PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's and women's indoor track & field teams will host the 11th Annual Russ Jewett Indoor Gorilla Classic Friday and Saturday (Feb. 13-14) at the Robert W. Plaster Center.

Friday's action will start at 2 p.m. (CST) with events going off until 8:30 p.m. Day two action gets underway at Noon Saturday. More than 1,200 athletes from 49 schools from the junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I ranks will join the Gorillas in the competition. All MIAA foes, with the exception of Washburn, will compete in the meet.

Admission to each meet is $5 per day. Children 12 & under are free as are PSU students with I.D.
 
The Pitt State men slid one spot to No. 3 in the most recent NCAA Division II National Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI) released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Tuesday (Feb. 10), while the Pitt State women held firm at No. 1 in this week's TFRI.

The meet is named for legendary Pitt State head coach Russ Jewett, a 2025 inductee into the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches Hall of Fame.

Russ Jewett served for 35 years as the Gorillas head coach for men's and women's cross country and track & field from 1986-2021 after serving as an assistant coach from fall 1983 to spring 1986.

Jewett guided the PSU women to the 2016 NCAA-II Outdoor Track & Field National Championship and he led the PSU men to the 2018 NCAA-II Indoor Track & Field National Championship. In cross country, Jewett led the PSU women to 11 MIAA titles and 13 trips to the NCAA-II National Championships. The PSU men made five NCAA-II National Championships appearances.

In track & field, Jewett guided the Gorillas men to 13 MIAA outdoor titles and seven MIAA indoor crowns. He led the Pitt State women to 12 MIAA outdoor titles as well as eight MIAA indoor championships. In men's track & field, the Gorillas placed among the top 25 teams in NCAA-II in 24 outdoor seasons under Jewett (26 times, indoors). In women's track & field, PSU placed among the top 25 teams in NCAA-II 23 times outdoors (19 times, indoors).

He compiled 55 conference titles in the CSIC and the MIAA during his illustrious tenure. Jewett also coached more than 300 All-America performances including 36 individual event national champions.