MOREHEAD, Ky. – Senior
Lucy Singleton and junior
Kaylyn Holman did what they needed, and redshirt senior
Jacob Vogelpohl finally broke through to score points for Morehead State on Thursday's Day 1 of the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Abe Stuber Track & Field Complex at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Action on the track got off to a slow start with a half-hour lightning delay just before the first race at 6 p.m. ET.
Only nine Eagles toed the starting line in five events, but things could not have gone better for the Blue and Gold.
MSU coach
Clay Dixon singled out several individuals for running the "perfect race," including sophomore
Taylor Allen in the 10,000-meter run.
"Taylor did very well. (I) did not expect that from her. Well, I knew she could do it, but she raced perfectly. (The) same goes for Jacob, perfect execution," he said. "Kaylyn and Lucy did what they needed to and (we) are happy with that."
Vogelpohl was competing in just his fourth race at the OVC Outdoor meet. He did not run in 2023 or 2021 and even missed the 2025 Indoor Championships due to illness. In his three previous races, his best finish was 10th, which came last year in the 10,000m. He also finished 13th in the event in 2022 and 14th in the 5,000-meter run last year.
In the 11-person field, Vogelpohl started at the back of the pack and stayed there until about the 3,600-meter mark when he jumped from ninth to first. He jostled between first and fourth over the next 5,200 meters until he slipped back to eighth before moving up a spot with around 800 meters remaining.
"He took the lead at roughly two miles, held it until about 1,200-meters to go. They went off but he was in a good position at eighth. The last lap he picked one more off for seventh. He closed his last mile in 4:46," said Dixon. "His first 5K was 17:18, his second half was 15:28. I knew he would have to be able to close in 15:40s to score. That's what it took last year. He ran it about as well as he could for a tactical race in the heat and humidity."
Vogelpohl entered the race seeded fifth with a top time of 32:04.43, but none of that mattered as the entire field needed more than 32:30 to cover the course. Although he finished within seven seconds of third place, he eventually crossed the line in seventh in 32:47.96, scoring two points for Morehead State. Little Rock's Jordan Smith won the event in 32:30.90.
"I wanted to get out of traffic and wanted to run smooth, so I decided to take the lead after mile two. I picked it up from a jog to a tempo and slowly progressed to more of a faster pace trying to play to my strengths," he said. "The pack stayed right on my heels but no one else wanted to take a turn at the lead. With four laps to go the kick still hadn't started. I think it was best for me to be in the front when the kick started, that way I would have a better chance to respond.
"With three laps to go, everyone took off. I'm not used to the sprint-out-of-nowhere-stuff, but I did my best to hang on," he continued. "I had my best finish of my college career, but I was still well behind the top (group), who threw down some crazy laps. I battled it out with the back of the scoring pack and finished knowing that I did pretty much everything I could."
The finish provided a celebratory moment for Vogelpohl as his career nears its end.
"Three years ago, I barely made it to the finish line and after a medical incident, was considering hanging up the spikes. But the Lord and my mentors were quick to show me my purpose for continuing my career as an Eagle," he said. "I'm grateful I stuck with it and persevered because this sport and this team has taught me so much. My first conference points are a nice cherry on top to close out the adventure."
In the women's 1,500-meter run, the Eagles survived a scare as both Singleton and Holman qualified by finishing in the middle of a close six-runner pack for the top spots with only five guaranteed to advance to Saturday's finals. The top group bunched together for most of the race. Singleton actually led after the first 300 meters but slid back one spot after each ensuing lap. Holman was in third on lap one but fell back to fifth after 700 meters, where she stayed for the remainder of the race.
The pair raced in the first heat and their section finish mirrored their overall finish. Singleton placed third in 4:38.11, with Holman taking fifth in 4:39.42. There were a total of 25 participants, with 13 in Singleton and Holman's heat. Twelve advanced to Saturday's finals.
Tennessee Tech's Rylee Wells had the top overall time of 4:37.74, edging Southern Indiana's Audrey Comastri by four-hundredths of a second.
Singleton entered the race seeded third with a top time of 4:32.28. Holman was ranked 10th with a 4:39.68. Holman recorded a "pr" for the seventh consecutive meet. She has already guaranteed her best finish at the OVC Outdoor Championships, having placed 17th in 5:04.69 last spring. Singleton will advance to at least one final for the fourth straight year. She was third in 4:34.17 in 2024. She was sixth in 2023, when there were no preliminary races, and seventh in 2022 as a freshman. She also qualified for the finals in the 800-meter run in 2023.
According to Dixon, it is the first time MSU will have two women in the finals of the 1,500m since 2019.
Allen and redshirt sophomore
Christiana Brittian competed in the women's 10,000m. It was the first time either ran that distance collegiately.
A total of 20 athletes toed the starting line, with Allen finishing in 11th in 39:15.45 and Brittian in 16th in 41:23.31. Southern Indiana's Hadessah Austin won the race in 32:52.91.
In the men's 1,500m, redshirt senior
Wes Grogan placed eighth in his heat, while freshman
Liam Parido was 10th as the pair finished outside of the qualifiers for Saturday's finals. Overall, Grogan was 15th in 4:01.94, with Parido in 20th in 4:18.94. It was Grogan's first individual event at the meet since placing 14th in the 800m in 2023. He had the 32nd-fastest time (3:59.84) entering Thursday. Parido was seeded 45th with a "pr" of 4:05.29.
The Eagles competed in one other event, the men's 200-meter dash. Freshman
Mark Whitener was seventh in his heat and 18th overall in 22.79. Sophomore
Derril Carr was seventh in his section and 19th overall in 22.90. Sophomore
Cade Sullivan was sixth in his race and 20th overall in 22.90. Carr edged Sullivan by just four thousandths of a second (22.895 to 22.899). It was the first OVC Outdoor 200m for both Carr and Sullivan.
Whitener entered the race seeded 33rd with a top time of 22.58, while Sullivan came in ranked 35th with a season best of 22.75.
Southeast Missouri leads the men's team scoring with 42 points after one day of action. Western Illinois is in second with 23 points, followed by Little Rock (18), Eastern Illinois (16), SIU-Edwardsville (8), Southern Indiana (6), Morehead State (2), Tennessee State (1) and UT Martin (0). MSU's men did not score last year, so Vogelpohl's two points were the most for the team since tallying nine in 2023.
Defending champion Southeast Missouri tops the women with 34 points. Southern Indiana (24), Eastern Illinois (17), Western Illinois (15), SIU Edwardsville (12), Little Rock (11), Tennessee Tech (2), UT Martin (2), Lindenwood (0), Morehead State (0) and Tennessee State (0) round out the field.
Dixon is looking for more big things from his team on Friday.
"Lucy, Kaylyn, (junior) Abby (Taylor) and the 4x1(00-meter relay) should have the ability to get points," he said.
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 women's 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. 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. Sullivan is also entered. He is seeded 33rd with a "pr" of 11.19. He was 21st last spring in 11.43. 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, 2024 graduate
Toby 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 the 800m 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 in the steeplechase 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 third (sic) in the steeple entries, so that will be a good race to watch (as well)."
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 time of 15:09.14. Vogelpohl is next in 22nd at 15:19.45. Sophomore
Aidan Whitsell sits 25th with a 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
Kyler Stewart in 21st in 15:44.28 and
Kyle 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 in 31st at 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, December graduate
Laikin 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, the 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 Meriwether, 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 (runners) 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. 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.
