sprinter
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Spartan Track & Field will divide and attempt to conquer at four meets throughout the week, starting with the lucrative Mt. SAC Relays Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the Virginia Challenge, Jim Green Invite and Al Owens Classic at the weekend.
Decathletes Heath Baldwin and Ryan Talbot will make their multis season debuts at the Mt. SAC Relays, while the MSU travels to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Va. from Thursday through Saturday. The speed and power teams (sprints, throws and jumps) will compete at the Jim Green Invite in Lexington, Ky. on Friday and Saturday, with others going to battle in Allendale, Mich. for the Al Owens Classic on the same days.
It will be the first decathlon attempts for graduate students Baldwin and Talbot in efforts to record NCAA-qualifying scores. Baldwin, a national runner up in the heptathlon during the indoor season, is poised to break his school record decathlon score of 8,084 set at last year’s Mt. SAC Relays.
Season Headlines Review
Bryan Clay Invite – April 11-13 |Azusa, Calif. & JMU Invite – April 13 | Harrisonburg, Va.
Track & Field Continues Success with 10 wins at JMU, Women Set PR’s at Highly-Touted Bryan Clay
Michigan State Track and Field wrapped up a full weekend of action with 10 victories at the JMU Invite Saturday while three Spartans from the women’s distance team recorded solid marks at the highly-touted Bryan Clay Invite.
Representing the green and white at the Bryan Clay Invite in Azusa, Calif. junior Kate Stewart-Barnett in the 3000m Steeplechase Thursday and graduate student Katie Osika in the 5000m Friday both logged significant PR’s among talented competition.
Spartan Invite – April 5 | East Lansing, Mich.
Spartans Collect 15 Event Wins on Home Grounds
Graduating seniors contributed to several top performances at their final home meet, the Spartan Invite presented by Auto-Owners Insurance.
Spartans won 15 events on the day including nine of ten consecutive events to end the day, including three straight sweeps of the podium on the track at Ralph Young Field. 21 soon-to-be Spartan Track and Field graduates were recognized during the senior day celebrations.
Raleigh Relays – March 28-30| Raleigh, N.C.
Spartans in all Specialties Solid Throughout Raleigh Relays
At the competitive three-day Raleigh Relays, Spartans across all event specialties put together solid performances, starting with a throws team sweep of the shot put in the first events of day one.
Freshman Jessica Stieb kicked things off, winning the collegiate shot put at 15.99m. Sophomore Colby Morlock won the men’s shot put by over two feet behind an 18.53m PR, completing the Spartan sweep of the shot Thursday.
Running unattached and coming off the back of a Big Ten steeplechase title last outdoor season, junior Kate Stewart-Barnett won the 3000m steeplechase at 10:01.08 Friday. National runner-up in the heptathlon during the Indoor season and fellow Olympic hopeful graduate student Heath Baldwin showed his consistent progress with two PRs and third place finishes in the long jump (7.35m) and 110m hurdles (13.81s), also claiming fourth in the pole vault.
Clyde Hart Classic – March 22-23 | Waco, Texas
Men’s Sprints Highlight Outdoor Opener
On the first meet day of the outdoor season Friday, it was the senior Kendel Hammock that delivered, posting a 400m hurdles winning time of 53 seconds flat.
On Saturday, junior Noah Sage followed it up with Michigan State’s other podium finish of the weekend, a 46.57 400m dash time, which is good for the 13th fastest in NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field on the young season.
Other notable performances included a pair of top-five finishes on the women’s side. On Friday, sophomore Natalie Blake pole vaulted to a fourth-place finish at 4.00m. Freshman and MSU Indoor shotput record holder Jessica Stieb tossed the shot 16 meters, good for fifth.
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