KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The Truman State 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, according to Truman State Athletics.
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 with 64 points. Defending conference champion Indianapolis led the poll with 138 points and seven first-place votes, followed by Lewis with 137 points.
The heptathlon produced 12 of Truman’s 27 points at last season’s indoor championships, and two of the Bulldogs’ three scorers return. Sophomore Gavin Pike placed fifth with a personal-best 4,167 points, and senior Nicholas Fuess finished seventh with 3,563. They lead the multi-event group after the graduation of Hayden Long, who earned All-GLVC honors with a third-place heptathlon finish.
Sophomore Brandon Howard scored three points by placing sixth in the 60-meter dash in 6.94 seconds, and senior Max McMullin cleared a personal-best 1.98 meters to place seventh in the high jump. Juniors Michael Bottary and Brycen Compton and senior Nolan Meara return from the distance medley relay that placed seventh in 10:36.23 and scored two points.
Truman must replace Tyler Davis, who earned All-GLVC honors by placing second in the indoor shot put at 16.10 meters. Junior Aidan Hayes returns as the GLVC outdoor javelin champion with a throw of 61.43 meters, though the javelin is not contested indoors.
The Bulldogs return to Indianapolis for the GLVC Indoor Championships on Feb. 27-28.
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