jack Crull Sr., Bradley
- Mile in 3:59.14 (#2 in MVC/#1 in School History) Jack's sub 4-minute mile is the first and only in school history. He won his talent-filled heat at Boston University.
MEN - FIELD
- Brendan Safley, Jr., UNI
- Recorded a 5.20-meter vault to win the men’s pole vault at the SDSU Indoor Classic. Before this weekend’s performances, Safely performed a career-best vault at the Iowa State Classic with 5.23-meters.
- Adam Phillips, Jr., Drake
- In the weight throw Phillips heaved a mark of 21.48m/70’ 5.75” for his second-best performance in a meet and the best series of his career. Phillips finished 5th at the Tyson Invitational. Phillips ranks first in the MVC, eighth in the Midwest region and 26th in the NCAA.
- Micah Mullings, So. Valparaiso
- All-time best in the long jump with a mark of 7.50 meters (24-7.25). Mullings won the event in addition to capturing the top spot in the triple jump at 14.52m (47-7.75) at the GVSU Big Meet.