MOREHEAD, Ky. – Not since the 2002 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships has Morehead State sent a deeper and more talented field of competitors to the three-day meet that runs Thursday through Saturday at the Coleman Sports Complex in Little Rock, Ark.
You might even have to go back as far as 1980 to find an Eagle squad that can match the 2026 team that will be entered 48 times in 22 events. It is the largest group MSU has fielded in Coach
Clay Dixon's seven years.
"Let's see what kind of damage we can do," he said. "We got a great squad and many opportunities to score. It will be an exciting three days."
In 2002, both Blue and Gold squads were sixth. In 1980, the men were fifth and the women fourth.
MSU is sending 27 athletes, and the Eagles are ranked in the top eight of an event 20 times. This year's team has set eight school records this spring and 32 more times one of the athletes recorded a mark that ranked among Morehead State's top 10 all-time.
According to Dixon everyone is basically healthy, although he has some concerns about freshmen
Kennedi Alford and
Kalynn Pease that could affect the events they enter.
Like last year, the meet is taking place after the Eagles have had their exams, so they will have no distractions. It is the third straight campaign Morehead State is sending its largest contingent. Last spring, the Eagles entered 12 men and 12 women. In 2024, MSU had 11 men and eight women.
The Blue and Gold ladies have outscored the men in each of the past three years. Prior to 2023, the last time the women had more points was in 2015. In 2025, the women tallied 28 points and the men had 10, which combined to record their highest overall point total since 2011. The group also set three school records, notched nine top-five all-time performances and registered 17 "pr's" out of 35 entries.
All 11 OVC schools will participate in the women's competition; nine teams are in the men's field.
On its home track, Southeast Missouri swept the 2025 team titles, defending the women's crown, while returning to the top on the men's side after Little Rock claimed it in 2024.
The Redhawk women collected 191 points to easy out-distance themselves from runner-up Little Rock, which finished with 123 points. Eastern Illinois was third with 92 points, followed by Tennessee State and SIU Edwardsville tying for fourth with 72 points. Lindenwood was sixth with 63 points, followed by Southern Indiana with 59 points, Tennessee Tech with 44 points, UT Martin with 38 points, Western Illinois with 37 points and Morehead State with 28 points.
Southeast Missouri captured the men's title with 216.5 points. Little Rock was second with 164.5 points. Eastern Illinois was third with 157 points, Tennessee State was fourth with 78.5 points, SIUE was fifth with 59.5 points, UT Martin was sixth with 52 points, Western Illinois was seventh with 48 points, Southern Indiana was eighth with 31 points and the Eagles claimed ninth with 10 points. Lindenwood and Tennessee Tech do not field men's teams.
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.
In 2025, then-senior
Lucy Singleton captured the 1,500-meter run for MSU's first title since Alex Morris won the 5,000-meter run in 2015. Two Eagles finished in second, Singleton in the 800-meter run and senior
Abby Taylor in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. They were the only two second-place finishes since 2015.
The last Eagle male to win an event at the OVC Outdoor meet was Justin Moakler in the 1,500m in 2019.
Competition opens on Thursday with the heptathlon's 100-meter hurdles at 10 a.m. ET. The decathlon also begins at 10:30 a.m. ET with the 100-meter dash. Track events start at 6 p.m. ET with the men's 1,500m prelims. The field events get underway with the women's hammer throw at 2 p.m. ET
Morehead State will be in six events on Thursday, the 1,500m, the 200-meter dash and the 10,000-meter run.
In the 1,500m, the top five finishers in each heat, plus the next two best times, advance to Saturday's finals. In the 200m, the heat winners, and the next five fastest men's finishers and four fastest women's placers, will qualify for Saturday's finals. The 10,000m race will be finals only.
Freshman
Josh Arnett, and sophomores
Liam Parido and
Carter Lamb are entered in the 1,500m. Arnett is seeded 25th with a top time of 3:58.15. Parido is 43rd with a season-best time of 4:04.41. He was the lone member of the group to run in last year's meet, when he finished 20th in 4:18.94. Lamb is seeded 44th with a "pr" of 4:04.49. The men's 1,500m is the only event in which MSU does not have a top-20 entrant. Lamb is in heat one, Arnett and Parido are in heat two. There are 19 total entries.
