NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program is prepped for the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, hosted in Chicago, Illinois at the Gately Park Track & Field Complex. The two-day championship meet will begin on Sunday, Feb. 26 and carry into Monday, Feb. 27.
The MVC Indoor Championships will be streamed live on ESPN3. Coverage will be provided by Brad Wells, Mike Mahon and Kelly Burke. Individuals without access to ESPN3 can follow live updates here or on Twitter @redbirdTFXC.
CHASING HISTORY
Dating back to the 2018 indoor season, the Redbird women have won four-straight indoor team titles. With last year's win, Illinois State made history, becoming the first women's team in conference history to win four-consecutive MVC indoor titles.
The Redbird women have a chance to make history again. Should the women capture the team title, they will become the first women's team in MVC history to win five championships in a row, indoor or outdoor.
LEADING THE MVC
The Redbirds currently have six individuals and two relay teams that hold conference-leading marks/times heading into championship weekend. On the men's side, Brandan Gage (400m), Riley Wells (800m), Logan Calvin (weight throw) and the men's 4x400m relay squad of Avery Lyons, Nick Swartzendruber, Cecil Brownridge III and Gage will all look to secure a championship.
For the ISU women, Jaclyn Greci (400m dash), Rachel Hickey (800m run & mile run), Kameesha Smith (high jump) and the 4x400m relay team of Greci, Destiny White, San'Toria Harris and Audrey Harrod lead the Valley.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Illinois State currently has four student-athletes who rank among the top-50 of the NCAA Indoor Championship qualifying list.
Kameesha Smith leads the way, as she currently ranks 27th in the women's high jump, having cleared 1.80m (5-10.75 ft.) at the Illini Invite earlier this season. Smith qualified for last season's NCAA Championships with a leap of 1.83m (6-0 ft.).
In the throwing circle, sophomore Mye'Joi Williams sits at 28th in the NCAA in the women's shot put with a season-best mark of 16.64m (54-7.25 ft.).
Redshirt senior Logan Calvin holds two top-50 marks, as he currently sits 31st in the shot put (19.01m – 62-4.5 ft.) and 45th in the weight throw (20.79m – 68-2.5 ft.)
In his first season as a Redbird, Ariel Atias ranks 47th in the men's heptathlon at 5,309 points. Atias broke the school record in the event earlier this season at the Illini Invite.
LAST YEAR AT THE MVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the 2021 MVC Championships, the Illinois State women captured their fourth-straight MVC title, becoming the first women's team in conference history to win four-consecutive indoor titles. The Illinois State's men's team took third behind Northern Iowa and Indiana State.
Illinois State returns six individual MVC champions and one relay championship team.
On the women's side, Mya Robinson (60m hurdles) and Kameesha Smith (high jump) were MVC Champions in their respective events. Winning the high jump for the second year in a row, Smith went on to compete at the NCAA Championships, where she finished 10th among the nation's best to earn Second Team All-America honors.
In addition to the individual titles, the Redbirds captured the women's 4x400m relay title last season, as Destiny White, Mattie Lieb, Audrey Harrod and Jaclyn Greci each ran a leg of the championship relay.
The Redbird men return four MVC indoor individual champions in Brandon Gage (400m), Riley Wells (800m), Jake Gillum (mile) and Caleb Miedema (heptathlon).
PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL
The Missouri Valley Conference released its pre-championship poll ahead of this weekend's MVC Indoor Track & Field Championship meet where the Redbird women were selected to win their fifth-consecutive indoor conference title and the men's team was projected to finish third, as announced by the league on Thursday.
Securing a league-high 100 points, the Illinois State women swept all ten first-place votes. Southern Illinois (84) and Indiana State (78) rounded out the top-3 on the women's side.
In the men's poll, UNI was selected to finish first among the league's nine programs with 75 total points and four first-place votes. Indiana State was picked second with five first-place votes and 71 total points. The Illinois State men were close behind, garnering 66 total points.
UP NEXT
Following the 2022 MVC Championships, student-athletes who qualify will travel to Birmingham, Alabama for the NCAA Indoor Championships, set for March 11-12.
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