ST. LOUIS – With the 2018 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships quickly approaching, the Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams have been tabbed as the Valley favorites in the coaches' pre-championship polls, the league announced Friday.
The Redbird men, who won their first Valley indoor championship since 1999 earlier this season, received all nine first place votes, tallying 81 points. The 2018 indoor runner-up, Indiana State (66 points), was selected to finish second, giving the 'Birds a 15 point advantage heading into the Valley meet. Northern Iowa will be a strong contender as well, being picked third with 65 points.
The Illinois State women, who recently claimed their second indoor title in three years, also dominated the voting, earning all 10 first place votes. They totaled a perfect 100 points. Indiana State (90 points) and Southern Illinois (79 points) were selected second and third, respectively.
This voting comes after the Redbird men's and women's squads swept the 2018 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships for the first time since the 1997 season. Following a spectacular indoor campaign, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee was named the MVC Men's and Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year.
Bovee, along with Associate Head Coach Brenton Emanuel, garnered USTFCCCA regional coaching honors as well. Bovee was named the Men's Head Coach of the Year and Emanuel was deemed the Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the Midwest Region.
After finishing as the runner-up at the 2017 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Redbird women will compete for their first outdoor crown since 2000. The last time that the women won both the indoor and outdoor title in the same year was 1997.
The Illinois State men will seek their first MVC Outdoor Track & Field title since 1999, during which year they won the indoor crown as well. The last time both the ISU men and women swept the outdoor and indoor MVC Championships was 1997.
The 2018 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place next weekend, May 11-13, at Indiana State's Gibson Track & Field Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Before then, the Redbirds will compete today in the Wisconsin Twilight, hosted by Wisconsin. Field events are slated to start at 2 p.m., with running events following at 5:30 p.m.
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