Three weeks ago, Missouri State University announced that it had formally withdrawn from hosting the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships due to budgetary concerns and increased construction costs.
For the second time since 2015, MSU had accepted and later withdrawn as the hosts of the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The student-athletes on the track and field team were informed of the decision on Feb. 7 at a team meeting.
“This is like dejavu for us, and it is really embarrassing not only for the team, but for coach Ronald Boyce and for the university, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” senior Holly Pattie-Belleli said.