NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State and Indiana State claim the top spots at the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

For the fifth straight season and tenth time in program history, the Illinois State women were crowned MVC Outdoor Champions after totaling 205 points in the team score, topping Murray State's 128 points. The Illinois State men finished third with 138 points.

Illinois State outdoor women's track & field now becomes the first program in MVC outdoor championship history to capture five straight team titles, as there been four previous instances of a program winning four straight titles (Southern Illinois from 1986-1989; Indiana State from 1991-1994; Wichita State from 2004-2007; Wichita State from 2014-2017).

For the second time during the 2023 MVC Outdoor Championships, junior Mye'Joi Williams would claim the title of "Champion," this time in the women's discus. Coming into the conference weekend, Williams sat seventh overall in the event. After throwing for a mark of 46.44m (152-04) to claim a spot in the finals, Williams' first throw would go nearly four meter further, as her event winning mark of 50.38m (165-03) came right in ahead of UNI's Makenna Wilson's mark of 50.04m (164-02).

To wrap up her first MVC Outdoor Championships with the Redbirds, senior Hassy Fashina-Bombata would compete in a variety of events on Championship Sunday, including the women's 100m hurdles. The Nanaimo, B.C., Canada native would claim the event win with a time of 13.41, becoming the first Redbird women's outdoor 100m champion since 2018 when D'Jenne Egharevba won in a time of 11.43.Then, in the women's 400m hurdles, Kayla Perry showed why she was the fastest in the event coming into the weekend, clocking a winning time of 59.20.

It would be a new Redbird T&F Complex record being set in the women's 4x100m relay as the team of Lindsey Miller, Hassy Fashina-Bombata, Madison Saunders, and Arianna Walker clocked a time of 44.65, tying their own school record, to win the event. With the win, the relay squad becomes the first ISU women's outdoor 4x100m relay champion since 2010 (45.54).

In the women's triple jump, a pair of Redbirds gathered All-Valley honors after coming in second and third for the event, respectively. Madison Saunders saw her fourth jump of the day go for a mark of 12.15m (39-10.50) to capture silver overall. Then, coming in right behind Saunders, Danielle Taets came into the weekend as the second-best event competitor in the MVC. She would see a jump of 12.13m (39-09.75) on her fourth attempt to collect a bronze medal.

Junior San'Toria Harris was in action for the women's 400m as the Byram, Miss. native came in with a time of 54.64 to claim second, a silver medal, and 8 points for the 'Birds.

Running in the 1500m finals, senior Rachel Hickey turned in a time of 4:29.11 to place second in the event and capture a silver medal in the process. Hickey would follow that up with another silver medal, this time in the women's 800m, as she clocked a time of 2:07.69.

After winning the women's 100m hurdles earlier in the day, Hassy Fashina-Bombata would be back in action for the women's 200m. The senior finished second to garner All-Valley honors with a time of 23.99.

Finally, to end all three days of competition, it was the Redbird women's 4x400m squad of Destiny White, San'Toria Harris, Kayla Perry, and Hassy Fashina-Bombata winning the event with their time of 3:42.40.

The Sycamores finished with 186 points on the men’s side, defeating Northern Iowa by 14.5 points. Indiana State also finished third on the women’s side with 115 points. The outdoor title gives the Sycamores each of the last four men’s MVC Championships, as Indiana State has also won the last two indoor titles.

It was a busy final day of the championships for the Sycamore sprints group, as all of the sprints and hurdles finals were contested Sunday. JaVaughn Moore was all-conference in both the 100m (10.24) and 200m (21.14), while Noah Malone (10.47) and Daunte Majors (10.59) both picked up valuable points in the 100m. Cameron Stevens scored in the 400m for the Sycamores, with his time of 48.46 good enough for sixth.
 
The Sycamores had four all-conference hurdles honors, with Luigi Rivas (13.99) earning 100m and 110m hurdles all-conference, respectively, and Riley Tuerff (1:00.38) and Quincy Armstrong (52.74) earning all-conference in the 400m hurdles. Both Tuerff (14.09) and Armstrong (14.74) scored points for the Blue and White in the short hurdles, as well. Also scoring in hurdles events for the Trees were Taylor Jackson (14.23, 100m hurdles), Collin Forrest (15.02, 110m hurdles) and Maria Biskopstoe (1:04.06, 400m hurdles).
 
Indiana State also picked up all-conference honors in one of the relays, with Malone, Wyatt Wyman, Napoleon Hernandez and Stevens placing second in the 4x400m relay at 3:18.14.The Sycamores’ men’s 4x100m relay team of Moore, Majors, Isiah Thomas and Malone ran a time of 39.80, but were disqualified after a faulty exchange. Indiana State picked up points in a trio of distance races on Championship Sunday. Wyatt Wyman placed fourth in the 800m with a time of 1:51.86, while Ethan Breen (3:58.71) and Jackson Krieg (3:58.74) both put up points for the Sycamores in the 1500m.

A sweep of the triple jump titles highlighted the afternoon for the Sycamores, with Shomari Rogers-Walton and Ryann Porter taking the top spots on the men’s and women’s side, respectively. Both Rogers-Walton (15.18m/49-09.75) and Porter (12.85m/42-02.00) jumped outdoor season-bests on Championship Sunday.
 
Also scoring on the men’s side was Emmanuel Odubanjo, who finished fifth with a top mark of 14.26m (46-09.50). Indiana State also picked up points in the men’s pole vault Sunday, with William Staggs earning a fourth straight all-conference honor after clearing 5.05m (16-06.75) and Daniel O’Laughlin getting on the board after clearing 4.60m (15-01.00).

Indiana State took home all-conference honors in both throws events contested Sunday. Noah Bolt saved his best throw for last in the men’s discus, with his mark of 54.14m (177-07) giving him the runner-up spot. Wyatt Puff also scored for the Blue and White with his top attempt coming in at 51.04m (167-05).

Select student-athletes, who have qualified, will advance to their respective NCAA Regional Qualifying Sites for the opprotunity to advance in the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning May 24th-27th.