ST. LOUIS – Northern Iowa’s men have been tabbed as the favorite in the 2019 Outdoor Pre-Championship Poll. On the women’s side, Illinois State was unanimously voted by the league coaches to finish first. 

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Men's Pre-Championship Poll
Northern Iowa was picked to finish first with 75 total points and five first-place votes. Evan Long’s time of 47.23 is the top time in the 400m dash. Connor Blough and Corey Hertz hold the second and third fastest times, respectively. Evan Long also holds the third fastest Valley time in the 200m dash. Connor Ham is currently first in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.10. The Panthers’ 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams have the fastest times in the league. Cade Kirkpatrick ranks second in the Valley for his long jump mark. Keegan Tritle, Darius King, and Isaac Holtz hold three out of five top spots in shot put. Holtz also sits high on the Valley performance list in discus (1^st), hammer (3^rd) and javelin (7^th). Holtz’s discus throw of 56.76m (186’ 3”) has led the league since early April and ranks 27^th nationally. After last weekend’s performance, Austin Heitland sits atop the decathlon with 6,644 points.
 
Illinois State came in a close second with 73 points after receiving four first-place votes. Jack Anstey holds the top time in the 800m (1:48.78) and 1,500m (3:42.83). Anstey’s times rank 38^th (800m) and 19^th (1,500m) nationally. Kyle Mattes ranks second in the league with his time of 29:06.89 in the 10K. In the field, Francis Ehigbai sits atop the Valley performance list in the high jump with a mark of 2.06m (6’ 9”). After taking the top three spots at the 2019 MVC Indoor Championship, Kellen Kravik, Ryan Ashenbremer and Luke Nelson continue to lead the league in pole vault.
 
Indiana State came in third with 68 total points. JaVaughn Moore’s time of 10.52 in the 100m dash ranks first in the Valley. Jarel Shaw sits right behind his teammate with a time of 10.56. Shaw shares that time with Kundai Maguranyanga of Drake. Matthew Lewis-Banks time in the 110 hurdles is still the second-fastest time this season. Akis Medrano jumped up to top in the league with a time of 14:10.96 in the 5K. Dearis Herron ranks fourth in both long and third in triple jump so far this season. Sam Overton’s mark of 54.88 in javelin leads the league by 13’.
 
Securing fourth with 52 points is Southern Illinois. Josh Maier leads the league and sits 23^rd nationally with a time of 28:55.43 in the 10K. Maier holds the third fastest time in the 5,000. In the field events, Willie Rodgers and Caleb Vogel are tied for second in the high jump with a height of 2.05m. Rodgers’ mark of 15.08m in triple jump leads the Valley so far this season. Mitchell Bland sits right behind Rodgers on the performance list. Adam Kessler’s shot put mark of 64’ 0.5” ranks 14^th nationally and leads the league by 4’. Ricky Hurley sits second in the discus and hammer. Nate Dyer’s mark in the hammer throw of 63.05m leads the league and ranks 48^th nationally.
 
Bradley holds onto the fifth spot with 46 points. Alec Hartman, Scott Seymour and David Shadid hold three of the top five times in the 800m. Michael Ward holds top times in the 5,000 (2^nd), 10,000 (3^rd) and 1,500 (4^th). Haran Dunderdale boasts the top time in the 3,000 Steeplechase. Dunderdale’s time of 8:50.95 ranks 27^th nationally.
 
Drake came in sixth with 33 points. Kundai Maguranyanga leads the Valley and ranks 18^th nationally in the in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.56. Maguranyanga is tied for second in the 100m dash. Victor Peka is tied with Maguranyanga in the 200m and tied for fourth in the 100m. Kevin Kelly overtook third place after posting a time of 3:44.72 in the 1,500m last weekend.
 
Loyola received 31 points, placing seventh in the preseason poll. Kevin White ranks second in both the 800m (1:49.95) and the 1,500m (3:44.15). Vince DiVenere leads the league with a time of 52.05 in the 400 hurdles. Freshman Adam Clayton is now tied for fourth in the 100m dash after his performance last weekend. Eric Burn’s mark of 7.52m in the long jump ranks first in the Valley.
Valparaiso was picked eighth with 18 points. Bryce Otterbach sits eight in the 400 hurdles. Valpo ranks seventh in the 4x100 and sixth in the 4x400 relay. Jake Rasawehr ranks fourth in the discus throw with a mark of 49.64m (162’ 10”).
 
Evansville received 9 points in the pre-championship poll. Stanley Chepchieng ranks sixth in the MVC in with a leap of 14.07m in triple jump.

