Panther track and field sets sights for MVC Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 12

Normal, Ill.

10 a.m. / 10:30 a.m. / 10 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa

MVC Outdoor Championships

UNI track & field at 2023 Jim Duncan Invitational (April 14, 2023 | Drake Stadium | Des Moines, IA)

Photo by: DRUE WOLFE 2023

Panther track and field sets sights for MVC Outdoor Championships

5/10/2023 12:40:00 PM | Track and Field

Live Results Championship Hub Watch (Day One) [ESPN+]Watch (Day Two) [ESPN+]Watch (Day Three) [ESPN+]

UNI enters conference championships ranked first in the MVC in seven events, along with 63 top-10 conference rankings.

UNI track and field at MVC Outdoor Championships

May 12-14, 2023
Redbird Track & Field Complex (Normal, Ill.)
10 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | 10 a.m.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI track and field's hard work all season will be put to its biggest test this weekend as the Panthers compete in the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Outdoor Championships. This year's competition will be held at the Redbird Track and Field Complex in Normal, Illinois, hosted by Illinois State University.

The UNI men were tabbed to finish in third place on Tuesday in the release of the MVC's pre-championship poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. UNI's women's team was picked to finish in fifth.

The Panthers enter the weekend looking to secure the opportunity not just for conference titles, but the chance to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary meet in two weeks time in Sacramento. UNI holds the top ranking in seven events heading into the conference championship meet, as well as 38 top-10 spots on the men's side, and 25 top-10 slots on the women's.

Carter Morton leads the MVC most notably in the decathlon with a career-best mark of 7,454 points scored at the Drake Relays, looking to become the 12th Panther to win the event at the MVC Championships in the last 17 years. The fourth-highest mark in program history, he also ranks 17th in the nation. Morton also heads to Normal with the conference's top marks in the long jump (7.49m) and is tied for the lead in the high jump (2.11m).

Isaiah Trousil will set his sights on capturing a pair of sprinting titles in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Entering the final conference competition of his career, Trousil has led the MVC in both events for the entire outdoor season, posting a career-best time of 10.14 seconds at the Drake Relays in the 100-meters, and a 20.92 in the 200-meters at the Fighting Illini Challenge. No Panther has won the men's 100-meter dash at the MVC Championships since Brandon Carnes' four-peat (2014-17), while UNI looks to defend the title in the 200-meters, which was won by Parker Kiewiet at year ago.

In the hurdles, Jack Sumners looks to improve on his third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles from a year ago, as he leads the MVC in the event with a time of 13.87 seconds. Meanwhile in the men's 800-meters, Drake Hanson, who broke into UNI's top-three all-time with a 1:48.19 run at the Kip Janvrin Open, looks to sweep both the indoor and outdoor conference crowns in the event. Pole vaulter Brendan Safley will also look to make the podium with the second-best mark in the men's vault this year, clearing 5.06 meters at the Jim Duncan Invitational last month.

On the women's side, Makenna Wilson and Mari Shavers lead the way for the Panthers in the hammer throw, both ranking first and second respectively in UNI's program records and in this season's MVC rankings. Wilson, who ranks 12th in the nation in the hammer throw, has broken the Panthers' school record in each of her last two outings, most recently recording a throw of 66.69 meters at the Wisconsin Alumni Classic. Shavers meanwhile has shot up the rankings this season with a career-best mark of 64.55 meters. No Panther has ever won the women's hammer throw at the MVC Outdoor Championships.

The Panthers will look to defend its women's 4x100-meter relay title as Rylan Santi, Madelyn Sanda, Ariana Yaklich and Libby Wedewer take the track with a time of 45.38 seconds, third-fastest in the conference this year. UNI's men's 4x100-meter relay team of Tinashe Chigudu, Luke Meyers, Trousil and Deonte Dean aim for a top-three finish or better after clocking the second-best time in school history at 39.90 seconds at the Drake Relays. The Panthers have won the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships more than any other program in the conference (11), most recently in 2018.

MVC Outdoor Championships Schedule of Events

Friday, May 12