KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Stokes Stadium and the Kenneth Gardner Track will host the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference Track & Field Championships starting on Thursday and running through Saturday. This is the second time Truman State has hosted the meet featuring some of the top student-athletes in Division II.
 
The meet is scheduled to start with the men's Decathlon and women's Heptathlon on Thursday around 2 p.m. along with the first field event, the men's and women's Hammer Throw. The first final on the track will take place on Thursday evening with the 10,000-meter runs.
 
Friday will see action begin with the conclusion of the multi-events starting at 9 a.m., field events kicking off at 1 p.m. and running events starting at 3:30 p.m.
 
Saturday's schedule will start also at 9 a.m. for field events and finals on the track begin at noon. The closing ceremonies are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
 
Tickets must be purchased digitally through the GLVC ticking partner Hometown Tickets. Prices for Thursday are $7.50 while Friday and Saturday are $15.00 per person and $5.00 for students.
 
Missouri S&T and Lewis (Ill.) are the defending champions on the men's and women's side respectively. The Miners have won the last three men's championships with Lewis being the runner-up in the last two. Missouri S&T has won seven outdoor championships, tied with the University of Indianapolis for most by a men's program.
 
Lewis has been the dominant program on the women's side as they have won 13 championships and seven straight. Indianapolis was the runner-up last year.
 
Individually, UIndy's Zoe Pentecost is ranked first in Division II in the women's Hammer Throw. She won the national championship during the indoor season in the Weight Throw. Her season mark of 61.94 meters would top the current GLVC outdoor record that she broke last season of 59.21 meters.
 
The men's Hammer Throw will feature two all-Americans from the indoor season Weight Throw and four individuals that have NCAA provisional marks. Lewis' Levi Graham was third in the indoor season and is second on the performance list behind Missouri S&T's Jacob Luebbert. Truman's Jacob Morris and Missouri S&T and Kirksville native Owen Fraser are also among those to watch.
 
Morris and Fraser are both in the top 10 nationally in the Discus Throw, with Morris having the third-best mark this season and Fraser at 10^th. Both marks came last weekend at the Drake Relays. Morris is the defending champion in the Discus from last season.  Fraser has the top seed mark in the men's Shot Put.
 
Other notables include UIndy's Sabrina Robison has the top mark and was an All-American in the women's indoor Pole Vault. Southwest Baptist's Collinique Farrington was an All-American in the women's indoor 200-meter dash and is ranked 11^th nationally in the outdoor season. The Bearcat's Parker Love has the fifth fastest time this season at 20.72 seconds.
 
The GLVC Outdoor meet was last held at Stokes Stadium and Kirksville in 2019 with 14 stadium records broken throughout the competition.