St. Louis -- League coaches have tabbed Indiana State's men’s and women’s programs as the favorites in the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Pre-Championship Poll. Illinois State, meanwhile, was picked a close second in both polls.  The MVC Championship will be conducted Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake University is the host institution.



MEN'S PREVIEWS

1. INDIANA STATE - 78 Points (7 first-place votes)
Indiana State was picked to finish first with 78 points and seven of the nine first-place votes. The Sycamores return reigning 100m and 200m conference champion JaVaughn Moore, who ranks in the top 10 nationally in the 100m this season (10.06). Indiana State also boasts the top time in the 200m with Noah Malone (20.34), with Moore and Malone also featuring on the Sycamores’ top-ranked 4x100m team with Jarel Shaw and Tahj Johnson. Johnson also ranks second in the conference in the 400m (47.65), while Wyatt Wyman is second in the 800m (1:50.14). Indiana State also has a pair of hurdlers among the conference’s best in Luigi Rivas (14.09 in the 110m hurdles) and Quincy Armstrong (52.44 in the 400m hurdles). The Sycamores boast a trio of jumpers with top marks in the conference in Lawrence Mitchell (high jump, 2.07m), William Staggs (pole vault, 5.12m) and Shomari Rogers-Walton (long jump, 7.68m), while returning last year’s high jump champion in Kevin Krutsch (2.07m). Among the throwers, Thomas Hickerson ranks second in the javelin (60.36m) and Elias Foor ranks third in the discus (53.37m), with both ranking in the top five in school history in their events.

2. ILLINOIS STATE - 72 Points (1 first-place vote)
On the track, the Redbird men are led by Cecil Brownridge III (400m), Riley Wells (800m), Brandon Ratliff (110m Hurdles) and Cole Maguire (400m Hurdles), who each hold the league’s top marks in their respective events. The men’s 4x400m relay team of Junias Holmes Jr., Avery Lyons, Brownridge and Brandon Gage have also posted the league’s fastest clocking on the season at 3:09.54. In the field, Ariel Atias (javelin/decathlon) and Elijah Williams (triple jump) hold MVC-leading marks. Nationally, seven Redbirds currently rank in the top-48 in the West Region, which would currently qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Senior thrower Logan Calvin leads the group, as he sits No. 9 in the West Region in the shot put. Others in the top-48 include Maguire (400m Hurdles), Wells (800m), Ratliff (110m Hurdles), Atias (javelin), Joe Boyer (shot put) and Ryan Ashenbremer (pole vault). 

3. UNI - 66 Points (1 first-place vote)
Darius King is the highest-ranked Panther in any event with the sixth best mark in the nation in shot put. He set a UNI record with a throw of 20.26 meters (66-5.75) to lead the conference. He is looking to make his fourth appearance at an NCAA championship. King also competed at the 2020 Olympic Trials. In discus, King sits in second behind teammate Tom Yezek to go one and two in the MVC with throws of 56.65 meters (185-10) and 53.88 meters (176-9). UNI is sitting second and third in 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Isaiah Trousil broke UNI's indoor 200-meter dash record and is the Panther leader with the second-best league time in the men's 100-meter and 200-meter dashes with times of 10.25 seconds and 20.73 seconds. Trousil is coming off a 200-meter dash title at the Drake Relays, which was the first individual title at the event since 2017. Three Panthers hold the 2-3-4 spots in the decathlon with Carter Morton, Zack Butcher and Drew Bartels. Morton scored 6,697 points at the Drake Relays. 

4. DRAKE - 48 Points 
Drake has 15 marks that rank in the top 10 on the MVC leaderboards. Leading the way is the distance duo of Adam Fogg and Isaac Basten. Fogg broke his own school record for the MVC’s fastest 1,500-meter time this year of 3:38.15 with Basten right behind him at 3:39.08. Freshman Aziz Jdai owns the top Valley time in the 5,000 meters (14:08.20). Jdai recently set the 3,000-meter steeplechase mark to beat in the conference at the Drake Relays with a time of 8:50.34. The Bulldogs have four athletes that rank in the top-10 of the MVC men’s hammer throw with Anthony Barmes (209-9) setting the school record to pace the group. Ethan Marshall (200-9) is second, Joey Harkins (197-3) third and Adam Phillips (189-0) seventh. Will Tsai (183-6) rounds out the MVC top-5 in the men’s javelin.
 
5. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - 45 Points
Coming in fifth with 45 points is Southern Illinois. For the Salukis, senior Omar Rodgers is top-three in both the 110m and 400m hurdle events.  His 14.11 in the 110m ranks him third, and his 400m hurdle time of 51.90 is good for second in the Valley. Corey Sherrod is tied for the third best 400m time of 47.71. Dawson Smith owns the third best conference finish in the 3000m Steeplechase with his time of 8:58.65.  On the field side, Dylan Beaird holds the conference’s fifth longest toss in the hammer throw with a mark of 58.09m. Darrione Williams holds the second-best result in the men’s long jump with 7.54m. Cole Targgart comes in at sixth in the MVC with his shot-put distance of 17.30m. 

6. BRADLEY - 40 Points
Bradley enters the 2022 MVC Outdoor Track Championships with high expectations after finishing fourth at the indoor league meet.  The Bradley Men’s Track Team’s strength increase as the distances increase as the Braves boast 13 times among The Valley’s top 10 in the five events from the 800m through the 10,000m, including four of the top six in the 5,000m and three of the top four in the 10,000.  After sweeping the distance double during the Indoor Championships, redshirt freshman Michael Rebello owns the league’s second-best time in the outdoor 5,000m, while Rodrigo Alvarez Gonzalez (10,000m) and Charlie Parrish (3,000m Steeplechase) also enter the MVC Outdoor Championship with the league’s second-best time this season.

7. LOYOLA - 29 Points
Loyola enters the MVC Outdoor Championships with seven marks ranked in the top 10 across The Valley leaderboards.  Leading the way for that group is the pairing of Jason Clayton and Blake Buysse.  Clayton has enjoyed a breakout freshman campaign, climbing to third all-time in program history in the 1,500m run following an effort of 3:42.33 at the Indiana Invitational that ranks third in the MVC and 45th in the NCAA West Region.  Buysse enters the postseason with the league's top 10,000m run time, a mark that was set at the Mt. SAC Relays when he clocked in at 29:22.49 to move to third in Rambler annals.  He also holds the MVC's fourth-ranked 5,000m run time of 14:17.87 that was posted at the Raleigh Relays.  In the field, Kevin Szczepaniec ranks 10th (44-02.00; 13.46m) in the triple jump.

8. VALPARAISO - 14 Points
Nehemiah Ray has burst onto the scene for the Valpo men as a freshman sprinter this year. The highlight of his season came at the Illini Invitational on April 22-23, when he cracked the program record book on consecutive days in different events. On April 22, he posted a 21.73 in the 200, the fifth-fastest time in that event in program history and fastest since 2012. The next day he turned in the second-best 100 time in program history at 10.54 behind only the record that was set in 2012. 

9. EVANSVILLE - 13 Points
Evansville enters the MVC Outdoor Championships off a spring season in which the Purple Aces have broken 16 school records and set over 135 personal-best marks (men's and women's combined). On the men’s side, senior Joey Rucinski has excelled in the decathlon and the pole vault events, as he ranks in the Valley’s top 10 in both events entering the Outdoor Championships.  Freshman Denzel Lasam also ranks in the top 10 in the Valley in the triple jump, and junior Zach Dove has paced a surging UE throwing group, as he has broken school records in both the hammer throw and discus events this spring.



