ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State women and UNI men garnered the tops spots in the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference indoor track and field coaches preseason poll. The Redbirds aim for their fifth straight title and sixth in seven seasons, while the Panthers want to complete the three-peat.

Women

The Redbirds of Illinois State are predicted to win their fifth straight MVC indoor title as they earned all 10 first-place votes and a perfect 100 points in the preseason coaches poll. Headlining the Redbird returners are graduate students Mya Robinson and Kameesha Smith, who captured gold in the spring championship in the 60-meter hurdles and high jump, respectively. Smith's efforts in the high jump propelled her to the NCAA championship, where she finished in 10^th, earning a Second Team All-America nod. Illinois State also brings back the entire 4 x 400-meter championship team that looks poised for a potential repeat performance.

Coming in with 82 points which is good for second in the preseason poll, Southern Illinois has many returners that have reached the medal stand.  These returners include two specialty award winners in Shauniece O'Neal and Iaunia Pointer. O'Neal finished the spring as a Second Team All-America honoree at the outdoor championship when she finished 15^th in the hammer throw and took the MVC's Most Outstanding Field Athlete honors for both the indoor and outdoor championships. Recording 26 points at the 2021 MVC Outdoor Championship, Pointer earned Freshman of the Year honors and looks to build off an impressive freshman campaign.
 
Finishing only four points behind the second-placed Salukis with a total of 78 points, Indiana State is poised for a strong season. Reigning indoor 3K champion Jocelyn Quiles comes into the indoor season off an impressive cross country season. Quiles finished seventh at the MVC Championship meet and earned all-conference honors. The Sycamores also return some of the top indoor pentathlon competitors in Mia Mackenzie and Kamille Gaskin-Griffith, who finished second and fourth.
 
UNI finished the polling in fourth with 74 points, only four points away from Indiana State and eight from second-place Southern Illinois. Senior Marin Ehler comes back to the Panthers after a 4^th place finish in the 2021 MVC Indoor Championship with a personal best throw of 14.52 meters in the shot put. On the track, Pashience Johnson aided the 4x100-meter in a 19th place finish at the NCAA West Preliminary Regionals in 2021 and second place at the MVC outdoor championship. Individually, Johnson finished 7^th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.65.
 
After matching their best finish since 2015, Missouri State finds itself fifth in the latest installment of the coaches preseason poll with 59 points. Edna Dar, Rochelle Etienne, Brooke Jenkins and Rachel Lacey aims to lead the team both on and off the track. These scholar athletes excel at their discipline, being top-eight in an individual event or top-three in a relay while also having a 3.3 GPA or better. Another critical piece coming back is sprinter Madison Meredith, as she looks to repeat as the 100- and 200-meter individual MVC indoor champion as well as the 4x100-meter relay.
 
Coming in with 48 total points that were good enough for sixth-place, Bradley brings back MVC 800-meter record holder and Sweden National Team member Wilma Nielson. Nielson hopes to build off an electric freshman campaign where she tallied four all-conference honors and an honorable mention All-America nod in the 800 meters. Wilma is also joined by her sister and last year's 800-meter spring's indoor meet champion Julia Nielsen as the duo wants to continue their domination at their respective distances.
 
A talented team with multiple podium finishers coming back, Loyola grabbed 40 points in the preseason poll. Leading the group is MVC indoor mile champion, Anneka Murrin as she aims for another multiple championship year as she won the MVC cross country championship for a record third time. Also returning is the runner-up and third-place runner in the 3000-meters in Claire Hengesbaugh and Kathleen Simms as they will battle it out for a potential championship. At the same time, Mimi Reimers and Lovie Annafi look to do the same in the 5000-meter and triple jump, respectively.

Drake comes into the season with strong contenders across multiple disciplines. This depth earned them 39 points in this season's poll. Distance runner Brooke Mullins comes into the season with a mindset to break more Bulldogs records after setting a program-best in the steeplechase at Drake Relays. Joining Mullins in leading the squad is sprinter Yinka Mary Ajayi and thrower Katelyn Williams. Both competitors have chances at finding themselves in All-Valley contention as well as potentially etching their names into Drake's record books.
 
The Purple Aces come into the season with a solid veteran presence that will guide Evansville on the track. Distance runner Anna Lowry is one of the team's top returners. She captured the 5,000- and 10,000-meter crowns in last season's outdoor championships. Lowry also received All-Valley honors in the indoor running of the 5,000-meter race in each of the past two seasons. Another athlete looking for more success is Taiza Alexander, who finished eighth in the long jump at last year's outdoor championships. The Purple Aces finishes with 17 points for ninth place.
 
