KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Truman State University men's track and field team returns several conference scorers as the Bulldogs prepare to open the 2026-27 indoor season on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic in Maryville, Missouri.

Truman placed seventh with 27 points at last season's Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships before finishing sixth at the GLVC Outdoor Championships.

Head coach Leslie Hardesty's Bulldogs were selected eighth in the GLVC indoor preseason coaches' poll. Truman will compete in six regular-season meets before returning to Indianapolis for the conference championships on Feb. 27-28.

Multi-Events Lead Returning Scorers

The heptathlon produced 12 of Truman's 27 points at last season's indoor conference championships, and two of the Bulldogs' three scorers return.

Sophomore Gavin Pike placed fifth with a personal-best 4,167 points during his first collegiate indoor season. He continued his development outdoors by placing fourth in the GLVC decathlon with 6,011 points. His outdoor performance included a 1.84-meter high jump and a time of 51.99 seconds in the 400 meters.

Senior Nicholas Fuess finished seventh in the indoor heptathlon with a personal-best 3,563 points. He added a sixth-place finish in the outdoor decathlon with 4,944 points.

Pike and Fuess will lead the multi-event group following the graduation of Hayden Long, who earned All-GLVC honors with a third-place heptathlon finish before winning the outdoor decathlon championship.

Howard and McMullin Return After Scoring Performances

Sophomore Brandon Howard scored three points at the indoor conference championships by placing sixth in the 60-meter dash. Howard completed the final in 6.94 seconds.

He later advanced to the outdoor 100-meter final after recording a preliminary time of 10.42 seconds, the fifth-fastest qualifying performance in the field.

Senior Max McMullin returns after scoring in the high jump. McMullin cleared a personal-best 1.98 meters to place seventh at the indoor championships.

Sophomore Alex Marberry provides additional experience in the sprints after competing in the 100 and 400 meters at the outdoor conference meet. He ran 49.64 seconds in the 400-meter preliminaries and 10.96 in the 100.

Junior Trevor Norman returns in the hurdles after representing Truman in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles.

Three Distance Medley Relay Runners Return

Truman returns three members of the distance medley relay that placed seventh and scored two points at last season's indoor championships.

Juniors Michael Bottary and Brycen Compton join senior Nolan Meara from the group that completed the relay in 10:36.23.

Meara later placed fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the outdoor conference championships with a time of 9:21.80.

Bottary competed in the outdoor 800 meters and finished in 2:00.58. Sophomore Wyatt Gustafson led Truman's entrants in the event with a time of 1:57.16, while senior Willem Hummel finished in 1:57.87.

Sophomore Jacob Snyder also returns after competing in the outdoor 10,000 meters. Several members of the group competed during the fall cross country season, providing a competitive base entering indoor track.

Throws Group Replaces All-GLVC Performer

Truman must replace Tyler Davis, who earned All-GLVC honors by placing second in the indoor shot put with a personal-best mark of 16.10 meters.

Junior Justin McKim provides the group with returning conference scoring experience. McKim placed eighth in the shot put at the outdoor championships with a throw of 14.82 meters.

Sophomore Carl Aaron enters his second indoor season after placing third in the outdoor discus with a mark of 43.92 meters. Aaron also competed in the hammer throw during his freshman season.

Senior Chase Beebe, junior Dominic Novotny and sophomores Tucker Harvey and Ethan Morris provide additional depth in the throws.

Junior Aidan Hayes returns after winning the GLVC outdoor javelin championship with a throw of 61.43 meters. Although the javelin is not contested indoors, Hayes enters the year as one of Truman's returning conference champions.

Sophomore Gus Lawler adds experience in the pole vault after placing ninth at the outdoor championships with a clearance of 4.02 meters.

Newcomers Add Depth Throughout the Roster

Truman's large freshman class will have opportunities to establish roles during the opening portion of the schedule.

The newcomers include Luke Amelunke, Asher Applegate, Jay Arnold, Eric AuBuchon, Forrest Cason, Max Chapman, Braydon Cooper, Michael Doyle, Lincoln Herring, Dawson Hoffman, Caleb Martin, Michael Minor, Aaron Morehead, Noah Phillips, Camden Pirrung, Josiah Regehr, Will Wagner-Yates, Isaiah Wales, Matthew Waltman and Hunter Wells.

The Bulldogs have four meets before February, giving the newcomers and returning athletes several opportunities to establish marks before the championship portion of the season.

Bulldogs Selected Eighth in GLVC Poll

Truman received 64 points and was selected eighth in the GLVC preseason coaches' poll.

Defending conference champion Indianapolis received seven first-place votes and led the poll with 138 points. Lewis followed with 137 points and five first-place votes. Missouri S&T received the remaining first-place vote and tied Lincoln for third with 116 points.
 

2026-27 GLVC Men's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll

Indoor Season Opens Dec. 12

Truman begins the season at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic on Saturday, Dec. 12, in Maryville.

After the semester break, the Bulldogs resume competition at the Dutch Athletic Classic on Jan. 16 in Pella, Iowa. Truman then travels to Jacksonville, Illinois, for the IC Snowbird Invite on Jan. 23.

The Bulldogs return to Pella for the Dutch Winter Multi on Jan. 28-29. The meet will provide Truman's multi-event athletes with a dedicated competition before the championship stretch.

Truman will compete twice more in Maryville, beginning with the Bearcat Invite on Feb. 5-6. The Bulldogs return for the NW Tune-Up on Feb. 18 in their final scheduled competition before the conference championships.

The GLVC Indoor Championships will take place Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27-28, at the University of Indianapolis. Qualifying athletes will advance to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 11-13 in Birmingham, Alabama.
 

2026-27 Truman Men's Indoor Track and Field Schedule