WOMEN'S PREVIEWS

1. INDIANA STATE - 94 Points (5 first-place votes)
Indiana State was picked to finish first with 94 points and five of the 10 first-place votes. The Sycamores return their only conference champion from last season in 2021 Honorable Mention All-American Ryann Porter (triple jump), who ranks in the top five this season in the triple jump (first, 13.17m) and 100m hurdles (fifth, 14.21). Selene Weaver also has the top pole vault mark in the conference, having cleared 3.98m this season. Indiana State also has one of the top distance runners in Jocelyn Quiles, who ranks among the top five in the conference in the 5000m (third, 16:17.95) and 3000m steeplechase (fourth, 10:44.31). Among the sprinters, Iyanla Hunter (third in the 400m, 12th in the 200m) and Reynei Wallace (fifth in the 200m) are names to keep an eye on. Hurdlers Zoe Sullivan (13.80, 100m hurdles) and Riley Tuerff (1:01.83, 400m hurdles) both rank second in the conference, with Sierra Long also among the top five in the 400m hurdles (1:03.94). Eva Grace Quinlan (4225 points) currently ranks second in the heptathlon, while throwers Brooklyn Giertz (javelin, 40.07m), Jayla Bynum (javelin, 38.93m) and Hannah Redlin (discus, 46.09m) all rank within the top 10 of their respective events.

2. ILLINOIS STATE - 93 Points (4 first-place votes)
The Illinois State women enter the MVC Outdoor Championships with 14 marks that currently rank in the top-3 in the MVC. Rachel Hickey leads the group with the fastest 1500m time on the season at 4:21.65, which also ranks No. 64 in the West Region. In the sprints, freshman Arianna Walker sits at No. 2 in the 300m dash and No. 3 in the 100m dash. Other Redbirds in the top-3 in their respective events include San’Toria Harris (400m dash), Ailey Mitchell (10,000m), Kenzie Klink (high jump), Carly Tucker (high jump), Amni Austin (pole vault), Windsor Roberts (pole vault), Madison Saunders (triple jump), Zofia LeHew (javelin) and Gracie Jessup (heptathlon). The women’s 4x100m relay team of Sa’Mone Winters, Bri Buggs, Saunders, and Walker also ranks No. 3 in the MVC. 

3. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - 81 Points (1 first-place vote)
Southern Illinois places third in the pre-championship poll with 81 points. On the track, Iaunia Pointer ranks first in both the 100m (11.41) and the 200m (23.44) for the Valley. Teammate Olivia Garner also finds herself within the top-4 of both events as well. Senior Kayla Schiera leads the MVC in the 3000m Steeplechase with a time of 9:58.31, that time is currently ranked 15th in the NCAA. The Saluki throwers hold the top-three best conference marks in the discus and shot put, along with the top-four best marks in the hammer throw. Shauniece O’Neal (67.04m) and Elisia Lancaster (66.67m) lead the way in the hammer throw.  They are ranked 13th and 16th in the NCAA respectively. Bri’Yanna Robinson holds the top discus mark with a distance of 51.29m.  A’veun Moore-Jones ranks first in the Valley shot put with a heave of 17.10m. 

4. BRADLEY - 65 Points
Bradley enters the 2022 MVC Outdoor Track Championships with high expectations after enjoying strong performances at this winter’s MVC Indoor Track Championships, where the women produced a program-record 70 points in support of their best-ever fourth-place finish in the final standings.  While the Bradley women bring 15 top 10 Valley times and distances during the outdoor season to the championship meet, the Braves have been particularly strong in the middle-distance 800m and 1,500m events.  Wilma Nielsen, Julia Nielsen, and Tiana LoStracco boast the league’s top three times in the 800m, while Bradley also owns three of the top four times in the 1,500m.  Hannah Ivy also owns this season’s top MVC time in the 400m and is a member of the league’s top seed in the 4x400m Relay.

5. UNI - 61 Points
The Panthers are picked to finish fifth with 61 points.  Lydia Berns-Schweingruber leads the conference in the heptathlon with 4,395 points. Sophia Jungling, the indoor 800-meter champion returns and holds a time in the conference's top five with a time of 2:10.17. Paishence Johnson is second in the conference in 100-meter dash (11.63) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (24.41). She is part of the Panther 4x100 that holds the second-best time in the MVC (45.67). Rylie Todd holds the second-best high jump mark in the MVC with a leap of 1.76 meters (5-9.25). Katie Nimrod continues to improve each time she runs the 400-meter hurdles. She is now third in the MVC with a time of 1:02.34. 

