UNI track & field: MVC announces 2024 outdoor preseason polls

ST. LOUIS --- With the outdoor track and field season set to begin next week, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) has released its preseason poll.

Voted on by the league's coaches, UNI was selected to finish third in the men's preseason poll with 81 points, while the Panther women were picked sixth with 86 points. Indiana State (100) was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win both the men's and women's team titles. The 2023 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Gibson Track & Field Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, May 10-12.

The Panthers finished as runners-up in the men's team race at last year's conference championships held at Illinois State, with the UNI women's placing fourth.

UNI returns a strong lineup following a successful indoor season. On the men's side, Brendan Safley won his first-ever conference title with a career-best vault of 5.15 meters at last year's 2023 MVC Outdoor Championships. Safely cleared 5.35 meters at this year's MVC Indoor Championships in Chicago. Jack Sumners clinched the men's 110-meter hurdles conference title last spring in a time of 13.98 seconds, the first Panther to win the event since 2019. Zach Butcher also returns after winning the men's decathlon with 6,688 points and placed fifth in the javelin throw with a career-best throw of 52.21 meters in Normal last May.

On the women's side, junior Emma Hoins took fifth-place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a career-best time of 10:26.91 and seventh in the 5,000-meter run in a career-best time of 17:11.03 at the 2023 MVC Outdoor Championships. Multi-event athlete Katy Stephens also returns for the outdoor season after finishing fourth in the women's heptathlon with a career-best score of 4,812 points last spring. In the field events, Katie Fare took second-place in the women's shot put (17.06m) as Rylie Todd finished in a tie for second place in the high jump, clearing 1.69 meters.

UNI track and field will open the outdoor season next Wednesday through Saturday at the Texas Relays at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin, and on Friday at the Good Friday Challenge at Wartburg.

2023-24 MVC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll

1st - Indiana State (100)
2nd - Illinois State (86)
3rd - UNI (81)
4th - Southern Illinois (64)
5th - Drake (60)
6th - Bradley (51)
7th - Belmont (47)
8th - Valparaiso (30)
9th - UIC (16)
10th - Evansville (15)

2023-24 MVC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll

1st - Indiana State (140)
2nd - Murray State (131)
3rd - Illinois State (125)
4th - Belmont (104)
5th - Bradley (88)
6th - UNI (86)
7th - Southern Illinois (77)
8th - Drake (62)
9th - Missouri State (50)
10th - Evansville (33)
11th - Valparaiso (22)
12th - UIC (18)

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