ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Conference announced the 2025-26 Cross Country/Track & Field Programs of the Year, as well as the Outdoor Track and Field coaching honors on Wednesday.
The Illinois State men and Indiana State women have been tabbed the MVC Programs of the Year. Additionally, coaches from Illinois State and Indiana State were recognized with postseason honors.
The men’s and women’s programs with the best overall performances at the MVC cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field championships are recognized as the Men’s and Women’s Programs of the Year. This year’s honorees are Illinois State (Men) and Indiana State (Women).
The Redbirds earned their first men’s outdoor track and field title since 1999, while recording a second-place finish at the indoor championship and fourth-place finish in cross country. Trailing by 14 points after day one of the outdoor meet, the Redbird men totaled four individual titles, a relay championship and several All-MVC finishes en route to the men's first conference crown this millennium. The men finished 26.5 points ahead of runner-up Northern Iowa and 31 points ahead of third-place Indiana State. Illinois State’s second-place finish at the indoor event marked the fourth time in five years that the Redbirds have finished inside the top two.
The Sycamores swept the indoor and outdoor track and field titles for the third-straight year and fifth time in program history, while finishing second at the cross country championship for the second-straight year. Indiana State’s indoor and outdoor titles marked the 10th time the Sycamore women had won each championship. The Sycamores tallied a program-record 152 points at the indoor championship, before recording a program-record 183.5 total points at the outdoor event.
Jeff Bovee was named MVC Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year after leading the Illinois State men to their first conference outdoor championship since 1999. The honor marks Bovee’s first MVC Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year award and his 14th MVC Track and Field Coach of the Year honor overall across men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor competition. Currently in his 12th season as Illinois State’s Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, Bovee guided the Redbirds to four individual MVC titles, one relay championship and several All-MVC performances at the 2026 MVC Outdoor Championships.
Austin West, in his first season with the program, was named the MVC Men's Assistant Coach of the Year after playing a major role in Illinois State capturing its first MVC Outdoor men’s team championship since 1999. He led the Redbirds’ jumps and multis group to 59.5 team points during the conference meet, totaling 23 points in the triple jump, 17.5 points in the high jump, 14 points in the long jump and five points in the decathlon. West coached two MVC individual champions in Voldy Makabu (high jump) and Victor Byaundaombe (triple jump), while Makabu was also named the MVC Freshman of the Year. West’s group also produced five All-MVC performances, including Makabu and Kaden Stewart in the high jump, Byaundaombe and Astor Snaider in the triple jump and Rex Hallam in the long jump.
Angela Martin, who is in her 16th season in charge of the Indiana State women’s track and field program and her 10th as the head coach of the men’s program, picked up her second conference honor of the year after being named the 2026 MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year in March. She led the Sycamores to their third straight conference title, lifting the trophy on home soil for the second time in the last three years. Indiana State set a program record for points scored at a women’s outdoor championship with 183.5. Wednesday’s announcement marks Martin's 17th career MVC Coach of the Year honor (seven men's, 10 women's), with eight of those honors (four men's – 2022, 2023 2024, 2025, four women's – 2013, 2024, 2025, 2026) being Outdoor Coach of the Year accolades.
Brandan Bettenhausen, who is in his ninth season coaching the Sycamores’ throwers, guided Indiana State’s throwers to seven all-conference honors across four events at the MVC Outdoor Championships. The Sycamore throwers scored 69 points between the shot put (21), discus (18), hammer throw (24) and javelin (six), outscoring six entire team totals. Bettenhausen had five different throwers score points at the conference championships, with Aliseonna Garnett and Emma Yoder both scoring more than 20 points across their events. Three of his throwers – Garnett, Yoder and Cora Williams – qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds, while Bettenhausen coached the Sycamores to top-25 national rankings in three different events – the hammer throw (seventh), shot put (12th) and discus (21st). Wednesday’s honor is the third MVC Assistant Coach of the Year award for Bettenhausen, who was previously named 2024 MVC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2026 MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. He is the third Sycamore assistant in the last five seasons to earn an MVC Coach of the Year honor, alongside Jeff Martin and Julian Harvey.