TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Freshman Cole Hess (Cannelton, Indiana) led the University of Southern Indiana Men's Track & Field group at the ISU Open Saturday evening with a first-place finish in the 800 meters. With Hess crossing the line in one minute and 53.17 seconds, he now holds the Screaming Eagles' 800-meter indoor record, a feat that has sat atop since 2006.
 
With the success of Hess, USI was able to capture fifth place at the meet with 26 points. This is the Eagles best finish in 2024 ahead of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships.
 
Making some noise was senior Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana) who placed fourth in the mile with a time of 4:16.31 while senior Draven Thompson (Huntertown, Indiana) closed out USI's top-10 mile finishers with a time of 4:26.01 to earn eighth place. In the pit, junior James Butler (Evansville, Indiana) secured fifth place with a leap of 20 feet, 3.5 inches in the long jump. Also earning points was freshman Mukal Verma (Palatine, Illinois) with an eighth-place finish in the 3,000 meters after crossing the line in 9:10.02.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles will suit up for the Ohio Valley Conference Championships on February 21-22 in Birmingham, Alabama.