ST. LOUIS -- The league coaches have tabbed Southern Illinois' men's program and Illinois State's women's program in the 2017-18 Track and Field preseason poll.
Men's Track & Field Preseason Poll
Southern Illinois was selected to finish first in the preseason poll after finishing second at the 2017 Indoor Championships. The Salukis received five first-place votes and 75 total points. Isaac Ingram, Jared Kern, and Warren Hazel return this season after placing in the top three in their respective events at the indoor championship last year.
Illinois State came in a close second with 72 points and three first-place votes. The Redbirds return all ten student-athletes who earned all-MVC honors for their performance in individual and relay events during the indoor championship last year. Among them is Derrius Rodgers who was named Freshman of the Year during both indoor and outdoor last season.
Northern Iowa received one first-place vote and 67 points to earn the No. 3 spot. The Panthers finished third at the indoor championships in 2017. Seven student-athletes who earned all-MVC honors last year are looking to place again this year.
Securing fourth with 56 points is Indiana State. After serving as the interim program coordinator for men’s and women’s track last year, Angela Martin, was named Program Director and Head Coach in May. The Sycamores look to improve their fifth-place finish from last season’s indoor championships.
Bradley holds onto the fifth spot with 39 points. The Braves return four student-athletes who earned All-Conference honors for their performance at the Indoor Championships last season. The Braves had more male student-athletes finish in the top three at the championships last year than in the history of the program.
Loyola received 35 points, placing sixth in the preseason poll. The Ramblers return both of their all-MVC honorees from last year. Alex Baker placed second in the 3,000-meter run and Kevin White took first in the 800-meter run.
Drake came in a close seventh with 33 points. Mark Carroll enters his first year as head coach for the Bulldogs. Carroll comes to Drake after eight seasons as the head coach at Auburn University.
Valparaiso, the newest member of the Missouri Valley Conference, is picked eighth with 17 points. The Crusaders finished fourth at the Horizon League Indoor Championships last season.
Evansville received 11 points in the preseason poll. The 2017-18 season is the first for the Purple Ace’s track and field programs. The Aces will be led by Don Walters who has coached the Cross Country programs since 2000.
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| Southern Illinois (5) |
75 |
| Illinois State (3) |
72 |
| Northern Iowa (1) |
67 |
| Indiana State |
56 |
| Bradley |
39 |
| Loyola |
35 |
| Drake |
33 |
| Valparaiso |
17 |
| Evansville |
11 |
Women's Track & Field Preseason Poll
Illinois State was picked to finish first in the preseason poll. The Redbirds received eight first-place votes and 95 total points. In the 2016-17 season, Illinois State finished second at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Redbirds return four student-athletes who earned All-Conference honors during the indoor season and three who earned All-Conference for their performance at both the indoor and outdoor championships. Among the returners is the Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year, D’Jenne Egharevba.
Indiana State received a single first-place vote while totaling 87 points to finish second in this year’s pre-season poll. The Sycamores return 10 students who received all-conference honors during indoor last year. They return all members of both their 4x400 meter relay and distance medley relay teams who placed second and third respectively.
Southern Illinois was picked to finish third in the poll, receiving 79 total points and one first-place vote. The Salukis have three student-athletes on their roster who earned all-MVC. Kezia Martin placed first while Tyjuana Eason and Mystique Thompson finished second.
Securing fourth with 75 points is Northern Iowa. The Panthers return six student-athletes who earned all-MVC for their performance in their individual events and relay. Northern Iowa’s distance medley relay team took claimed the MVC title for the first time since 2000. Three of those student-athletes are returning this season.
Missouri State notched the No. 5 spot, tallying 64 points. Last year, the Bears finished in sixth place with 46 points. Marissa Kurtimah looks to again place in the 60-meter dash.
Loyola secured sixth place with 44 points. The Ramblers will look to seniors Kiera Washpun and Cassie Bloch to finish in the top 3 of their respective events again this year.
Drake came in a close seventh with 41 points. First year head coach, Mark Carroll will look to his six seniors to help lead the team made up of mostly underclassmen. Two of those seniors are Taryn Rolle and Mary Young who earned all-MVC honors during both the indoor and outdoor championships last season.
Bradley took eighth in the poll with 35 points. Bradley returns Hannah Witczak who earned All-Conference after finishing second in the 5,000m at last year’s indoor championship.
Valparaiso was chosen ninth with 17 points and Evansville rounds out the women’s poll with 13 points.
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| Illinois State (8) |
95 |
| Indiana State (1) |
87 |
| Southern Illinois (1) |
79 |
| Northern Iowa |
75 |
| Missouri State |
64 |
| Loyola |
44 |
| Drake |
41 |
| Bradley |
35 |
| Valparaiso |
17 |
| Evansville |
13 |
The first weekly Track and Field release will be posted on December 12
th. Three teams begin competition this weekend. Northern Iowa will host the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championships February 24-25 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Upcoming Schedule:
December 1
GVSU Holiday Open (Loyola)
Notre Dame Blue & Gold (Valparaiso)
December 2
Bob Timmons Challenge (Missouri State)
December 8
EIU Early Bird (Loyola, Illinois State, Indiana State)
Missouri Holiday Opener (Missouri State)
December 9
Saluki Fast Start (Southern Illinois)