6. MISSOURI STATE - 52 Points
Missouri State has 16 athletes that rank in the top-10 of the Valley leaderboards individual events. Leading the way for the Bears on the track side of things is Calandra Henry. Henry currently ranks fifth and sixth in the MVC in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, respectively. Her 100-meter time of 11.76 came at the Mule Relays (April 15) where she earned the event title. In the 200-meter, Henry improves weekly, with her fastest time of 24.43 coming at the Rock Chalk Classic on April 30. The Bears also own three of the top javelin marks in the MVC sitting in the third-fifth spots in the conference. Jamilah James is back in action for MSU, and in her season-debut at the Rock Chalk Classic, earned the event title in the triple jump. Her mark of 11.84 meters ranks fourth in the conference two weeks out from the championships. James also holds the fifth best distance in the long jump (5.65 meters) while teammates Brooke Jenkins (5.68m) and Tamia Rayford’s (5.58m) marks are fourth and seventh in the MVC.

t7. DRAKE - 37 Points
Drake has 11 marks that rank in the top 10 on the MVC leaderboards. In the sprinting events, Briandrias Rhodes ranks eighth in the conference in the 200-meter dash (24.60) and 400-meter dash (56.53). Brooke Mullins owns a pair of top-10 times in the MVC so far including the seventh best 5,000 meter run at 16:39.81 and the third fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:27.19), a school record and PR she set at the recent Drake Relays. Just like the indoor season, Jaymie O’Connor displayed the fastest 100-meter hurdles time (13.73) in the conference. Busiwa Asinga paces the MVC in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.57 while teammate Madison Bunton ranks fourth at 1:03.20. Katelyn Williams ranks fifth in the women’s discus (152-7) and women’s hammer throw (194-9). 

t7. LOYOLA - 37 Points
Loyola rolls into the postseason with four marks that sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference charts.  The pairing of Kathleen Simms and Claire Hengesbaugh both are set to contend for league crowns in the distance events.  Simms put up a Valley-best 10,000m run time of 33:43.12, the second fastest time in program history, at the Mt. SAC Relays that has her 17th on the NCAA West Region chart and 29th in all of Division I.  Hengesbaugh has been equally as impressive, climbing to 27th regionally in the 5,000m run after putting up a run of 16:02.99 at the Mt. SAC Relays that ranks second in Loyola history.  Two-time defending MVC javelin champion Ilhame Tamrouti will look to defend her crown as she enters the outdoor league meet with a Valley-best 162-01 (49.40m) toss to her name that has her 20th on the regional chart, while Melissa Parrella will go after a long jump title after recording a leap of 20-01.75 (6.14m) during the regular season to take over the MVC lead and position herself 33rd regionally.  In the sprinting events, Jayla Johnson, who is just weeks removed from breaking the program record in the 100m hurdles on two separate occasions, heads to Iowa's state capital with the conference's third fastest time of 13.95.

9. EVANSVILLE - 18 Points
Evansville enters the MVC Outdoor Championships off a spring season in which the Purple Aces have broken 16 school records and set over 135 personal-best marks (men's and women's combined). On the women’s side, graduate student Anna Lowry is the defending champion in the 10,000-meters in the Valley, and she is coming off her best performance of the spring, when she won the 5,000-meters by nearly a minute at a windy Sycamore Open. 

10. VALPARAISO - 12 Points
Grace Aurand has continued to lead the Valpo women's team with her performance in the distance events. Recently, she shattered a PR in the 800 to finish in the top 10 in that event at the Illini Invitational. The Beacon distance group is under the direction of a new leader as Vincent Walker was recently hired as the school's head cross country coach and the distance coach for track & field.