MOREHEAD, Ky. — It has been five weeks since the Morehead State indoor track and field team last competed and coach
Clay Dixon is looking to see if his group can build off what it accomplished at the season-opening meet when it competes at the Marshall Alumni Classic on Saturday at the Jeff Small Track in the Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Complex in Huntington, W.Va.
Since returning from the holiday break, the Eagle sprinters and jumpers have had a full week of practice, while the distance crew has only been back training for a few days.
"Let's see what we can do. We'll see who had good winters and if we can get a good start to the season," Dixon said.
At the December 6 Marshall Opener, MSU had 16 marks which ranked among the best all-time in school history, three individuals better meet or facility records, notched six top-five all-time performances and, not including first-timers, recorded five "pr's". The group also collected two runner-up finishes and crossed the line in third place four times.
Last year's trek to the Alumni Classic featured 13 top-eight finishes and 27 season's bests.
MSU has competed at the meet in eight of the last nine years, with the lone exception of the Covid-19 impacted 2021 season. It is also the fifth straight campaign in which the Eagles will begin the year with back-to-back meets at Marshall.
The 13-team event is not expected to be scored. Concord (W.Va.), West Virginia Wesleyan, Ohio, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Otterbein (Ohio), Rio Grande (Ohio), Cleveland State, West Virginia State, Shawnee State (Ohio), Pikeville (Ky.) and Georgetown (Ky.) will join host Marshall and Morehead State.
Competition begins at 10 a.m. with the women's high jump, pole vault and shot put; and the men's long jump. The Blue and Gold will make its first appearance at 11:30 a.m. with the women's long jump. It is the lone field event in which the Eagles are entered.
The women's 60-meter hurdles is the opening competition on the track. It is slated to start at 1 p.m. MSU's first race will be the 60-meter dash prelims at 1:20 p.m.
A total of 37 Eagles are entered 49 times in 15 events. However, there are some notable absences, including freshman
Kalynn Pease, redshirt freshman
AJ Hawkins, redshirt sophomore
Lauren Gooderson, junior
Taylor Allen, and seniors
Christiana Brittian and
Abby Taylor.
Junior
Ginger Hayden and sophomore
Brooklyn Boyce will represent MSU in the women's long jump. Hayden finished fifth in each of the last two years. Last January, she leaped 4.97m/16'03.75". She tied her "pr" last month at the Marshall Opener. Boyce will be jumping for just the second time. She was ninth five weeks ago in 5.12m/16'09.75". Boyce is in the first flight. Hayden is in the second. There are 23 total entries.
Freshman
Kennedi Alford will lead a trio of Eagles in the 60m. She finished ninth at the Marshall Opener with a time of 7.80, the second-fastest ever in MSU history. Freshman
Ava Claggett and junior
Cheyenne Stark are also entered. It will be the first 60m for Claggett. Stark placed 26th in 8.53 five weeks ago. Alford is in Heat 2, Claggett is in Heat 4 and Stark is in Heat 6. Forty-eight individuals are slated to toe the starting line.
The men's prelim race will follow at 1:30 p.m. Juniors
Derril Carr and
Cade Sullivan, sophomore
Tate Glass, and freshmen
Luke Kelly and
Kyle Stepteau are all entered. All five appear on MSU's top-10 list at that distance. Sullivan leads the way at 7.06, with Carr at 7.18, Stepteau at 7.20, Kelly at 7.23 and Glass at 7.29. At the Marshall Opener, Stepteau was 10th, with Kelly 12th and Glass 14th. Last year, Sullivan had the best outing, earning 13th in the 60-meter dash in 7.13, with Carr 16th in 7.32.
Glass will be in Heat 1. Kelly and Sullivan are in Heat 2. Carr and Stepteau are in Heat 6. A total of 45 individuals are entered in the event.
The women's mile follows at 1:45 p.m. Senior
Kaylyn Holman ranks eighth all-time at MSU with a top mark of 5:14.02. She was third in the 3,000-meter run at the meet earlier this winter. Junior
Adi Fuller will be making her Eagle debut at the distance. She was fifth in the 3K in December. Junior
Lani Baskett was sixth in the 3K five weeks ago. Her "pr" is 5:48.02. Freshmen
Josey Corbin and
Sydney Filippazzo will be competing for the first time since the cross country season.
It will be the lone event for the quartet. Holman, Fuller and Baskett are in Heat 2. Corbin and Filippazzo are in Heat 3. There are 44 total entries.
Dixon has entered six Eagles in the men's mile, which is slated to begin at 2:05 p.m. Freshman
Josh Arnett will make his track debut. Juniors
Brady Baker and
Garrett West, sophomores
Weston Blair and
Carter Lamb, and freshman
Jesus Mendoza-Solis have all run the event previously.
Lamb, Blair, Baker and West all ran the event at last year's meet. Lamb was 22nd overall in 4:43.52. His "pr" is 4:40.34. Baker was 24th overall with a "pr" of 4:46.72. Baker was 25th overall in 4:46.95 in 2025. His "pr" is 4:46.63. West placed 29th overall in 4:52.65. He also ran the event in 2024. His "pr" is 4:39.13. Mendoza-Solis finished fifth in the race at the Marshall Opener in 4:41.45. Blair was the only other Eagle of the group to run in the first meet. He was sixth in the 3,000m.