The 1,500m women's race will begin at 6:25 p.m. ET and include senior
Kaylyn Holman and redshirt junior
Christiana Brittian. Holman is seeded fifth with a "pr" of 4:38.28. Last year, she was eighth in 4:39.68. Brittian is ranked 33rd and has a "pr" of 4:50.44. She did not run the race last spring. Both Eagles are in heat two. There are 24 total entries.
The men's 200m will feature three heats and start at 7:15 p.m. ET. Four Eagles are in the race. Freshman
Sam Afari leads the way as the fifth seed with a "pr" of 21.31. Freshman
Kyle Stepteau is seeded 21st with a 22.03, while freshman
Luke Kelly is 26th with a 22.18 and freshman
Kyler Witt is 28th with a 22.23. Afari is in heat one, Stepteau is in heat two, and Kelly and Witt are in heat three. There are 24 entries.
The women's 200m has four heats and gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET. Pease is seeded first with a school record of 23.66. Alford is seeded eighth with a top time of 24.17. Both are in heat three. There are 26 entries.
Thursday's competition will conclude with the 10,000m. The men will run at 7:45 p.m. ET and the women at 8:20 p.m. ET. There is only one heat with 16 runners. Graduate student
Aidan Massey is seeded fourth with a 31:22.69. Sophomore
AJ Hawkins is seeded sixth with a 32:51.02. Junior
Aidan Whitsell is seventh in 33:09.62. None of the three ran the event for MSU last year. In 2025,
Jacob Vogelpohl finished seventh in 32:47.96 to record Morehead State's lone day-one points.
Sophomore
Meredith Campbell is seeded third in the race with a top time of 37.18.07. She did not run in the event last year. There are 15 athletes entered in the lone heat of the competition.
Friday's competition begins at 10 a.m. ET with the decathlon's 110-meter hurdles. At 2:30 p.m. ET, the women's high jump opens the field events, before the running gets underway at 4 p.m. ET with the men's 110m hurdle prelims. MSU's first competition will be the men's 400-meter dash at 4:35 p.m. ET and the Eagles will be in action in all but one event the rest of the day.
The men's 400m field will include Afari, who is seeded sixth with a "pr" of 47.90, Witt, who is seeded 11th with a "pr" of 49.26, and freshman
Jayce Stewart, who is seeded 20th with a "pr" of 51.05. Witt is in heat one, and Afari and Stewart are in heat two. There are 12 total athletes entered. The top finisher in each heat, plus the next six fastest times, will advance to Saturday's final.
The women's 400m is at 4:50 p.m. ET. Sophomores
Maryah Counts and
Olivia Miles are the Eagle representatives. Counts, who owns the school record, is seeded fifth with a top time of 56.97. Miles finished 16th last year in 59.78. She is seeded 23rd with a "pr" of 59.17. Counts is in heat two, while Miles is in heat three. There are 20 total entries. The top finisher in each heat, plus the next five fastest times, will advance to Saturday's final.
At 5 p.m. ET, the women's long jump will begin. Pease owns the school record and is tied for seventh nationally. She has the top overall mark (6.54m/21'05.25") by over a foot and a half. In addition to attempting to take home the title, she will be shooting for the OVC meet record, which was set by
Rachel Hagans of Murray State at 6.44m/21'01.50" in 2022. In addition, the facility record is 5.93m and is in danger of being broken.
Junior
Ginger Hayden is seeded ninth with a top mark of 5.56m/18'03.00". Last year, she finished 13th in 5.34m/17'06.25". Sophomore
Brooklyn Boyce also is entered. She is seeded 26th with a top distance of 5.21m/17'01.25".
There will be two flights, with a total of 20 entries. Each athlete will get three jumps in the prelims. Boyce is in the first flight, with Pease and Hayden in the second. The athletes with the top eight distances will move on to the finals, where they will have three additional attempts. The finals will take place on Friday afternoon.
