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WICHITA, Kan.  --  Wichita State's men's and women's track and field teams begin defense of their Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship titles and are looking for their third-straight double as the pre-meet favorites beginning 10 a.m., Friday inside Cessna Stadium on the Shockers' campus.

The meet gets underway on Friday with the Decathlon at 10 a.m. and the Heptathlon at 11 a.m.

Wichita State's men's and women's teams received top votes in the pre-championship coaches poll, with the Shockers coming off a sweep of the 2017 Indoor Championships, as well as the 2016 Outdoor Championships.

Heading into the weekend, WSU's women have 30 marks this season that rank in the NCAA West top 67, while the men have 20 marks in the top 72.

On the men's side, the Shockers tallied 63 points and received seven of eight possible first-place rankings. Wichita State will look to bring strong multi and field athletes in notables Hunter Veith, Ben Johnson, Zach Loesch and Jared Belardo.

Veith, who holds the Shockers' highest NCAA West and NCAA ranking in the Decathlon with 7,610 points, won't compete in the event this weekend but instead will compete in the javelin, long jump, high jump, 110 hurdles, pole vault, and triple jump.

Austin Corley holds the Shockers' second highest NCAA West rank  at No. 20 in the 400 hurdles with a time of 51.46. In addition, Austin Chippeaux' 7-0.25/2.14m high jump last weekend ranks No. 21 in the NCAA West and made him the sixth Shocker in history to reach seven feet.

Zach Loesch's shot put throw of 59-5/18.11m at the Shocker Open last week moved him to No. 3 overall at WSU and the 28th-best in the NCAA West and No. 55 overall. All-American Jared Belardo's jump of 24-8.25/7.52m is the 36th-best in the NCAA West.

On the women's side, Wichita State received all first-place votes, giving them a total of 81 out of 81 points possible in the poll. Nikki Larch-Miller and Rebekah Topham have been strong performers for the Shockers on the track, along with Jamesia Milton in the field. Multi-competitors Martiesha Caines, Breanne Borman, and Gavyn Yetter are expected to standout, as well.

Larch-Miller has the No. 10 Heptathlon point total of 5,551 ranks No. 15 in the NCAA and No. 10 in the West. Topham's 10:25.89 in the 3,000 steeplechase ranks No. 25 in the West and No. 64 in the NCAA.

Nine Shocker women return to defend their All-Valley honors -a top three finish- from a year ago, including champions Breanne Borman in the Heptathlon and Carlea Miles in the javelin. WSU's men earned nine All-Valley honors in 2016, including champions Jared Belardo in the long jump and triple jump and Hunter Veith in the Decathlon. Belardo will long jump, and triple jump, his first competition in the latter this season.

Wichita State has won eight men's titles and nine women's titles since 1966. WSU's men won in 1966, 1972, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010 and 2016. The women won in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

All three days of the meet are set for ESPN3 with Brad Wells, Jim Kirby and Mike Mahon calling the action.  Friday's ESPN3 telecast runs from 7:50 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday's telecast runs 4:45-7:15 p.m., while Day Three championship action on Sunday runs from 12:55 p.m.-4:30 p.m.