KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Six members of the Indiana State track & field team are in Eugene, Ore., this week to compete in the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships which will be held at Hayward Field.

One of the largest groups in many years will be competing for Indiana State including seniors Felisha Johnson, Nicole Hope, Dustin Betz, and Brandon Pounds along with junior Greggmar Swift and freshman Katie Wise.

Four of the six have experience on the national stage but all six are or have been Missouri Valley Conference Champions.

Felisha Johnson is a two-time outdoor All-American and five-time indoor All-American who will compete in the women's hammer throw and shot put. She is also a two-time indoor weight throw NCAA champion including the 2013 NCAA women's weight throw championship. Brandon Pounds, another member of an outstanding corps of throwers at Indiana State, is an outdoor All-American and two-time indoor All-American who will be competing in the men's hammer throw.

Greggmar Swift also earned All-American recognition at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship and returns to compete again in the men's 110 meter hurdles. He earned his first Indoor All-American award earlier this year. Nicole Hope is an indoor All-American and is competing in her first outdoor Division I championship in the women's pole vault although she has competed at both the indoor and outdoor DIII Championships as a sophomore at Ohio Northern University.

Freshman Katie Wise and senior Dustin Betz are competing in their first NCAA Finals.

Johnson has competed in the NCAAs all four years at Indiana State and holds several Sycamore throw records. The senior set the Indiana State record in the outdoor shot put with a heave of 59'-11¾“ (18.27m) at the 2013 NCAA East Prelims. She also holds the indoor shot put record of 58'-4¾“ (17.80m) set at the 2013 Indiana Relays and the indoor weight throw record of 77'-2” (23.52m) which she set in winning her second National Championship in 2013.

She also ranks second on the Indiana State all-time list in the discus with a throw of 180'-6” (55.03m) at the 2012 NCAA East and fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 200'-7” (61.14m) which she threw at the 2011 Tom Botts Invitational. Johnson had a season best throw of 174'-10” (53.28m) in the discus and 195'-4” (59.53m) in the hammer at the MVC Outdoor Championships.

The two-time outdoor All-American will be the first Sycamore to compete as she will go in the women's hammer throw at 4:30 p.m. (ET). Johnson advanced to the NCAA Finals after placing 12th at the NCAA East with a throw of 191'-2” (56.27m). She also competed in the hammer at the 2011 NCAA Finals but did not place after fouling on each of her three attempts.

Johnson will come back to the competition venue on Saturday when she competes in the women's shot put at 4 p.m. (ET). She earned All-American status last year with a fifth place finish at the 2012 NCAA Finals and competed at the 2011 NCAA Finals in the event when she placed 18th. Johnson has been ranked second nationally in the shot put for most of the season.

Her other outdoor All-American recognition also came in 2012 when she placed 22nd in the discus throw at the NCAA Finals. She is also a five-time Indoor All-American as she won the weight throw in 2011 and 2013, placed fourth in 2012, was seventh in the shot put in 2012 and eighth in 2013. She won the 2013 MVC Outdoor title in both discus and shot put  and is the 2013 MVC Indoor weight throw champion while placing second in the shot put.

Freshman Katie Wise will have her first taste of NCAA Final competition at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when she runs in the first of three heats in the women's 100 meters. The top two from each heat plus the next best two times advance to the finals which will be run at 9:40 p.m. (ET) Friday.

Wise is the first Indiana State sprinter to compete at the NCAA Finals in 17 years and posted the second fastest 100 meters in school history when she ran 11.33 in placing ninth during the quarterfinals at the NCAA East Preliminary.

Her freshman outdoor season saw Wise win the MVC 100 meter title (11.41), place fifth in the 200 meters with the fifth fastest time in Sycamore history (23.92), and earned another MVC title as member of the 4x100 relay team. That team also ran the third fastest time in school history (45.04) in a 15th place finish at the NCAA East. She was also a member of the 4x200 meter relay team that placed second at the Drake Relays in the second fastest time in school history (1:38.28).

Wise is also the MVC Indoor champion in the 60 meters (7.51) and ran the second fastest time in school history (7.42) at the Grand Valley State Big Meet. She was also third in the 200 meters at the MVC Indoors (24.99) and ran the third fastest 200 meters in school history (24.78) at the Gene Edmonds dual meet with Purdue.

Last to compete on the opening day of the NCAA Finals is the first athlete from the men's team as senior Dustin Betz runs in the second of two heats of the 3000 meter steeplechase at 9:45 p.m. (ET).  The top five from each heat plus the next best two times advance to the finals at 8:40 p.m. (ET) Friday.