The men's 100-meter dash is at 5:05 p.m. ET. The Eagles will have four entries: Stepteau and Kelly, sophomore
Mark Whitener, and junior
Cade Sullivan. Stepteau is seeded 13th with a "pr" of 10.68. Whitener is next in 19th at 10.82. Kelly is 20th at 10.84 and Sullivan is 29th with a season-best 11.10. Last year, Whitener was 10th in 10.88, with Sullivan in 18th in 11.06. There will be three heats with 20 total entries. The top finisher, plus the next five fastest times, will advance to Saturday's finals. Stepteau will be in heat one, Kelly will be in heat two, and Whitener and Sullivan will be in heat three.
The women's race will be at 5:20 p.m. ET. Pease, ranked second, holds the school record with an 11.67. Alford is seeded fifth with a top time of 11.84. There will be four heats with 25 total entries. The top finisher in each heat, plus the next four fastest times will move on to Saturday's finals. Alford is in heat one, Pease is in heat three.
Tennessee Tech's Kennedi Winbush (11.60) is the top seed.
MSU will have three entries in the men's 800-meter run, which will begin at 5:35 p.m. ET. There will be three heats with a total of 23 entrants. The top two finishers in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, will advance to Saturday's finals.
Sophomore
Weston Blair is seeded 14th with a career-best time of 1:52.69. Last year, he finished 25th in 2:13.92. Lamb has a season best of 1:57.63. He is seeded 29th. Parido has a season-best time of 1:58.80. He is seeded 33rd. In 2025, he was 21st in 1:58.43. Parido will be in heat one, Blair in heat two and Lamb in heat three.
The women's 800m will begin at 5:55 p.m. ET. There will be four heats, featuring a total of 25 athletes. The heat winners, plus the next four fastest times, will advance to Saturday's finals. MSU will only have one runner, Holman, who is seeded seventh with a season-best time of 2:15.51. Last year, she was 15th in 2:23.10. She will be in heat two.
The men's 3,000-meter steeplechase will take place at 6:15 p.m. ET. However, MSU will not have an entry.
The final event of the night will be the women's 3,000m steeplechase at 6:35 p.m. ET. There are two heats and 21 total runners. However, the steeplechase is a finals-only race. MSU will have two representatives, senior
Abby Taylor and junior
Adi Fuller. Taylor, who finished second last year in 11:17.61, is seeded third with a season-best mark of 11:13.56. Fuller is seeded seventh. Her MSU "pr" is 11:29.35. Both Eagles are in heat two.
Last year's champion, Eastern Illinois' Rylea Borgic is back to defend her title. However, she is seeded behind Taylor in fourth with a top time of 11:14.24. Western Illinois' Emma-Kate Watt (10:59.92) and UT Martin's Reese Settle (11:06.42) are the top two seeds.
The action will conclude on Saturday with all events being finals. The day will begin at noon ET with the women's shot put and the women's triple jump. MSU will compete in the latter event, with Hayden as its representative. She is seeded 13th with a season-best mark of 11.41m/37'05.25". Last year, she finished 12th in 11.10m/36'05.00", which set a school record. There will be two flights with a total of 21 competitors. Hayden will be in the first flight.
The men's and women's 4x100-meter relays will take place at 1:30 p.m. ET (men) and 1:40 p.m. ET (women). MSU will have entries in both races. The Eagle foursome in the men's event is Whitener, Afari, Kelly and Stepteau; with Sullivan, Stewart and Witt as the alternates. The group has a top time of 41.10, which is fifth-fastest in the conference. Last year, MSU's quartet finished seventh in 42.90. There are seven total entries.
The women's 4x100m group will include
Kalynn Pease, Alford, Miles and Counts. Boyce, Stark, junior
Erin Pease, Hayden and Holman are all alternates. The Eagles' top time this year is 46.81, which ranks fifth in the OVC. Last year, MSU placed eighth in 49.43. There are nine entries spread between two heats of the race, with the Eagles in section two.