An up-and-coming program, Valparaiso returns important pieces such as Michelle Pierce and Grace Aurand. As a team, the Beacons merited 13 points in the coaches poll. Coming into her senior season, Pierce has the ability to rewrite the program's record books as she currently sits in fourth for the indoor weight throw with a 54-4.75. Aurand also joins Pierce in the quest for a top-three spot in Beacon's history as she is also ranked fourth in the 1,500-meter as she recorded a personal best of 4:38.31.
 

 
Men
Leading the pack is UNI, with six first-place votes and 76 total points. Coming off another All-American campaign in the shot put, Darius King brings back a lot of experience, including sweeping the 2021 MVC indoor and outdoor shot put champions. At the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials, King put together an impressive performance with a 12^th place finish. Another reigning MVC champion, Tayshaun Cooper, defends his 200-meter and 4x400-meter crowns. These two want to help the Panthers bring back a seventh MVC track title in their time at Northern Iowa.

Illinois State grabs second in the voting with 71 points and the final three first-place votes. The Redbirds bring back four MVC champions as Brandon Gage (400m), Riley Wells (800m), Jake Gillum (mile) and Caleb Miedema (heptathlon). Outside of their returning champions, they have plenty of competitors that can find themselves on the podium when they take the track at Gately Park.
 
Indiana State is poised for a strong season, which the poll reflects as they finished third with 62 points. T12 world record holder and Paralympian gold medalist Noah Malone is one of the big returners for the Sycamores. His experience will be essential in leading the squad. Another sprinter, JaVaughn Moore, also has his sights set high as he wants to repeat as the 60-meter champion after winning in the spring.
 
After a strong cross country season, Drake's Adam Fogg and Issac Basten sights are now set on more hardware and potential return trips to the NCAA Championship for the pair of distance runners. Another athlete to watch out for is four-time MVC long jump champion Cloud Masibhera, who aims to add another title to his already impressive resume. At the same time, Joey Harkins and Aziz Jday also have big plans for the upcoming indoor season. The Bulldogs finishes the polling in fourth place with 58 points.
 
Finishing the polling as the fifth-place team with a total of 42 points, Southern Illinois is headlined by a pair of quarter-milers in Willie Johnson and Corey Sherrod. Coming off winning the 400-meter dash at the Outdoor Championship, Johnson looks to build off that while Sherrod also is in contention as he was the third-place finisher in the same race. These two, along with Omar Rodgers and Ja'den Johnson, brought home the first 4x400-meter relay title for the Salukis since 2008. Rodgers also was a runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
Bradley finds itself sixth in this year's poll as the Redbirds garnered 38 points. The Braves return three of the four MVC champion distance medley relay team members in Miguel Agyei, Zach Albrecht and Max Dieterich. This should help their chances of holding onto the title in the coming months. Additional, Dieterich wants to challenge for the mile crown after finishing second in the spring.
 
Seventh place in the polls, the Ramblers of Loyola notched 31 points in this year's preseason poll. Coming back is Miguel Abaitua, a member of the third-place distance medley relay that finished in 10:07.50. Another key returner is Kevin Szczepaneic, who ranks fifth all-time in the indoor triple jump with his personal best of 13.97 meters. The Ramblers also have solid depth that can provide a spark at the MVC Indoor Championship.

The Beacons of Valparaiso has a strong core of distance athletes as Eric Carothers and Ignacio Veloz Bonilla are back. These runners, plus thrower Eddie Juszczak and many others, helped the Beacons tally 16 points and the ninth spot. Carothers is a former Elite 17 winner and an All-MVC honoree in cross country has previously run a 3:54.61 1500-meter, which is good for the fifth-fastest in program history. Bonilla also has an individual fifth-ranked run in his 1:54.19 over 800-meters. He was also a member of last year's 4x1600-meter relay that set the program record. On the field side, Juszczak has a strong case as his efforts in the outdoor discus and hammer throws show his ability to compete with the MVC's best.
 
Rounding out the poll with 11 points, Evansville has many athletes challenging for spots on All-Valley teams. One of the conference's top freshman sprinters from last season, Georgan Blades, returns and will be pushed by teammates Giovanni Purser and Greg King for the top spot on the Purples Aces roster. Additionally, Trey Riggs looks to improve on his eighth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at last year's indoor championship. Another eighth-placed finisher poised to make a leap is heptathlon participant Joey Rucinski.