NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program announced its indoor and outdoor schedules for the 2026-27 season. The Redbirds will compete in 22 regular-season meets, including 10 indoor and 12 outdoor events with three home meets.
Illinois State will open its season with student-athletes splitting between two events on Dec. 5, with the Titan First Chance in Bloomington, Illinois, and the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. The following weekend, combined event groups will compete at the Jimmy Grant Invite in Iowa City, Iowa, from Dec. 11-12.
After winter break, the Redbirds will return to action by hosting the Coughlan-Malloy Cup at Horton Field House on Jan. 15. Then, the squads will head back to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 22-23. ISU will end the month by traveling to South Bend, Indiana, for the Meyo Invitational on Jan. 29-30.
The Redbirds will open February in Bloomington, Illinois, for the Keck Invite on Feb. 5-6, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan. ISU will then travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Heartland Invitational on Feb. 12, before traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Badger Last Chance on Feb. 19. Illinois State concludes their indoor regular season with the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, on Feb. 20.
Postseason competition begins with the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on Feb. 28 and March 1, taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NCAA National Championship is set to occur on March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for any qualifying student-athletes and programs.
The Redbirds will begin their outdoor campaign with two meets from March 25-27, competing at the Raleigh Relays (March 25-27) in Raleigh, North Carolina, and hosting the Joyce Morton-Kief Invitational (March 26-27) at the Redbird Outdoor Track & Field Complex.
The following weekend, student-athletes will be spread across a trio of meets, including the Texas Relays (March 31-April 3) in Austin, Texas, the Washington University Distance Festival (April 1-2) in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Bobcat Invitational (April 1-3) in San Marcos, Texas.
Illinois State will travel to Edwardsville, Illinois, for the Cougar Classic on April 9-10, before competing in a pair of meets from April 15-17. The track & field program will split between Azusa, California, for the Bryan Clay Invitational and Terre Haute, Indiana, for the Gibson Invitational.
Succeeding these events, the Redbirds will host their second outdoor event with the Steve Luke Memorial on Wednesday, April 21. The track & field program will honor its seniors during the event, along with the memory and impact of Assistant Coach Steve Luke, who recently passed this fall.
Illinois State will wrap up the outdoor regular season with the Jim Green Invitational (April 30 – May 1) in Lexington, Kentucky, the Billy Hayes Invitational (May 7) in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Gary Wieneke Memorial (May 7-8) in Champaign, Illinois.
Postseason competition begins on May 15-16 with the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The men's program won the event in 2026 for the first time since 1999, while the women's team finished third.
Qualifying student-athletes and programs would advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Round on May 26-29 in College Station, Texas. The NCAA National Championship will take place in Eugene, Oregon, from June 9-12.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Track & Field, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdTFXC) and Instagram (isuredbirdtfxc) and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country).
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