 

Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Northern Iowa (5)	75
2	Illinois State (4)	73
3	Indiana State	68
4	Southern Illinois	52
5	Bradley	46
6	Drake	33
7	Loyola	31
8	Valparaiso	18
9	Evansville	9

 
 
Women's Pre-Championship Poll
Illinois State received all ten first-place votes in the 2019 Pre-Championship poll. Demetria Anderson holds the top time (13.47) in the 100 hurdles. Grace Beattie’s time of 10:25.01 that was run in March still leads the Valley and ranks 25^th in the NCAA West Region in the 3,000 Steeplechase. Beattie ranks third in the Valley in the 5,000 after she posted a tile of 16:48.85 at Drake Relays. In the field, the Redbirds hold the top three marks in high jump and pole vault. Kameesha Smith leads the high jump with a height of 1.78m (5’ 10”) which ranks 16^th in the NCAA West. Kristin Higgins (1.71m) Tessa Holland (1.69m) hold the next two top spots. Ariana Cranston, the 2019 MVC Indoor Pole Vault Champion, leads the league with a mark of 3.90m (12’ 9.5”) followed by teammates Nicole Bagwell (3.73m) and Alexandra Cranston (3.72m). Charde Golliday overtook the Valley’s No. 1 spot and is tied for 28^th nationally in the long jump (6.30m) after last weekend’s performance. Sydney Laufenberg has the top discus mark of 56.99m (187’ 0”) that was set on March 30^th. Laufenberg currently ranks 11^th in the NCAA. 

Indiana State totaled 90 points to finish second in this year’s pre-championship poll. Brooke Moore’s times in both the 800m (2:07.93) and 1,500m (4:23.70) rank top in the Valley. Cassaundra Roper leads the Valley and is tied for 24^th nationally in shot put with a mark of 16.44m (53’ 11.25”). Roper holds the fifth spot in the Valley in the hammer throw.  Erin Reese ranks second in discus (55.91m) and hammer (63.56m).

Southern Illinois was picked to finish third in the poll after receiving 80 points. Bri’Anna Branch’s time of 11.51 in the 100m dash is currently first in the Valley followed by teammate Tyjuana Eason. The Salukis hold three out of four top times in the 200-meter. Branch leads the league with a time of 23.19 and ranks 18^th in the NCAA West Region. Branch and Eason along with teammates Genesis Ewell and Madison Meyer were part of the 4x100 relay team that posted the top Valley time of 44.89. Meyer also sits atop the performance list with 5118 points in heptathlon and third in the long jump. Branch, Ewell, and Eason also teamed up with Savannah Long to post a Valley leading 4x400 relay time of 3:44.49. Long’s 400 hurdles time of 1:00.40 leads the Valley so far this season. In the hammer throw, Shauniece O’Neal has held onto the top spot in the Valley since March with a mark of 64.86m (212’9”) which lands her 15^th nationally. O’Neal ranks third in the Valley in the discus throw.

Securing fourth with 65 points is Northern Iowa. Lyndsie Schinkel’s time in the 800 meter is the second-fastest time in the Valley. McKayla Cole ran a time of 36:17.83 in the 10,000-meter run last weekend to take third so far this season. Katie Nimrod’s time of 1:02.24 in the 400 hurdles is currently tied for third in the league.  Maddie McCalla, the 2019 Indoor T&F 400m winner, sits fourth in the Valley with a 400 time of 55.44.

Missouri State notched the No. 5 spot, tallying 61 points. Taryn Smiley’s time from April 19^th is good enough for second in the 200-meter dash. Namibia Clavier holds onto a narrow lead in the 400m with a time of 55.12. Grace Breiten ranks second in the 3,000 Steeplechase with a time of 10:28.67. In the field, Jamilah James, the 2019 MVC Indoor Champion in triple jump, sits atop the Valley performance list with a leap of 12.46m (40’ 10.5”). James sits in the top four in long jump.

Loyola secured sixth place with 53 points. Lindsey Brewis and Mimi Reimers hold the top two spots in both the 5,000 and 10,000. Brewis’ times of 16:03.38 (5,000m) and 33:56.32 (10,000m) have earned her the top spot in the Valley and top-50 nationally. Reimers is close behind her teammate with a 16:40.18 time in the 5,000 and 34:53.14 in the 10,000. Brewis and Reimers took over the fourth and fifth spots in the 1,500 after their performances last weekend. Mackenzie Arnold’s leap of 6.17m holds the second furthest mark in long jump. Freshman Ilhame Tamrouti leads the Valley in javelin with a mark of 48.96m.
 
Bradley came in seventh with 38 points. Niamh Markham is currently third in the 1,500 and sixth in the 800-meter. Gabby Juarez and Abby Jockisch rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 10,000. McKenzie Altmayer has run the third fastest time in the league in the 3,000 Steeplechase so far this season.

Drake took eighth in the poll with 33 points. Victoria Coombe’s time of 1:02.52 in the 400 hurdles is tied for third in the Valley so far this season. Christina LeMunyon is fourth in the Valley with her pole vault height of 3.68m (12’ 0.75”).  

Valparaiso was chosen ninth with 18 points. Katherine Germann ranks sixth in the Valley with a time of 37:58.07 in the 10,000-meter run. Anne Mou ranks ninth in triple jump and 13th in javelin.

Evansville rounds out the women’s poll with 12 total points. Samantha Bittner sits 12^th in the 400 hurdles this season. Anna Lowry ranks in the top-15 in the 5,000m. Freshman McKenna Sapp is 13^th in the pole vault.

 

Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Illinois State (10)	100
2	Indiana State	90
3	Southern Illinois	80
4	Northern Iowa	65
5	Missouri State	61
6	Loyola	53
7	Bradley	38
8	Drake	33
9	Valparaiso	18
10	Evansville	12

 
Indiana State will host the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship May 10-12 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Check out the Valley’s championship central page – HERE – for more championship details.