Men's Track to Compete in Big Ten Championships
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
February 19, 1999
The men's track and field team will travel to Madison, Wis., this weekend, Feb. 20-21, for the Big Ten Indoor Track Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin. The Spartans are looking to improve on their ninth place finish from a year ago.
The long distance events should help the Spartans this weekend. The most consistent event of the year has been the 3,000 meters, as five different Spartans have placed within the top four. Senior Kyle Baker (Anderson, Ind.) has already set a new school record in the event, along with automatically qualifying for the NCAAs. In the 5,000 meters, seniors Jim Jurcevich (Defiance, Ohio) and Steve Schell (Dearborn, Mich.) look to contend for the title after both running NCAA provisional times two weeks ago at the Iowa State Classic.
The Spartans are also looking to fare better with their field events from last year. Several Spartans are looking to add points on the board for the team, including sophomore Paul Terek (Livonia, Mich.) and freshman Joe Keller (Lansing,Mich.), who have broken school records earlier this season in the pole vault and 35 lb. weight throw, respectively. Keller broke the 35 lb. weight throw record last weekend at the Central Collegiate Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. with a toss of 54' 5.50" (16.60 m).
