The Illinois Springfield women's track and field team travels to Allendale, Mich. this weekend to compete in the GVSU Big Meet, one of the premier indoor meets in the country. Hosted annually by Grand Valley State for more than a decade, the two-day event brings together more than 1,000 athletes. Events are held inside the Kelly Family Sports Center, a facility featuring a 300-meter indoor track.

UIS will be represented across sprints, middle distance, distance, and field events, with a large group competing in multiple race distances.

In the middle-distance events, Kali Gaden leads a group in the 600m and will also compete in the 800m. Ava Allison and Audrey Wagoner are also entered in middle-distance races, while senior Maddie Miller-Ross is entered in the 800m. Marissa Roggensack will compete in the mile to lead UIS in that event.

The Prairie Stars bring strong depth in the distance races, particularly in the 3,000m and 5,000m. The 5,000m lineup includes Mackenzie Billard, Emily Lepp, Olivia Thomsen, and Josslyn Gaona. UIS will also have a large presence in the 3,000m with Billard, Thomsen, Allison Thompson, Roggensack, and Lepp all entered, along with Miller-Ross.

In the sprints, Addison Wittenberg and Madelyn Festerling will represent UIS in the 60m and 200m, while Wagoner and Allison are also entered in the 400m.

UIS will also be represented in the field events, with Festerling competing in the long jump and Giovanna Yurevich entered in the shot put.

Follow Along
The meet will be streamed on FloTrack, with live results available through FSTiming.

Fans can also reference the meet hub, which includes the schedule of events, meet records, and additional information.