ALLENDALE, Mich. –  The Grand Valley State men's and women's track and field teams prepare to host the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday - Sunday, Feb. 26 -27.  The Laker women are looking to claim their 23^rd consecutive GLIAC Indoor Championship, the Laker men have won 20 non-consecutive Indoor Championships since 2000.  The Laker men and women enter the meet ranked second in all of Division II. 
 
The GLIAC Championships are schedule to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday with the women's pentathlon. Running events will begin at 3:35 p.m. with the women's 60m hurdles, and field events will begin at 3:00pm with the women's weight throw, women's long jump, and men's pole vault. The men's heptathlon will kick-off day two on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., followed by field events at 10:30 a.m. and running events at 12:15 p.m.
 Schedule of Events (pdf)
Live Stats – (Saturday & Sunday) 
 
Get Tickets ($10 - Adults, $7 – 55+, $5 - Youth 3-17 /per day) 
Saturday – Day One 
Sunday – Day Two 

Watch Live
Saturday (3:35pm)
Sunday (12:15pm)
 
Starting off the field events on Saturday, the women's weight throw will be taken on by Judith Essemiah and Alaina Omondoe. Essemiah is ranked first in the DII Nation as one of only two women to have thrown past 20m this season. Essemiah won the 2021 GLIAC Indoor Championships crown with a distance of 19.99m. Omonode looks to improve upon her eighth place finish in 2021 with a distance of 16.59m. She has already shown huge improvements in her strength and skill throughout the 2022 season throwing a personal-best distance of 18.94m just two-weeks ago and is sitting at 16^th in the Nation. Omonode will also be competing in the shot put event where she is ranked 31^st with a distance of 13.76m. 
 
The Laker women had five athletes this season put past the NCAA DII provisional mark of 13.70m, the most qualified from any DII school. Emma Richards leads the way for the team ranked fourth in the Nation with a distance of 15.23m, freshman Mackenzie Bohrer ended the regular season ranked 16^th in the Nation with a distance of 14.43m. Elizabeth Pyles (20^th) and Rette Thorns (34^th) will also be competing in their final attempt to make it up the list into Nationals.
 
In the men's throws, Myles Kerner is favored to win the shot put event and be a top three finisher in weight throw. In all of DII, Kerner is ranked third in shot put with a distance of 19.29m, and eighth in the weight throw (19.90m). Teammate Hunter Harding started the season off strong securing his spot as fifth in the weight throw event with a distance of 20.08m. Matt Thomas is 10^th in shot put with a distance of 17.80m. 
 
 Jumpers Eli Kosiba and Jonathan Rankins-James enter the championship season both being ranked within the top five in the Nation. Kosiba and Rankins-James pushed each other to new heights at the Big Meet -Friday two weeks ago with Kosiba clearing 2.19m and Rankins-James 2.15m. Elli Kimes and Carly Livingston are ranked in the top 10 in women's pole vault with Kimes ranked second (4.16m) and Livingston eighth (4.06m).  Kimes has a personal-best height of 4.21m cleared at the 2020 GLIAC Indoor Championships where she placed first, Livingston was second. Kimes also won the 2021 GLIAC Indoor Championships.
 
Distance runners, Isaac Harding and Tanner Chada are scheduled to compete in the men's 3000m. Harding starts the championship season ranked ninth in the 3000m (8:00.43) and fifth in the 5000m (13:41.78). Chada is ranked sixth in the 5000m (13:45.19) and 19^th in the 3000m (8:06.50). Chada currently sits just three spots outside the top 16 for Nationals. 
 
Ranked third in the women's mile (4:44.97) and 3000m (9:23.65), Klaudia O'Malley will be competing in both events where she is seeded as the number one athlete in the GLIAC. O'Malley will also run anchor in the distance medley relay. The women's DMR team finished first at the GVSU Big Meet-Saturday with a time of 11:31.14 ranking second in all of DII. 
 
Hannah Becker will also be competing in the 3000m and DMR. Becker has only competed once this season in both events but has finished strong enough in the 3000m to be ranked 12^th in DII (9:35.42) and seeded second at the GLIAC Championships. Taryn Chapko will also be running in the DMR as well as the 800m. In the 800m, Chapko is eighth with a time of 2:10.03 and is less than seven seconds from first. Competing in the mile and looking to safely secure her spot, Allie Ludge is ranked 15^th in the Nation with a time of 9:27.95. 
 
John Groendyk will lead the Laker men in the 800m race as the number one seed. Groendyk is ranked 11^th in DII with a time of 1:50.41. Groendyk will also be running anchor in the men's 4x400m relay. In the 400m, Caelon Harkey is a favorite to win the conference title being ranked 15^th in the Nation (48.11).
 
Jumping the hurdles will be Makiyah Smallwood and Jackson Blanchard. Smallwood ran a personal-best time at the Big Meet-Friday clocking in at 7.93 (5^th in DII). Blanchard is 12^th with a time of 8.03. Smallwood and Blanchard placed second and third in 2021. 
 
Spectators are welcome to attend the event and may purchase tickets online. Tickets may be purchased on-site, however, please note earlier this year GVSU adopted a cashless system. Debit/Credit, and touch-less payments (Apple Pay) are accepted. A cash to card machine is available just outside the GVSU Laker Store.