Arnett is in Heat 1. Blair, Lamb and West are in Heat 2. Mendoza-Solis and Baker are in Heat 3. There are a total of 39 entries.
MSU has one entry in the 400-meter dash, which begins at 2:45 p.m. Freshman
Jayce Stewart is in Heat 4. Stewart ran in the 4x400-meter relay at the Marshall Opener. Twenty-five entries are in the event.
The Eagles will take off the next two events, the 600-meter run and the 5,000-meter run. The 60m hurdles finals follow those before the women's 60m finals begin at 3:55 p.m. and the men's 60m starts at 4 p.m. MSU had two qualifiers for the men's 60m finals at the Marshall Opener, but both withdrew. Last year's best men's finish was 13th by Sullivan. Former Eagle
Aa'Nya Freeland qualifying for the 2025 women's finals and placed seventh.
The indoor-specific 300-meter dash will take place at 4:05 p.m. (women) and 4:15 p.m. (men). Alford, Claggett, sophomore
Maryah Counts, sophomore
Olivia Miles, Carr, Glass, Kelly, Stepteau, Sullivan and sophomore
Mark Whitener are MSU's representatives. Glass (12th in 36.59), Carr (16th in 37.44) and Kelly (21st in 37.99) all ran the event at the Marshall Opener. None of the women have previously raced at that distance. Carr and Sullivan also ran it at the 2024 Marshall Opener, finishing in 36.54 and 36.55, respectively.
Counts is in Heat 2. Alford and Miles are in Heat 3. Claggett is in Heat 4. There are 17 women's entries. Stepteau is in Heat 1. Glass, Sullivan and Carr are in Heat 2. Kelly and Whitener are in Heat 3. There are 18 men's entries.
After a break for the 1,000-meter run, MSU will have two entries in the 38-person women's 800-meter run. Junior
Emily Spradlin was second with a seven-second "pr" of 2:31.57 at the Marshall Opener. Senior
Casey Skaggs is making her season debut. Her "pr" is 2:52.27. Spradlin is in Heat 2, with Skaggs in Heat 3.
Mendoza-Solis is entered in the men's 800m, which begins at 4:50 p.m. He is unlikely to compete in both the mile and 800m. It will be a race-day decision to determine which event he will run. He is in Heat 1. There are 24 total entries.
Boyce and Stark will compete in their second event of the day, the 200-meter dash. The women's race will begin at 5 p.m. Last year, Boyce finished 14th in 28.25, with Stark in 17th in 28.86. Stark's "pr" is 27.28. Boyce's "pr" is 27.42. Stark is in Heat 7 and Boyce is in Heat 8. There will be 10 heats and 53 total entries.
The men's 200m begins at 5:20 p.m. Freshmen
Sam Afari and
Kyler Witt will be making their collegiate debut at the distance. Both ran the 300m and the 4x400m relay five weeks ago. Afari is in Heat 3. Witt is in Heat 5. There are 52 total entries over 10 heats.
The final individual event is the 3,000-meter run. Sophomore
Meredith Campbell and freshman
Addison Hill are the Eagle women's representatives. Neither competed at the December meet.
Last winter, Campbell finished third in 10:30.86, Her "pr" is 10:13.50. Campbell will be in Heat 1, which is slated to begin at 5:40 p.m. Hill is in Heat 2. There are 29 total runners.
Graduate student
Aidan Massey; juniors
Keghan Thompson and
Aidan Whitsell; and sophomores
Brody Coleman,
Liam Parido and
Ryan Richendollar will toe the starting line for the Blue and Gold. The first heat is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start. Massey will be in Heat 1 and make his MSU track debut. The other five are in Heat 2. There are 26 total entries.
Thompson and Coleman each ran the distance at the Marshall Opener. Thompson finished in third in 9:16.10. Coleman was 11th in 9:36.48. It will be the first track race of the season for Whitsell, Parido and Richendollar. Last winter, Whitsell was 11th in 9:29.58. Coleman was 13th in 9:38.96. Thompson's "pr" is 9:06.55. Whitsell's "pr" is 9"09.67, Parido's "pr" is 9:12.05 and Coleman's "pr" is 9:15.19. Richendollar has never run the distance collegiately.
Miles, Claggett, Alford and Counts will make up the Eagle women's 4x400m relay. They are in Heat 2, with Heat 1 starting at 6:25 p.m. Claggett, Miles, Pease and Counts finished fourth in 4:12.27 at the Marshall Opener. Last year's quartet of
Mia Underwood,
Aaliyah Rodgers, Stark and Holman was third in 4:31.38. The quartet of Boyce, Freeland, Miles and senior
Natalie Curry was fourth in 4:39.27.
The Eagle men will have two entries. Both are in Heat 2. The first heat starts at 6:35 p.m. Afari, Witt, Stewart at Carr is one group. Stepteau, Sullivan, Whitener and Glass is the other. Five weeks ago, Carr, Witt, Glass and Afari finished fourth in 3:28.18. Stewart, Kelly, Whitener and Blair, was seventh in 3:35.43. At last year's meet, Carr, Glass, Whitener and Sullivan claimed fourth in 3:32.22. West, Parido, Lamb and Blair took sixth in 3:38.45.
Live results are available at the link:
https://live.athletic.net/meets/59794.
Morehead State will take a week off before competing next at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic in Louisville on Friday, Jan. 23.
