MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State track and field team enters this week's Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with its deepest lineup in years. The meet will take place from Thursday through Saturday at the Abe Stuber Track & Field Complex at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo. All 11 league schools will participate in the competition, with 11 entered in the women's field and nine in the men's.
Last year, the Eagles placed 11th in the women's standings and 10th in the men's.
The meet is coming later on the calendar than usual, which offers a benefit to the Blue and Gold.
"(The) team is ready to race. We haven't been distracted by finals like in years' past, so it's been a pretty relaxed week," said MSU head coach Clay Dixon. "Overall, I'm excited to see us competing in all sprint and distance events as well as the relays. The team has really been developing the last couple years and this year we feel like a much larger group and presence at (the) OVC."
Morehead State's men have won the meet twice in its history, in 1955 and 1956, while the women have never captured a team championship. Southeast Missouri won last year's women's title, while Little Rock claimed the men's crown.
MSU's women have outscored the men in back-to-back years. Prior to 2023, the last time the women had more points was in 2015. In 2024, the women tallied 11 points and the men did not score.
The last Eagle male to win an event at the OVC Outdoor meet was Justin Moakler in the 1,500-meter run in 2019. The last women's champ was Alex Morris in the 5,000-meter run in 2015.
However, Singleton placed third in the 1,500m and junior Abby Taylor claimed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last spring, for two of the best finishes for the women's squad in the last nine years. Singleton's result was the highest since Morris in 2015, while Taylor tied Hannah Bailey's effort in the 2016 steeplechase. Last year's top men's performances came from 2024 graduates Toby Cook (800-meter run) and Peyton Fairchild (steeplechase), who each placed ninth.
Morehead State is sending its largest contingent in coach Dixon's six years at the helm. A total of 24 athletes will participate 36 times spread out over 20 events. Competition begins with the women's heptathlon at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday.
The meet was last held in Cape Girardeau, Mo., in 2019. That year, the Eagle men were eighth and the women were 11th.
MSU will begin its competition at 6 p.m. ET with the men's 1,500m preliminaries. Redshirt senior Wes Grogan and freshman Liam Parido are the team's entries.
Grogan is making his first appearance at the OVC meet since 2023. This will be his first time running the 1,500m. He currently is seeded 32nd with a "pr" of 3:59.84. Parido is ranked 45th in the conference. His top time is 4:05.29.
Last year, 2024 graduate Kyle Embry placed 11th in the finals with a time of 3:59.27.
The women's race follows at 6:25 p.m. ET and will feature two of the team's top performers in Singleton and Holman. The pair rank first and fourth, respectively, on MSU's all-time list at the distance. Singleton holds the school record with a time of 4:32.28. She was third last spring in 4:34.17, after also being seeded third entering the event. Holman's top mark is 4:39.68. She finished 17th last year in 5:04.69. The pair enter Thursday's race seeded fifth and 10th, respectively. Singleton won the mile (a similar distance to the 1,500m) at the OVC Indoor Championship in February, becoming the team's first individual conference winner indoors since 2003.
It will be Holman's second appearance at the OVC Outdoor meet. Singleton has run in nine races over three conference outdoor championships. In her three previous attempts at the 1,500m, she finished sixth in the 2023 finals in 4:40.05 and seventh in the 2022 finals in 4:43.12. She also was the top performer in the 2024 qualifying race in 4:41.53 and 10th in the 2022 qualifying event in 4:50.25. There were no preliminary races in the 1,500m in 2023.
Singleton and Holman's top competition will come from Southern Indiana's Audrey Comastri (top seed at 4:26.37), UT Martin's Rita Elmer (second seed at 4:30.70), Tennessee Tech's Naomy Lokiles (third seed at 4:30.97) and Southeast Missouri's Madalyn Gray (fourth seed at 4:31.22).
"Lucy has been practicing well lately. She ran well at Indiana last week and I think she is primed to have a big meet," Dixon said. "She just needs to run her race and she will definitely be in the mix to win the title on Saturday."
The top 12 finishers in both 1,500m races will advance to Saturday's finals.
The men's and women's 400-meter hurdle preliminaries follow the 1,500m at 6:45 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET, respectively. The Eagles' next event will be the men's 200-meter dash preliminaries at 7:15 p.m. ET. Sophomore Cade Sullivan and freshman Mark Whitener are both entered. Sullivan did not run the event at last year's meet. He enters the weekend seeded 35th with a season best of 22.75. Whitener owns a top mark of 22.58, which is 33rd-best in the OVC this year. MSU will not enter anyone in the women's 200m race at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Day one will end with the men's and women's 10,000-meter run at 7:45 p.m. ET and 8:20 p.m. ET. Redshirt senior Jacob Vogelpohl will hit the course first. He is seeded fifth with a season best of 32:04.43. He will repeat his 2024 schedule of running both the 10,000m on Thursday and the 5,000m on Saturday. Last year, he finished 10th in the former race in 32:12.10. He also ran in the 10,000m in 2022, when he was 13th in 33:43.80. December graduate Kyler Stewart also competed in the event last year and finished 11th in 32:19.99.
