PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University men's and women's outdoor track & field teams will send athletes to the University of Arkansas John McDonnell Invitational Friday (Apr. 24). Action will get underway at 10:30 a.m. at John McDonnell Field.

The No. 2 ranked Pitt State women and No. 3 ranked Pitt State men will use the meet as a final tune-up before the 2026 MIAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held at the Gorillas' new track & field facility in Pittsburg May 1-3.

Pitt State athletes racked up 19 individual event victories and 42 NCAA qualifying marks last Sunday (Apr. 19) in the PSU Tune-Up Meet.

The Gorillas men claimed nine individual event wins highlighted by Grayson Smith's school record breaking clearance of 18 feet, 0.5 inches in the pole vault. Additional event winners were:  Trace Hanchett in the javelin (209-3), Jack Haukap in the hammer throw (227-4), Isaiah Webster in the triple jump (49-9.75), Liam Kirkpatrick in the 5,000 meters (15:32.03), Dylan Sprecker in the 1,500 meters (3:45.70), Ilias Garcia in the 100 meters (10.21), Eli Gilmore in the 800 meters (1:50.13) and the 4x400m relay (Xavier Carmichael, Woyn Chatman, Logan Davis, Nate Watson), 3:08.34.

The Pitt State women scored individual wins by:  Brooklyn Baker in the long jump (20-2.5), Alycia Cosens in the javelin (154-1), Bethany Umbarger in the high jump (5-9.75), the 4x100m relay of Isabel Abdouch, Kiara Brown, Nikole Cozort and Blakelee Winn (45.88), Kelsey Bruening in the 1,500 meters (4:37.86), Zyra Shivers in the 100-meter hurdles (13.30), Brown in the 100 meters (11.69), Mikah Edwards in the 400 meters (55.26), Jakayla Morgan in the 400-meter hurdles (1:03.32) and the 4x400m relay of Abdouch, Brown, Cozort and Edwards (3:44.04).