ALLENDALE, Mich. – The postseason is upon us, and Grand Valley State's track and field teams are poised for an exciting championship season. Tomorrow, 60 Lakers will begin day one of competition at the 2026 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships. The two-day event is hosted by Saginaw Valley State with events taking place in the Ryder Center located on campus in University Center, Mich.
 
Schedule of Events
Performance List
Live Results
Watch Live on FloCollege
Tickets
 
The men's team is in the hunt for their 25th GLIAC Indoor Championship title. A 2026 conference title for GVSU would be their ninth consecutive since 2018. The women are looking to win their 27th consecutive title since 2000.
 
Last season, the men won their 24th indoor conference title, outscoring runner-up Saginaw Valley State 256-93 for the highest point total in program history. The women's team won their 26th title, leading Wayne State 256-88. Lakers were named individual or relay champions in 12 men's and 11 women's events.
 
Both men's and women's team enter the postseason ranked first in the GLIAC and Midwest Region. Nationally, the men and women find themselves at No. 1 and No. 2 in NCAA Division II, respectively, according to the latest rankings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). 
 
Four GVSU athletes rank first in the nation with season-bests in their respective events. Erika Beistle ranks first in shot put with her NCAA Division II record throw (18.26m / 59-11), Brooke Bowers leads with a program record-tying 4.35m (14-3.25) pole vault, Marcus Gelpi ranks No. 1 with a season-best 2.18m (7-1.75) high jump and Joshua Page leads in the 400m with a NCAA DII No. 3 All-Time finish at 45.77. All four will compete at this weekend's conference championships.
 
The Lakers begin competition at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday as four women take the cage in weight throw. Shelby Ulven, Emily Stinson, Kennedy Jackson and Sofiabella Amirante compete in flight two. Following the completion of the women's event, Sebastian Tesch, Brandon Schirck, Michael Griffey and Lucas Lesher throw in flight two of men's weight throw. The women's and men's quads both occupy the first through fourth seeds in weight throw.
 
Women's long jump, men's pole vault and men's long jump will begin at 3 p.m. Alaina Diaz, Nyla Reed and Kaitlyn Molnar compete for the Laker ladies in long jump while Luke Jelderks, Alec Crum and Andrew Kraft represent the men. All six compete in flight two of their respective event.
 
Representing the Lakers in men's pole vault are Dolan Gonzales (5.35m / 17-6.5), Brock Bryant (5.16m / 16-11), Sam Paeth (5.16m / 16-11) and Cam Battjes (4.97m / 16-3.5). The four rank first through fourth in competition.
 
Beginning at 3:35 p.m., athletes will compete in the 60m hurdles (3:35 p.m.), 400m (4 p.m.), 60m dash (4:30 p.m.) and 200m (5:50 p.m.) preliminary events. Should they finish first in their heat or in the top nine overall, they will advance to the finals round of their respective event on Sunday.
 
Sandwiched in between the prelims is the women's and men's 5000m. Abigail VanderKooi (16:28.32), Abby Olson (16:54.36), Maggie O'Malley (17:09.67) and Maria Widmann (17:15.88) will race in heat two of the event. Following the women, Iain Forrest (14:34.23) will race in heat one for the men.
 
Grand Valley State closes out day one of competition with the women's distance medley relay (DMR) at 6:20 p.m. Katrina Sandman is expected to run the first 1200m before passing the baton to Destini Dorkins, who will run the next 400m. Lilly Alberts and Landyn Howell will close out the 4000m relay, splitting the 800m and 1600m legs.
 
Fans can watch the 2026 GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships by purchasing tickets at the door or in advance at svsucardinals.com. Fans can also tune in on FloCollege or follow along with live results provided by Fairchild Sports Timing on Athletic.net.
 
Be sure to follow @GVSUXCTF on Instagram and X and GVSU CC and TF on Facebook for photos, live updates and more. A story recapping day one of the championships and previewing what's in store for day two will be posted to gvsulakers.com following the conclusion of the day's events.