ST. LOUIS – The Indiana State men have been tabbed as the favorite in the 2021 Outdoor Track & Field Pre-Championship Poll. On the women's side, Illinois State was unanimously voted by the league coaches to finish first.
 
On the men's side, Indiana State was picked to finish first with 76 total points and five first-place votes.  The Sycamores currently have six of the top-ten times in the 100m with JaVaughn Moore's mark of 10.39 ranked first in the Valley and 80th nationally. Teammate Matthew Lewis-Banks holds the second-fastest 110m hurdles time in the MVC while also ranking 88^th nationally. Indiana State's 4x400m team of Ben Shepard, Will Smith, Mitchell Cline & Tahj Johnson currently hold the fastest relay time (3:14.74) in the Valley. In the field, Kevin Krutsch, Nick Schultz & Nathan Kiger all hold top-five marks for the high jump and are all nationally ranked. Frankie Young III currently holds the top mark in the MVC and is nationally ranked for the long jump for his mark of 7.52m (24'8.25"). Others to look out for include Emmanuel Odubanjo (triple jump) and Mitch Conard (decathlon) who are both ranked second in their respective events. Indiana State will look for their 11^th MVC Championship title with their last being 2014.
 
The Indiana State women were picked to finish third in the poll after receiving 73 points. On the Track, Jocelyn Quiles currently holds top ten times in the Valley for the 3000m steeplechase, 1500m and 5000m. The Sycamores currently have four of the top-10 times in the 400m hurdles with Sierra Long, Grace Quinlan, Riley Tuerff and Ayana Parchman ranking in the MVC standings. Reynei Wallace (100m, 200m), Iyanla Hunter (400m), Rebecca Odusola (800m), Zoe Sullivan (100m hurdles) and Ryann Porter (100m hurdles) all hold top-ten spots in the Valley for their respective events. In addition to the 100m hurdles, Porter also holds the best mark in the MVC for the triple jump (12.36m, 40'6.75"). Others who will stand out in the field events include Selene Weaver (pole vault), Hannah Redlin (discus), Jayla Bynum (javelin), Kamille Griffith-Gaskin (heptathlon) and Mia Mackenzie (heptathlon) who all sit within the top five of their respective events for the Valley.
 
Southern Illinois is set to host the 2021 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, May 14 - 16 in Carbondale, Illinois. Check out the Valley's championship central page HERE – for more championship details. 
 
 
Men's Pre-Championship Poll

1. INS – 76 (5 first place votes)
2. UNI – 74 (3 first place votes)
3. ILS – 66 (1 first place vote)
4. DU – 49
5. SIU – 45
6. BU – 36
7. LUC – 32
8. VU – 14
9. UE - 13

 
Women's Pre-Championship Poll

1. ILS - 100 (10 first place votes)
2. SIU – 88
3. INS – 73
4. MSU – 68
5. UNI – 66
6. LUC – 50
7. BU – 44
8. DU – 33
9. UE – 17
10. VU - 15

 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country and Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.