MARIETTA, Ohio. - The Indiana University Kokomo men's indoor track and field team secured a third place finish over the weekend at the River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, highlighted by a pair of individual conference titles and multiple All River States Conference honors earned by two standout student-athletes.

FAST FACTS - 2026 River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships

• LOCATION: Dyson Baudo Recreation Center | Marietta, Ohio
• NAIA TOP 25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo: N/A

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars finished the weekend with 129 points, 130.5 points back of first-place Rio Grande and 10 points back of second-place IU East. Athletes score points for the team by finishing Top-8 in their events, while the top three finishers from each event are named All-Conference.  
• Ranked second in the nation coming into the weekend, the Indiana University Kokomo men's shot put team delivered once again, joined by the weight throwers. The Cougars finished 1-3-4-5 in the shot put and 1-2-5-8 in the weight throw, showcasing their dominance throughout the weekend.
• Gabe Wedmore captured the weight throw title on Friday afternoon with a "B" standard mark of 16.35 meters, while teammate Rhett Berryman followed in second with a throw of 15.64 meters, giving two Cougars All Conference honors in the event.
• Senior Evan Gaylor claimed the shot put title on Saturday with a personal best "B" standard throw of 16.48 meters, edging a SMWC student-athlete by just 0.01 meters. Seth Ireland narrowly beat his brother Isaac Ireland by 0.01 meters to take third and the final All Conference spot in the event, with Gabe Wedmore rounding out the top five in fifth place.
• Upperclassmen Rico Ortiz and Trevon Hess also turned in strong performances at the conference meet, with Hess earning All Conference honors in three events and Ortiz in two. Both were part of the 4x400 meter relay team with Ayden Potts and Steven Case that finished second, posting the third fastest time in program history at 3:31.47. Ortiz added an All Conference honor in the 400 meters.
• Hess also earned All River States Conference honors in both the 55 meter dash and triple jump, with his 13.37-meter mark in the triple jump placing him second and setting a new school record.
• Senior Tanner Gibson matched his own school record in the long jump with a leap of 6.60 meters at his final River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
• Drew Lovelace set new school records in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races over the weekend, finishing with times of 8:55.09 and 15:32.42, respectively.
• Cale Webb and Isaiah Moore each earned "B" standard marks in the 3,000-meter race walk, finishing with times of 14:14.39 and 15:59.06, respectively.
• For full results from the River States Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, click HERE.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "We finished 3^rd as a team. We had some key injuries, had they been healthy, we could could have possibly pushed for a 2^nd place team finish. Our men's shot put squad, ranked 2^nd in the nation, helped lead our team on the points side. Shot put conference champ Evan Gaylor led the way as we went 1, 3, 4, 5 in the event. The weight throw saw conference champ Gabe Wedmore lead with our team going 1, 2, 5, 8 in the event. Drew Lovelace had a great meet as he broke the school records in the 5k and the 3k.  Trevon Hess had a phenomenal meet as he was all-conference in the 55, Triple Jump, and led the 4x400 relay to an all-conference finish." - Head Coach Josh Colvin

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.