It’s day one of the Missouri Valley Conference indoor track & field meet at Gately Park in Chicago and the Panthers will look to 2020 Greene County High School graduate Carter Morton to score more than a few points. Morton, from Jefferson, is in the heptathlon today and tomorrow, which is seven events. On top of that, the plan is for him to compete in the open pole vault, high jump, and long jump. Needless to say, that will be one busy young man.

Morton has an an outstanding indoor campaign, capturing MVC Field Athlete of the Week honors, as well as being named one of January’s Athletes of the Month by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at UNI. Morton’s 5,350 points from Jan. 21 at the Jennett Open at UNI in Cedar Falls is the top score in the Valley so far this season. The Panthers have the four of the top five heptathletes in the conference heading into Sunday’s action.

2021 Paton-Churdan graduate Danielle Hoyle competes for Iowa State University and she set a personal best Friday inside the Lied Student Recreation Center in Ames at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Hoyle tossed the 20 lbs. weight 59′ 10’1/4″ and finished in eleventh place.