UNI track & field: Panthers tabbed third in MVC men's indoor preseason poll; Women picked sixth
12/6/2022 3:10:00 PM | Track and Field
ST. LOUIS --- With the indoor track and field season set to begin this weekend, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) released its preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon.
Voted on by the league's coaches, UNI was tabbed to finish third in the men's preseason poll with 77 points, while the Panther women were picked sixth with 84 points. Illinois State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the league's indoor championship for both the men and women. The 2023 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center at Gately Park in Chicago, Feb. 26-27, co-hosted by UIC and Valparaiso.
The UNI men look to build after taking third at last year's conference championships. Multi-event athlete Carter Morton returns for the Panthers after taking second place in the Heptathlon and sixth in the high jump a year ago. Jack Sumners, who clinched the 60-meter hurdles title last winter with a time of 8.06 looks to defend his conference crown, while Parker Kiewiet seeks to improve off a third place finish in the 200-meters last season.
On the women's side, reigning 800-meter champion Sophia Jungling looks to defend her title after clocking a time of 2:08.23 last season as a sophomore. The Panther women also return standout sprinter Paishence Johnson, who earned all-conference finishes in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. Rylee Todd, who clinched the MVC outdoor high jump title last May in Des Moines, looks to earn her first indoor jumping title, while Katie Fare and Mari Shavers look for breakout seasons in the throwing circles in the shot put, and weight throw.
The Panthers will open the 2022-23 indoor season with multi-event athletes competing in the Pentathlon and Heptathlon at the ISU Holiday Invitational this Friday and Saturday in Ames, while others will compete at the Jimmy Grant Invitational in Iowa City.
Â2022-23 MVC Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
-
1st - Illinois State (93)
-
2nd - Indiana State (91)
-
3rd - UNI (77)
-
4th - Drake (60)
-
5th - Southern Illinois (59)
-
6th - Bradley (58)
-
7th - Belmont (51)
-
8th - UIC (30)
-
9th - Valparaiso (21)
-
10th - Evansville (10)
2022-23 MVC Women's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
-
1st - Illinois State (137)
-
2nd - Indiana State (128)
-
T3rd - Murray State (104)
-
T3rd - Southern Illinois (104)
-
5th - Bradley (94)
-
6th - UNI (84)
-
7th - Belmont (82)
-
8th - Missouri State (68)
-
9th - Drake (57)
-
10th - UIC (41)
-
11th - Valparaiso (21)
-
12th - Evansville (16)
Players Mentioned
