ST. LOUIS -- The league coaches have tabbed Illinois State’s men’s program and Illinois State’s women’s program as the favorite in the 2019 Indoor Track and Field Pre-Championship poll. 

PDF Release - HERE

Men's Pre-Championship Poll
Illinois State was selected to finish first after receiving six first-place votes. On the track, Ben Montgomery leads the Valley in the 400m and sits in third in the 200m. Jack Anstey holds top times in the mile (1^st) and the 800m (5^th). Anstey’s time in the mile is 21^st nationally. The Redbirds’ 4x400 and distance medley relay teams hold the second fastest times in the Valley so far this season. In the field, Luke Nelson, Ryan Ashenbremer, and Kellen Kravik hold the top three marks in the pole vault. After finishing third at last year’s championship, Nelson will look to hold his position as the top in the Valley. Francis Ehigbai is tied for first in the Valley in high jump after clearing a height of 6’10.75” back on December 8^th.
 
Northern Iowa was picked to finish second with 71 total points and three first-place votes. Cooper Tayshaun holds the top spot in the 60m dash with a time of 6.88 last weekend at the Iowa State Classic. Evan Long, Sven Van Den Bergh, and Connor Blough hold three of the top five times in the men’s 400m. Long’s time in the 200m places his second in the Valley. The Panthers’ 4x400 relay team that includes Long, Van Den Bergh, Blough, and Bryce Newcomb set the top time in the Valley this season at 3:10.61. Cade Kirkpatrick (long jump) and Keegan Tritle (shot put) sit in second in their respective field events.
 
Indiana State came in third with 64 total points. JaVaughn Moore’s time of 6.88 in the 60m dash places him second in the Valley so far this season. Akis Medrano earned top times in the mile (6^th), 3,000 (5^th), and 5,000 (2^nd). Freshman Matthew Lewis-Banks’ time in the 60 hurdles ranks him first in the Valley and 49^th nationally. Dearis Herron is currently fourth in both long jump and triple jump.
 
Securing fourth with 56 points is Southern Illinois. Caleb Vogel shares the top height in high jump with a height of (2.10m) 6’10.75”. Ricky Hurley, Nate Dyer, and Adam Kessler hold the top three mark respectively in weight throw. Kessler sits at the top of the shot put Valley performance list and 18^th nationally. Matthew Bigelow’s 4919 points in the heptathlon earned the top spot in the Valley on January 25^th.

Bradley holds onto the fifth spot with 44 points. The top three Valley times in the 800m were run by Alec Hartman, David Shadid, and Scott Seymour. Michael Ward’s time of 7:57.22 in the 3,000-meter run is the top time in the Valley and 31^st nationally. Ward looks to defend his title in that race at this year’s championship. Jake Hoffert leads the league in the 5,000-meter run and sits right behind Ward in the 3,000-meter on the Valley performance list.
 
Drake came in sixth with 35 points. Kundai Maguranyanga’s time of 21.13 has been the top time in the Valley since February 1^st. Senior Kevin Kelly holds the second-fastest time in the mile and fourth fastest time in the 3,000-meter run. Joshua Yeager passed Kelly this weekend to land third in the 3,000. Both Kelly and Yeager were part of the distance medley relay team that posted a sub-ten time that still leads the league from a month ago.

Loyola received 31 points, placing seventh in the preseason poll. The Ramblers will be looking to medal in both their 4x400 and distance medley relays. Both relay teams are currently third in the Valley. Eric Burns (long jump) and Gift Chinda (triple jump) have the furthest marks in their respective field events. Burns looks to medal again after finishing second at the Indoor Championship a year ago.

Valparaiso was picked eighth with 18 points. Ignacio Veloz Bonilla, Ben Sekuloski, Connor Hickey, and Jack Worman made up the distance medley relay team that posted a time of 10:11.01 to earn the fourth fastest time in the league so far this season.
 
Evansville received 9 points in the pre-championship poll. Stanley Chepchieng ranks fifth in the MVC in the triple jump. Chepchieng’s leap of 13.99m (45’10.75”) is a personal-best and earned him a runner-up finish at the Don DeNoon Invitational.
 

Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Illinois State (6)	77
2	Northern Iowa (3)	71
3	Indiana State	64
4	Southern Illinois	56
5	Bradley	44
6	Drake	35
7	Loyola	31
8	Valparaiso	18
9	Evansville	9

Women's Pre-Championship Poll
Illinois State was picked to finish first in the preseason poll. Grace Beattie earned the second-fastest Valley times in the mile and 5,000-meter. Hattie Plumb’s time of 2:08.19 that she ran last weekend leads the Valley and ranks 44^th nationally. Plumb is part of the 4x400 and distance medley relay teams that are the fastest in the Valley so far this season. In the field events, Kameesha Smith (high jump), Ariana Cranston (pole vault), and Ashlee Stieler (pentathlon) lead the Valley heading into the championship.
 
Indiana State received a single first-place vote while totaling 91 points to finish second in this year’s pre-championship poll. Brooke Moore boasts top times in the 800 (2^nd), mile (1^st), and 3,000 (1^st). Ayanna Morgan’s 60 hurdles time earned the top spot on the MVC performance list. Morgan’s performance in long jump and pentathlon rank second. Cassaundra Roper’s mark of 15.95m (52’4”) in shot put sits first in the Valley and 30^th nationally. Erin Reese’s top Valley mark of 21.81m (71”6.75”) that was set on December 8^th ranks ninth nationally.
 
Southern Illinois was picked to finish third in the poll after receiving 78 total points. Junior Tyjuana Eason has posted the fastest times in the 60m and 200m. Eason also ran a leg of the 4x400 relay team that has the second-fastest time in the Valley. A’veun Moore-Jones has the second further shot put mark and ranks 35^th nationally. Alexis Roberson and Shauniece O’Neal are second and third in the weight throw and rank 17^th and 35^th in nation respectively.

Securing fourth with 68 points is Northern Iowa. Maddie McCalla’s time of 55.10 in the 400-meter earned her the top time in the Valley. McCalla holds the second-fastest time in the 200-meter.

Missouri State notched the No. 5 spot, tallying 64 points. Taryn Smiley holds top times in the 60m (2^nd) and 200m (3^rd). The Bears’ time in distance medley relay last weekend ranks second in the Valley. Sidne’ Williamson’s leap of 19’5.5” on January 11^th still leads the league in long jump. Jamilah James, 2018 Indoor Freshman of the Year, ranks first in the triple jump and 46^th nationally.

Loyola secured sixth place with 47 points. Lindsey Brewis ranks fourth in the mile, second in the 3,000, and first in the 5,000. Brewis’ time of 16:18.40 in the 5,000 ranks 57^th nationally.

Bradley came in seventh with 39 points. Senior Niamh Markham holds the sixth fastest time in the 800m and third fastest time in the mile. Meanwhile, freshman Tyler Schwartz has worked her way up to fifth in both the 3,000 and 5,000. 

Drake took eighth in the poll with 33 points. The Bulldogs’ own top ten times in the 60m dash (Sophia Jackson), 60m hurdles (Victoria Coombe), 5,000m run (Rachel Selva), 4x400m relay, and distance medley relay. 
 
Valparaiso was chosen ninth with 17 points. Katherine Germann and Anne Mou rank in the top-15 on the Valley’s performance list. Germann is 13^th in the 5,000 while Mou sits 10^th in the triple jump.
 
Evansville rounds out the women’s poll with 14 total points. The all freshman 4x400 relay team of Haylee Harmeyer, Sierra Kelley, Skylar Tucker, and Haley Dean ran a converted time of 4:17.20 that ranks ninth in the Valley.
 

Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Illinois State (9)	99
2	Indiana State (1)	91
3	Southern Illinois	78
4	Northern Iowa	68
5	Missouri State	64
6	Loyola	47
7	Bradley	39
8	Drake	33
9	Valparaiso	17
10	Evansville	14

Northern Iowa will host the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship February 23-24 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Check out the Valley’s championship central page – HERE – for more championship details.