(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 9) — The McKendree University track and field teams return to action this weekend for the first time in two weeks in Pittsburg, KS at the Gorilla Classic, hosted by Pittsburg State University. The two-day event begins at 2 p.m. Friday, before wrapping up Saturday evening.

Senior Donovan Friscia (Jacksonville, FL/Bartram Trail) and sophomore Demontez McCray (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) will kick things off for the men's team that currently ranks eighth in the Midwest Region, starting in the 60-meter as the duo looks to improve on their times that currently hold the top two spots in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season. McCray will also run in the 200-meter on the same track that he earned All-American status at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 21.62 seconds.  McCray will be joined by Friscia along with juniors Kevin Witcik (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) and Alexis Palmer (Parkland, FL/Nova), as well as sophomore Tyree Allen (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest).

Sophomore trio Andrew Gardewine (Effingham, IL/Effingham), Ryan Krause (Troy, IL/Triad), and Trevor White (Highland, IL/Highland) will each compete in their main event, the 800-meter as they look to move up the GLVC rankings. Fellow sophomores Tyler Manion (Granite City, IL/Granite City), Joe Shannon (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), and junior Benjamin Richter (Troy, IL/Triad) will each take part in their primary distance events as Shannon takes his shot in the mile run, while Manion and Richter race in the 3,000-meter.

White, Gardewine, Shannon, and sophomore Tyler Johnson (South Holland, IL/St. Rita) will return to the track as part of the Bearcats distance Medley team that sits fourth in the GLVC this season with a time of 10:27.59.

The McKendree 4x400-meter relay team will also enter competition with a squad of McCray, Johnson, Allen, and Gardewine.

In the field, junior Ryan Pearce (Villa Grove, IL/Villa Grove) will look to bolster his mark in the shot put, as he ranks second in the GLVC this season with a toss of 16.87-meters. Sophomore Chase Hagene (Nashville, IL/Nashville) and junior Harry Uyehara (Collinsville, IL/Collinsville) will join Pearce in the shot put and compete in the weight throw for Bearcats.

Sophomore Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) will take flight in the pole vault looking to beat his top mark of 4.36-meters that ranks him eighth in the league this season.

Sophomore Lafayette Waters (Murrieta, CA/Murrieta Valley) will take his shot in the long jump where he currently ranks eighth in the GLVC with a distance of 6.71-meters. Senior Deonte Andresen (Crystal Lake, IL/Edwardsville) and sophomore Coree Harrell (Bloomington, IL/Bloomington), who will compete on both the track and the field, will join him.

The women's team will be led by sophomore Quincy McSweeney (Eureka, IL/Eureka) who currently ranks seventh in the nation in the 800-meter will look to crack a top spot after competing in the 400-meter this weekend.

Junior Rebecca McKee (Morris, IL/Morris) will run in the 60-meter for McKendree looking to improve her team best time of 8.01 seconds that ranks sixth in the conference this season.

Sophomore Tatiana Nieves (Chicago, IL/Trinity) will look to move up the rankings in the 200-meter where she currently sits eighth with a time of 59.10 seconds.

McSweeney and Nieves will return together in the 4x400-meter relay along with junior Jordyn Looman (Centralia, IL/Centralia) and freshman Shayna Philips as they look to improve on the third best time in the GLVC after finishing in 3:56.63 back on Dec. 10.

The Bearcats distance medley team will also load up as they look to improve on their third ranked time of 12.24.64 this season with a team of McSweeney, Nieves, Philips, and senior Karis Johnson (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central).

In the field junior Ciara Jones (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon), who is coming off a GLVC Field Athlete of the Week performance, will compete in the triple jump where she ranks second in the conference with a distance of 11.78-meters. McKee who currently sits eighth in the league at 10.65-meters will join her.

Senior Cortesha Spencer (East St. Louis, IL/East St. Louis) who holds top ten marks in both the shot put (12.14-meters) and the weight throw (13.88-meters) will look to climb the rankings this weekend for McKendree. Junior Leah Kloss who also ranks in the top ten in the GLVC this season will join Spencer in the weight throw.