Sophomore Taylor Allen and redshirt sophomore Christiana Brittian will represent the Blue and Gold in the women's race. Neither athlete has run the distance before. In fact, it will be the first 10K for any Eagle woman this year. Allen ran the 5,000m at last year's OVC Outdoor Championships, but it will be Brittian's first appearance at the meet. She was injured the entire 2022 outdoor season. Both are also scheduled to compete in the 5K on Saturday.
December graduate Laikin Tarlton ran the 10,000m last spring and finished 14th in 39:33.38.
"I'm looking forward to seeing some qualifying races tomorrow and the 10K finals," Dixon said. "I think all of our 10K's have a good shot of competing with the groups. Lucy and Kaylyn should have good shots of qualifying in the 1,500m, and Wes as well."
The Eagles will return on Day 2 for the women's long jump at 6 p.m. ET. Action will actually begin at 10 a.m. ET with the conclusion of the decathlon and heptathlon.
Sophomore Ginger Hayden is the team's lone field event competitor. She is seeded 29th with a top mark of 5.07m/16'07.75". Last year, she was 24th at 5.09m/16'08.50".
MSU's first event on the track will be the 400-meter dash preliminaries. The Blue and Gold will not have a men's entry in the first series of races at 6:35 p.m. ET but have freshmen Olivia Miles and Aaliyah Rodgers scheduled to appear for the 6:50 p.m. ET start.
Miles is seeded 28th with a "pr" of 59.99. Rodgers enters with the 29th-best time at 1:00.42.
At 7:05 p.m. ET, the men's 100-meter dash prelims will get underway. Freshman Mark Whitener has moved into fourth on MSU's top-five performers' list. He ranks 22nd this year in the OVC with a top time of 11.00. Sophomore Cade Sullivan is also entered. He is seeded 33rd with a "pr" of 11.19. He was 21st last spring in 11.43. Sophomore Derril Carr also ran the 100m at the 2024 meet, placing 20th in 11.30.
Morehead State will enter its first women's 100m runner in two years as freshman Aa'Nya Freeland will toe the line at 7:20 p.m. ET. She sits 33rd in the OVC with a time of 12.57. The Eagles' last entry at the meet was Natalia Davis, who placed 17th in 12.98 in 2023.
The men's 800m prelims will be at 7:35 p.m. ET. Three Eagle freshmen will toe the starting line. Carter Hurley has the top time of the group at 1:56.46. He sits 29th in the league. Weston Blair is right behind in 30th at 1:56.92. Liam Parido is next in 37th at 1:58.60.
Last year, Cook placed ninth for the third straight year after crossing the line in 1:53.65. Former Eagle Armando Montes was 13th overall in 1:55.13, while sophomore Garrett West was 17th in 1:57.70.
At 7:55 p.m. ET, the women's 800m prelims will take place. It is another event in which the Eagles figure to contend for spots on the podium. Singleton and Holman are MSU's representatives.
Singleton enters seeded fourth with a top time of 2:11.78. That mark is 33-hundredths of a second off the school record. She did not run at last year's meet, but did in 2023, when she finished seventh in 2:18.15.
Her greatest challenge will come from Eimer (top seed at 2:10.36), Comastri (second seed at 2:11.19) and UT Martin's Maggie Roy (third seed at 2:11.23).
Holman has a "pr" of 2:17.04 and is ranked 12th. She ran the event last spring and finished 14th with a time of 2:24.95.
Also in 2024, graduate Jennifer Ramirez ran and was 18th in 2:33.41.
The top eight finishers in both the men's and women's races will advance to Saturday's finals.
Freshman Brody Coleman is the men's representative for the 3,000m steeplechase. He is seeded 16th with a top time of 10:16.46. He has only competed in the event twice. Coleman's race will start at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Graduates Peyton Fairchild and Jarrett Forrest were staples for the Eagles over the last few years. In 2024, Fairchild was ninth in 9:35.99, with Forrest 13th in 9:54.09.
The day's final event is the women's 3,000m steeplechase with Abby Taylor. The junior has scored in every OVC Championship in her career, placing fourth last year in 11:28.10 and eighth in 2023 in 12:01.32. This time, she is seeded fourth with a "pr" of 11.18.96. Defending champion, Aylana Cezar of Western Illinois is the top seed with a time of 10:56.79. Other top contenders include Eastern Illinois' Rylea Borgic (second seed at 11:03.22) and Tennessee Tech's Kendall Johnson (third seed at 11:17.67).