The ensuing events all had qualifying rounds earlier in the meet. The men's and women's 1,500m finals are at 1:50 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET, respectively. The men's 110m and women's 100-meter hurdles finals are at 2:15 p.m. ET and 2:25 p.m. ET, respectively. The men's and women's 400m finals are at 2:35 p.m. ET and 2:45 p.m. ET, respectively. The men's and women's 100m finals are at 2:55 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET, respectively. The men's and women's 800m finals are at 3:10 p.m. ET and 3:15 p.m. ET, respectively. The men's and women's 400m hurdles finals are at 3:30 p.m. ET and 3:35 p.m. ET, respectively. And lastly, the men's and women's 200m finals are at 3:45 p.m. ET and 3:50 p.m. ET, respectively.
At 4 p.m. ET, the women's javelin will take place.
Erin Pease is MSU's entry. She is seeded 10th with an MSU "pr" of 33.83m/111'00". There is one flight and 14 total competitors.
The 5,000m is the final individual event. The men will run at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the women at 4:20 p.m. ET. The Eagles have four entries in both races. There will be only one section of the race and it will be finals only. Twenty-five individuals will be in each event.
Neither Arnett nor Holman have competed in that distance collegiately and both are entered.
Massey is the Eagles' top men's seed at 18th. His season "pr" is 15:00.65. Hawkins is seeded 32nd with a top time of 15:21.26, while junior
Aidan Whitsell is 39th with a season best of 15:37.44. Last year, he finished 23rd in 16:48.04.
The other three Morehead State women raced in the event last spring. Campbell is the primary contender. She is seeded 12th with a top mark this season of 17:40.46. In 2025, she was 12th in 18:23.30. Brittian is seeded 16th with a "pr" of 17:57.58. She did not finish the race last May and tied for 28th. Taylor is seeded 40th. She has only run the 5,000m once this outdoor season, crossing the line in 19:42.48. She was 20th last year in 19:07.33.
The 4x400-meter relay will conclude the meet. The men's race will be at 5:05 p.m. ET, with the women's race at 5:20 p.m. ET.
Morehead State's men are seeded fifth and are expected to include Afari, Stepteau, Stewart and Witt. Their top time this season is 3:18.80. Last year's foursome finished seventh in 3:25.84. However, no one from that team will be in Saturday's race unless Dixon has to dig into his alternates, which will include Kelly, Sullivan, Blair and Whitener. There are two heats with nine total entries. The Eagles will be in heat two.
The MSU women are seeded second and hold the school record of 3:51.08, breaking the mark held by last year's quartet which finished 10th in 3:57.80. Saturday's lineup is expected to include
Kalynn Pease, Alford, Miles and Counts. The latter two were part of last year's race. Morehead State's alternates will be Boyce, Stark, Holman and Hayden.
All 11 teams will have entries broken into two sections. The Eagles will be in section two. Western Illinois is the top seed with a time of 3:50.39.
The league will recognize each school's graduates who are competing this weekend in a ceremony at 5:40 p.m. ET. After that, there will be an award ceremony at 5:55 p.m.
Live results are available at the link:
https://milesplit.live/meets/750633/scoreboard.
ESPN+ will broadcast all three days of competition. On Thursday, the broadcast will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and can be found at the link:
https://shorturl.at/Ak39J. On Friday, the broadcast will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET and can be accessed at the link:
https://shorturl.at/Yyys8. On Saturday, the broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. ET and can be watched through the link:
https://shorturl.at/4Bdj3.
For additional information about the Championships, fans can check tournament central at the website
https://ovcsports.com/tournaments/?id=69.
The OVC Championships will not be the final meet of the season for the Blue and Gold.
Kalynn Pease is expected to qualify in the long jump for the NCAA East Regional meet at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., that will take place between Wednesday, May 27 and Saturday, May 30. If Pease finishes in the top 12 at the regional, she will advance on to the NCAA Championships, which will run from Wednesday, June 10 through Saturday, June 13 at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
