The Wayne State College men's indoor track and field team was picked ninth in the 2025-26 NSIC Men's Preseason Coaches' Poll released Thursday by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota.  The 'Cats collected 42 points in voting conducted by league coaches.  Sophomore sprinter Mitchell Hupp and junior jumper Cain Brown were listed as Wayne State Athletes to Watch this season.
            14-time defending champion Minnesota State was tabbed as this year's team to beat in NSIC men's indoor track and field garnering 121 points and 11 of 12 first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for own team).  University of Mary was second at 106 points with Augustana coming in third at 101 points and the remaining first-place vote.  MSU Moorhead (95) and Northern State (79) rounded out the top five teams.
            Sioux Falls came in sixth at 68 points with Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth tied for seventh with 59 points.  Wayne State was ninth (42) with Southwest Minnesota State (27), Minot State (21) and Jamestown (16) filling out the coaches' poll.
            Hupp, a sophomore sprinter from Stanton (Stanton HS), was selected as the Wildcat Track Athlete to Watch this year.  As a freshman last season he was sixth in the 200-meter dash at the NSIC Indoor Championships in 21.95 seconds and ran a leg on the seventh-place 4 x 400-meter relay team.  Hupp also set a new WSC school record in the 200-meter dash last season in 21.61 seconds. 
            Brown, a junior high jumper from Williamsburg, Iowa and a transfer from Iowa Western Community College, was listed as the Wildcat Field Athlete to Watch.  Last season he earned NJCAA All-American honors placing seventh in the high jump clearing 6' 8 ¼".    
            Wayne State College is scheduled to open the 2026 indoor track and field season this afternoon (Friday) hosting the WSC Wildcat Opener at Dr. Ron Holt Track and Field in the Wildcat Dome with field events starting at 2 p.m. and running events starting at 3:15 p.m.