MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's record-breaking indoor season positions the Rams for many medals this weekend at the Midwest Conference Track & Field Championships, held at Grinnell's Bear Recreation and Athletic Center.
 
Action begins with field events at 1 p.m. Friday and resumes at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Fans can follow along via live video and live results.  
 
The top three finishers in each event earn all-conference status.
 
Cornell is the defending men's team champion and seeded first in seven events. The Rams scored 120 points last year – their highest total since 1988 – in a tight team battle to the end. Grinnell is expected to be the top challenger this weekend.   
 
The Rams are led by seven-time MWC individual champion Isaac vanWestrienen, who swept the mile, 3000 and 5000 at last year's indoor meet. The senior distance star will go after his third consecutive titles in the 3000 (8:03.81) and 5000 (14:07.22), carrying the MWC's fastest times in both.
 
VanWestrienen will also contend in the mile, where junior teammate Jake Bach holds the top mark (4:14.16). Bach enters third in the 3000 (8:31.84).
 
Junior Hadley Beaty has broken program records in the 60 (6.92), 200 (22.01) and long jump (23-0.75). He owns the MWC's top mark in the long jump, while ranking third in the 200 and fourth in the 60.
 
The Rams are primed for a bevy of points in the 400 with Chase Staker (first, 49.82), Jensen Meeker (third, 50.33) and Jaxin McGuire (fourth, 50.55). The sprint medley relay (3:35.06) and school-record 4x400 relay (3:22.23) have clocked the fastest times in the MWC this season.
 
In the men's field events, sophomore Ike Claussen-Tubbs is seeded second in the high jump (6-3.50). Brody Williams is fifth in the weight throw (54-6.75).
 
Cornell's women feature a pair of decorated senior MWC indoor champions in five-timer Hailey Carolan and four-timer Ava Claussen-Tubbs. Carolan takes aim at a fourth consecutive title in the high jump, where she is seeded second (5-5.25).
 
Claussen-Tubbs is a two-time defending champion in the 800, entering with a school-record mark of 2:14.77. Claussen-Tubbs and Carolan ran on last year's winning sprint medley, which also returns sophomore Alexa Hugart.
 
First-year Jayda Carnes is the top seed in the 400 (59.91). Senior Alyza Koppes is ranked third in the 3000 (10:27.80) and 5000 (18:04.43), while sitting fourth in the mile (5:09.17). Claussen-Tubbs ranks fifth in the mile (5:11.14).
 
Carolan (9.89) and freshman Cora Talbert (9.91) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 60 hurdles. Sophomore Lidia Dahlman, the 2025 MWC cross country champion, is fifth in both the 3000 (10:32.75) and 5000 (18:31.32).
 
Cornell's women placed fifth in last year's team race with 79 points.