NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University men’s and women’s track and field teams kick off their indoor season in January as the Bruins announced their 2024-25 indoor and outdoor schedules on Dec. 11.
The women’s indoor track and field team was picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Bruins received 97 points in the preseason poll. Last season, the team also placed fourth at the MVC Indoor Championship, earning nine podium finishes.
The men’s indoor track and field team was selected to finish seventh in the MVC preseason poll, after placing seventh at last year’s indoor championship. The Bruins received 50 points in the poll. Last season, Carter Cheeseman made history for Belmont by winning the 5,000m, marking the program’s first-ever MVC Indoor top finish.
The Bruins will open their 2024-25 campaign at the Vanderbilt Commodore Indoor Invite in Nashville on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10-11. This will be the first of three meets Belmont will compete in at Vanderbilt this season.
The following weekend, Belmont will remain in Nashville for the Vanderbilt Invitational, held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 17-18.
On Jan. 31-Feb. 1, the Bruins will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.
Belmont returns to Vanderbilt for the final time on the indoor schedule on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15, for the Indoor Music City Challenge.
The MVC Indoor Championships will take place in Chicago, Illinois, on March 2-3, followed by the NCAA Indoor National Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on March 14-15.
Last season, the women’s outdoor track and field team placed fourth at the MVC Outdoor Championship, earning 12 podium finishes, including nine gold medals. Senior Kaitlyn Vanderkolk returns after winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m at last year’s championship. Rebekah Stucker also returns for her senior season, coming off a dominant performance in the shot put, discus and hammer throw, where she claimed first place in all three events.
The men’s outdoor track and field team placed sixth at the 2023 championship meet, with six podium finishes, including three first-place performances. Cheeseman continued his dominance by winning the 5,000m and 10,000m, while Kevin Vanderkolk secured gold in the steeplechase.
The Bruins will begin their 2025 outdoor season at the Yellow Jacket Invite in Atlanta on March 21-22.
One week later, on March 27-29, Belmont will travel to the Raleigh Relays, a cornerstone of the Bruins’ schedule that consistently draws top competition from across the country.
The Boston-Moon Classic, hosted by Tennessee State University, returns to the Bruins’ schedule for the first time since 2015, taking place April 11-12.
On April 16-18, Belmont plans to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, one of the most prestigious meets of the season. Last year, Kaitlyn Vanderkolk set a program record in the 5,000m with a time of 16:02.40, while Alexa Fortman broke the program record in the 800m with a personal best of 2:10.34.
The Bruins will compete in Nashville for the final time this season at the Outdoor Music City Challenge, hosted by Vanderbilt, on May 2-3. The team will then travel to Carbondale, Illinois, for the MVC Outdoor Championships, hosted by Southern Illinois, on May 16-18.
Postseason competition continues with the NCAA Preliminary First Round, hosted by the University of North Florida at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 28-31.
The season concludes with NCAA Outdoor Nationals, hosted by the University of Oregon at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11-14.
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