ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference has announced its Pre-Season Coaches Poll on Thursday afternoon.
The Illinois State women's team has been selected in second place receiving 132 points and received two first-place votes. The Redbirds enter the outdoor season following a second-place finish at the 2025 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships where they tallied 105 team points.
The Redbirds men's squad received a third-place ranking and earned 80 points in the poll. The Illinois State men's team rolled into the outdoor season following a third-place finish at the 2025 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships where they recorded 130.5 team points.
The Illinois State Track & Field program opened its campaign on Wednesday, March 26th, as members of the team competed at the 97th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas. The Redbirds will host its home opener, the Redbird Challenge on Friday, March 28th with action set to begin at 2 p.m.
FULL POLL (WOMEN'S)
- Indiana State (10) - 142
- Illinois State - 132
- UNI - 115
- Murray State - 103
- Bradley - 93
- Belmont - 89
- Drake - 68
- Southern Illinois - 64
- Missouri State - 57
- UIC - 37
- Valparaiso - 21
- Evansville - 15
FULL POLL (MEN'S)
- UNI (6) - 94
- Indiana State (4) - 93
- Illinois State - 80
- Bradley - 62
- SIU - 51
- Drake - 51
- Belmont - 45
- UIC - 27
- Valparaiso - 19
- Evansville - 12
