WICHITA- Kan.- Wichita State Track & Field will travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships this weekend. The Shockers will try to win their 17th and 18th team conference titles of the Steve Rainbolt era.
The Valley coaches voted the Shocker women a unanimous favorite to win the MVC Championship in their pre-conference poll. The Shocker women will try to win their third consecutive conference title and their seventh outdoor team title in the last 10 years.
Three Shocker women currently hold top 10 rankings nationally in their event. Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton, currently ranked third in the NCAA in both the 5,000m and 10,000m runs, will try to add her to 11 MVC Championships in her last MVC meet.
Freshman, Mariah Garcia stands sixth in the discus throw. Garcia, who shattered the Shockers discus throw record in each of her first three meets, will try to win her first conference championship.
Tanya Friesen, the fifth ranked heptathlete in the NCAA, will try to win her second consecutive MVC Outdoor Heptathlon Championship. Friesen will also contend for the MVC title in the high jump, the long jump, and the javelin.
The Shocker women also return two-time MVC High Jump Champion, J'Lynn Ledesma, 2012 MVC 400m Hurdles Champion, Natalie Morerod, and 2012 MVC Outdoor Pole Vault Champion, Cassie Craig.
MVC coaches predicted a second place finish for the Shocker men. On the men's side the Shockers are expected to score big points in the decathlon, the high jump, and the distance events.
Austin Bahner, the 2013 MVC Indoor Heptathlon Champion, will try to win his first outdoor championship. Bahner leads the Valley Decathlon standings and ranks 14th in the nation in the event. Fellow decathletes, Tobias Boese, Mac Griffith, and Justin Hickey have each earned All-MVC honors during their careers.
The Shockers enter the conference meet with the top three high jumpers in the Valley. Zach Budda leads the Valley with a jump of 6-11 ¾. Garrett Lynch posted the second highest jump of the season (6-11). MVC Indoor High Jump Champion, Kerry Graber (6-9) will try to sweep the event in 2013.
In the distance events, the Shockers are led by 2012 3,000m Steeplechase Champion, Tomas Cotter. Cotter ranks first in the Valley in the 3,000m Steeplechase and ranks second in the 1,500m run.
Ryan Hocker won the 2013 MVC Indoor 800m Championship. The junior also has the fastest 800m time in the Valley during the outdoor season (1:51.46)
Two-time All-MVC 800m runner, Jake Wike will try to capture the MVC Championship in his last conference meet. Like Wike, three-time all-conference triple jumper Courtney Reinke will try end her career with her first MVC title.
Keep up along with the Shockers all weekend long as they try to capture a pair of conference titles with the live results link. Follow Wichita State Track & Field on Twitter @wichitast_tfxc for live updates of the meet.
Hear Coach Rainbolt's speech to his team by clicking on the video below.
-Wichita State-
