Four Spartans to Compete in NCAA Indoor Championships
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
March 2, 1999
Michigan State will send four runners to the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend, March 5-6, in Indianapolis, Ind. Senior Kyle Baker (Anderson, Ind.) and junior Ryan Taylor (Melbourne, Australia) will compete in the 3,000 meters while seniors Jim Jurcevich (Defiance, Ohio) and Steve Schell (Dearborn, Mich.) compete in the 5,000 meters.
Baker earned his trip to the championships by automatically qualifying at the Iowa State Classic (Feb. 5-6) with a school record time of 7:57.09. He has been to the NCAA Indoor Championships before, earning All-America honors in 1997 in the 3,000 meters. Baker redshirted during the 1998 season.
At the Iowa State Classic, Taylor also qualified provisionally in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:01.44. Taylor, who transferred to Michigan State from Texas-San Antonio last year, is making his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
In the 5,000 meters, Jurcevich and Schell also qualified provisionally for the championships at the Iowa State Classic with times of 14:04.51 and 14:05.17, respectively.
Jurcevich is no stranger to the NCAA Championships. In 1998, he earned All-America honors in both the indoor and outdoor championships, as well as the cross-country championships. He was an All-American in indoor competition in the 5,000 meters placing eighth with a time of 14:12.
Like Taylor, Schell is also making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships. Earlier this season, Schell earned All-Big Ten honors by capturing the conference crown in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:09.45.
The 3,000 meter-run is slated for 7:10 p.m. on Friday night, while the 5,000-meter run is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. on Saturday night. All events will be in the RCA Dome.
