MOUNT VERNON – On the heels of Cornell's first Midwest Conference men's indoor track & field championship since 1989, coach Jerry Monner's Rams are projected to be back in the title mix this season.
 
Cornell is picked as the favorite to repeat in the 2025-26 MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 53 points and two first-place votes. The Rams have close company at the top with Monmouth in second (52 points) and Grinnell third (51 points).  
 
"My goal every year is to compete for conference championships," said Monner, entering his fourth season at the helm. "It's tough to win year in and year out. It was a really close team race at indoors last year, and I expect the same this year."
 
Cornell's women are tabbed fifth in the MWC Poll, albeit only four points out of second place. Grinnell is at the top with 53 points, followed by Illinois College and Ripon in a tie for second (50), Monmouth (47) and the Rams (46).
 
The Rams open indoor competition Friday at the Cornell Winter Classic, which includes Luther and Culver-Stockton. Field events start at 4:30 p.m. and running at 6:30 p.m.
 
Cornell's men's and women's teams have established 34 school records since Monner's arrival, many belonging to athletes on the current roster.
 
The men bring back one of the nation's elite distance runners in senior Isaac vanWestrienen, a seven-time MWC champion who collected three all-America track & field awards in 2025. He placed third at the NCAA Cross Championships Nov. 22.
 
"Isaac will be a heavy hitter for us once again this year at the conference and national levels," Monner said.
 
VanWestrienen, who captured five MWC titles in 2025, is among nine returning all-conference performers on the men's side. Sophomores Isaac Morris and Jamie Briggs ran on last year's MWC indoor championship distance medley relay.
 
Junior Jensen Meeker, the school-record holder in the indoor 400, recorded five all-conference finishes during an impressive first season with the Rams. Junior Hadley Beaty holds the program record in the long jump. Sophomore Ike Claussen-Tubbs was runner-up in the outdoor high jump.
 
Jaxin McGuire, Chase Staker and Dalles Hernandez were members on all-conference relays a season ago. Junior newcomer Jake Bach will bolster the distance events as a 2025 NCAA qualifier in cross country.
 
Cornell's women also bring back star power, led by a pair of eight-time MWC champions in seniors Hailey Carolan and Ava Claussen-Tubbs. Carolan is a four-time all-American in the high jump and has claimed six MWC titles in her specialty event.
 
Claussen-Tubbs is the defending MWC champion in the 800 (indoors and outdoors) and outdoor 1500. She was also on the winning indoor sprint medley relay that returns all four members with Carolan, junior Willow Ziegler and sophomore Alexa Hugart.
 
Ziegler is the reigning MWC champion in the indoor and outdoor 400.
 
Sophomore Lidia Dahlman heads the distance crew, following a terrific cross country season in which she was crowned MWC champion and qualified for nationals. She was outdoor runner-up in the 5000 last year. Alyza Koppes and Carley are returning all-conference medalists in distance events.
 
Cornell begins the 2026 portion of its schedule Jan. 24 with its home Hilltop Invitational. The MWC Indoor Championships are Feb. 27-28 in Grinnell.