NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State track & field program is prepared for the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, hosted in Chicago, Illinois at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park in Chicago Illinois. The two-day championship meet will begin on Sunday Feb. 26 and carry into Monday, Feb.27.
The MVC Indoor Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+. There will be live stats as well, which you can access here. Those who prefer to keep up to date via Twitter can access on @redbirdTFXC.
CHASING THE TITLE
Since 2018, the Redbird women have won four indoor team titles. In 2021, Illinois State made history, becoming the first women's team in the conference to win four-consecutive MVC indoor titles.
The Redbird women have a chance to win their fifth title in six years should they capture the indoor title. The women currently have 13 MVC indoor titles.
On the men's side they are looking to win their third title since 2018.
LEADING THE MVC
Currently, Illinois State track & field has four individuals and three relay squads with leading times/marks.
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Seven Hicks, 60m Dash
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Destiny White, Tori Harris, Nnenna Okpara, and Arianna Walker, Women's 4x400
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Rachel Hickey, Tori Harris, Mattison Plummer, and Caroline Meyers, Women's DMR
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Riley Wells, 800m Run
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Brandon Ratliff, 60m Hurdles
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Raydoffa Braziel, Jaylin Holmes, Junias Holmes, and Enyinnaya Nwagwu, Men's 4x400
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Amiri Buchanan, Shot Put
LAST YEAR AT THE MVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the 2022 MVC Championships, Illinois State captured four individual titles and swept both men's and women's 4x400 and distance medley relays.
Riley Wells, won his second-straight title in the men's 800m run. Ariel Atias won the heptathlon in his first MVC Championship appearance. His victory was the Redbirds fifth heptathlon title in a row.
The Illinois State track & field relays all took home gold medals last year. The women's 4x400 has won eight times and the men have won nine. In the DMR women have taken home the gold seven times and the men five.
Both Redbird men and women finished as runner-up in the team standings. The men had a total of 164 points, behind Indiana State. With 117 total points, the women finished in second.
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 indoor conference title in six years and the men's team was projected to finish second, as announced by the league on Thursday.
Securing a high 142 points, the Illinois State women received 10 out of 12 votes first place votes. Indiana State (127) and Murray State (112) rounded out the top-3 on the women's side.
In the men's poll, Indiana State was selected to finish first among the league's ten programs with 93 points and six first place predictions. Illinois State men were close behind with 89 points in second.
UP NEXT
Following the 2023 MVC Championships, student-athletes qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico March 9 through March 11.
To keep up with the latest news on Redbird track & field and cross country, follow us on Facebook at @Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country, Twitter at @RedbirdTFXC, and Instagram at @redbirdtfxc.
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