The women's steeplechase will begin at 8:35 p.m. ET.
"Lucy and Kaylyn have good chances to qualify for the finals in the 800m," Dixon said. "Abby is sitting at fourth in the steeple entries, so that will be a good race to watch."
The meet concludes on Saturday with finals in every event. Action gets underway at noon ET with the women's shot put, men's javelin and women's triple jump.
Hayden will be back for the triple jump. She enters with the 17th-best mark of 10.53m/34'06.75". She did not compete in the event last year.
Dixon is entering his first men's 4x100-meter relay since 2011, when the team finished fifth in 45.43. Saturday's group will include Sullivan, Whitener, Carr and Glass. Dixon has not designated any alternates. Their race will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The women's 4x100m relay will also be making a return after a layoff. The group of Grace Lopez, Tayla Lee, Sierra Kelley and Dallas Jones represented MSU in 2022 and placed ninth in 50.39.
On Saturday at 1:40 p.m. ET, the Eagle combination is expected to be Freeland, Rodgers, Counts and Miles, with Hayden as the alternate.
The next 14 events will be finals that will require entrants to have qualified for the races. The men's 1,500m begins the stretch at 1:50 p.m. ET, followed by the women's 1,500m (2 p.m. ET), the men's 110-meter hurdles (2:15 p.m. ET), the women's 100-meter hurdles (2:25 p.m. ET), the men's 400m (2:35 p.m. ET), the women's 400m (2:45 p.m. ET), the men's 100m (2:55 p.m. ET), the women's 100m (3 p.m. ET), the men's 800m (3:10 p.m. ET), the women's 800m (3:15 p.m. ET), the men's 400m hurdles (3:30 p.m. ET), the women's 400m hurdles (3:35 p.m. ET), the men's 200m (3:45 p.m. ET) and the women's 200m (3:50 p.m. ET).
The final individual event will be the 5,000m. The men's race will be at 4 p.m. ET, with the women to follow at 4:20 p.m. ET.
Again this year, the Eagles will have the maximum number of entries. Freshman Ryan Richendollar leads the way for the guys, seeded 15th with a 15:09.14. Vogelpohl is next in 22nd at 15:19.45, sophomore Aidan Whitsell is 25th with a time of 15:36.66 and Grogan is 29th at 15:44.33. It will be the longest distance Grogan has run at the meet in his five-year career.
Last year, Vogelpohl was 14th in 15:24.30, with graduates Stewart in 21st in 15:44.28 and Embry in 25th in 16:03.89.
The women's race will feature freshman Meredith Campbell as MSU's top entry. She is seeded 27th in 18:25.88. Brittian is next at 31st in 18:32.29. Taylor is right behind in 32nd in 18:32.75, with Allen 40th in 19:07.63. Allen was the team's top finisher last year, placing 17th in 18:45.53. Also in 2024, Tarlton took 21st in 19:10.86, Singleton was 22nd in 19:13.75 and redshirt junior Megan Bush was 24th in 19:42.28.
The meet's final event is the 4x400-meter relay. The Eagles will have representatives in both the men's race at 5:05 p.m. ET and the women's competition at 5:20 p.m. ET.
The men's foursome is expected to be Carr, Glass, Sullivan and Hurley. They are seeded eighth. However, this combination has never run together. Whitener and Grogan are the likely alternates. Last year, Carr, West, Montes and Cook placed ninth in 3:27.52.
The women's quartet will include Rodgers, Underwood, Counts and Miles, with Holman and Singleton as alternates. The last time MSU entered a women's 4x400m relay, the group of Kelley, Keana Merriwether, Singleton and Jones placed 10th in 4:16.69 in 2022.
"We have both teams doing a 4x1 which will be fun. The 4x4 relays have good shots at scoring as well," Dixon said. "At this point, we'll just see what everyone else has in the tank since most would have competed multiple days. The 5K's will be brutal. I think with the heat, it could really change what the entries say based on their previous performances."
The competition will conclude with a recognition of graduates at 5:40 p.m. ET and then an award ceremony at 5:55 p.m. ET.
Live results will be available at the link: http://cfpitiming.com/2025_Outdoor_Season/OVC_2025/OVC_2025.html throughout the meet.
ESPN+ will broadcast each day's action. Thursday's meet can be viewed at the link https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/867cca05-e70c-476a-a245-b8c3c4b9841c. The link for Friday is https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/6283127f-6271-4951-95c3-4fee7161c3f2. Saturday's competition can be seen at the link https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/d9eee0f0-d67a-410b-846c-4bbebc08a632.
All other information will be available at the OVC's Championship central webpage. The link for it is: https://ovcsports.com/tournaments/?id=53.
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