KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The MIAA has released the 2025-26 Preseason Indoor Track & Field Coaches Polls, announced Thursday (Dec. 4) by the league office. The Fort Hays State women are slotted seventh, while the men are ranked eighth in the preseason poll.
 
Both Tiger squads placed seventh at last season's MIAA Indoor Championships, with both the men and women claiming three All-MIAA honors each.
 
The women return all of their all-conference performers from last year's indoor season, including Annabeth Baalmann who finished second in the pole vault and Emily Diercks-McCullough who finished second in the 5,000m run and third in the 3,000m run. The men return a pair of runners from last year's third-place 4x400m relay team in Avrey Albright and Drew Tolar.
 
The Tigers will kick off the season at a pair of meets this weekend. FHSU will send its multi-athletes to Pittsburg, Kan. on Friday (Dec. 5) for the Boo Rogers Combined Events, while the rest of the squad heads to Topeka, Kan. on Saturday (Dec. 6) for the WU Alumni Invitational.
 
Head coach Dr. Jason McCullough is entering his ninth season as head track and field coach in the 2025-26 season. His athletes have won five NCAA Division II National Championships and 36 MIAA Championships in that time in addition to 84 All-American honors and 128 All-MIAA performances. School records have been broken 103 times over the last eight seasons. In addition, his teams have earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award each of the last eight seasons.
 
2025-26 MIAA MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Pittsburg State [9] – 81 points 
2. Northwest Missouri – 70 points
3. Washburn – 63 points
4. Missouri Southern [1] – 59 points
5. Central Missouri – 46 points
6. Emporia State – 42 points
7. Nebraska Kearney – 32 points
8. Fort Hays State – 31 points
T9. Missouri Western – 13 points
T9. Rogers State – 13 points
[#] - Number of First Place Selections
 
2025-26 MIAA WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Pittsburg State [10] – 100 points
2. Northwest Missouri – 88 points
3. Washburn [1] – 84 points
4. Missouri Southern – 74 points
5. Central Missouri – 58 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 57 points
7. Fort Hays State – 49 points
8. Central Oklahoma – 25 points
T9. Emporia State – 24 points
T9. Missouri Western – 24 points
11. Rogers State – 21 points 
[#] - Number of First Place Selections