Betz has had an outstanding senior campaign for the Sycamores and ran the second fastest 3000 meter steeplechase in school history at the NCAA East when he placed sixth in 8:47.19. He is the first steeplechaser to advance to the NCAA Finals since Jordan Fife in 2006.

The senior was second at the MVC Outdoors in the steeplechase (9:00.95) after winning the conference title in 2011 and placing second in 2012. He also finished sixth in the event at the 2010 MVC Championships. Betz also ran the fourth fastest 1500 meters in school history (3:47.44) at the Billy Hayes Invitational, the sixth fastest 5,000 meters (14:27.71) at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic, and was a member of the distance medley relay team that ran the third fastest (10:03.65) at the Sea Ray Relays.

Betz also did well indoors this past season as he placed second in the mile (4:13.64) and third in the 3000 meters (8:22.27) at the MVC Indoor Championships. He ran the second fastest mile in school history (4:05.96) at the Alex Wilson Invitational and the third fastest 3000 meters (8:14.62) at the Meyo Invitational.

Two more Sycamores will see competition on Thursday as Brandon Pounds competes in the men's hammer throw and Greggmar Swift goes in the men's 110 meter hurdles.

Pounds will be the first to compete Thursday as the men's hammer throw will begin at 4:30 p.m. (ET). The senior will be competing in the event for the second straight year at the NCAA Finals after earning All-American status a year ago with a sixth place finish.

He is the school record holder in the hammer throw with a distance of 215'-2” (65.58m) recorded at the 2013 Billy Hayes Invitational. He came back to finish second at the MVC Outdoors (212'-10”/64.87m) and fifth at the NCAA East (212'-2”/64.68m) to advance to the NCAA Finals.

Pounds was the 2012 MVC Champion in the hammer after a fourth place finish in 2010 while also placing fourth in the discus in 2010 and 2012, and second in the shot put in 2010. He holds the third spot on the Sycamore all-time list in shot put with a heave of 59'-1¼“ (18.01m) in 2009 and is eighth in discus with a throw of 172'-4” (52.53m) at the ISU Quad in 2010.

He is also a two-time All-American Indoors and placed seventh at the 2013 NCAA Finals in the weight throw and placed 16th in 2012. Pounds went on to compete in the USA Indoors and finished fifth. He also holds the school record with a throw of 73'-11¾“ (22.55m) at the 2013 Meyo Invitational.

Swift will run in the first of three heats of the men's 110 meter hurdles at 8:20 p.m. (ET) Thursday with the two top from each heat and the next best two times advancing to the finals at 6:16 p.m. (ET) Saturday. The junior earned All-American status a year ago with a 10th place finish.

The junior is a two-time MVC Champion in the event (2012 and 2013) after a second place finish in 2011. He placed third at the NCAA East by tying his collegiate best time of 13.49 which is also the third fastest in school history. He first set the mark in winning the MVC title in 2012.

Swift is a veteran of high level competition having competed at the 2012 London  Olympic Games for his native Barbados. He finished second in the event at the last two Barbados National Championships, third at the 2012 NCACAC Under 23 Championships, ninth at the 2010 World University Games, and sixth at the 2011 CAC Championships.

He anchored the Sycamore shuttle hurdle relay team to a second place finish at the 2013 Drake Relays and was a member of the team that won the 2012 Drake Relays in the third fastest time in school history (56.42). He also ran the second leg of the 4x100 team that ran the fourth fastest time in school history (40.64) at the 2013 Billy Hayes Invitational.

Swift also earned Indoor All-American honors at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship with a fourth place finish in the 60 meter hurdles (7.70) after running the second fastest time in school history (7.67) in winning the MVC Championship.

The final Sycamore to see action also has national championship experience.

Nicole Hope continues a long tradition of women pole vaulters who have competed at the NCAA Finals after she tied for first at the NCAA East by clearing 13'-5¼“ (4.10m). This is her first appearance on the Division I level but did compete at the 2010 DIII Championships as a student-athlete at Ohio Northern University where she finished 13th.

Hope is a two-time MVC Champion in the event and cleared her collegiate best of 13'-9¼“ (4.20m) at the 2013 Jesse Owens Classic which is the second best in school history.

She earned Indoor All-American status in 2012 when she placed 13th at the 2012 NCAA Indoors after winning the MVC title with the second best height in Indiana State history (13'-11”/4.24m).

Hope holds the indoor and outdoor school records at Ohio Northern and won the 2010 Ohio Athletic Conference outdoor title. She also competed at the 2010 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships and placed 11th.