Michigan State University
Grand Valley Big Meet
Track & Field Concludes Successful Weekend
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 14, 2009
Saturday's Results
GVSU Big Meet Results| ISU Classic Results| Day One Recap
Track & Field Coverage
4x400m Relay Video (Flotrack.org)
Allendale, Mich. - The 2008-09 Michigan State track & field program wrapped up day-two at a pair of meets - the Grand Valley Big Meet and Iowa State Classic - by breaking one more school record on Saturday to go along with the three that were set in day-one yesterday. The men's 4x400m relay team placed first overall at the Grand Valley Big Meet with a school-record 3:09.59, breaking a mark that had stood since 1983. In all, the Spartans earned nine top-five event finishes in day two at the GVSU Big Meet.
"I thought that our team did a great job of keeping things going after a strong meet last weekend," director of track & field Walt Drenth said. "I think it shows the maturity level of this team because we backed up what we did last weekend. Overall, it is exciting to see our progression and it really looks like we are going to have a lot of people that will be able to step up and score for us at the Big Ten Championships."
The men's 4x400m relay team was the highlight of the day for the Spartans as they beat a very competitive field in the event. The group, consisting of Jeremy Orr (Detroit, Mich.), Keith Hewlett (Detroit, Mich.), Yury Ratomski (Novi, Mich.) and Michael Smoot (Trenton, Mich.), barely missed breaking the school-record at the Meyo Invite last weekend, but finally broke the mark after clocking in at 3:09.59, defeating a team from Western Kentucky that had run 3:07.61 earlier this season by nearly two seconds. The mark is an NCAA provisional qualifying time.
The sprinters and hurdlers continued to see success on the men's side, highlighted by Durant Crum (Albion, Mich.) and Shane Wells (Romulus, Mich.). Crum won the 60m dash by clocking in at a personal-best time of 6.96 while Wells topped the 60m hurdles field by clocking in a 7.98.
The throwers on the men's side saw success in day-two as well, highlighted by Brent McCarrick (Morrice, Mich.) who took home fifth in the shot put. McCarrick tossed 16.15m (53-0) to lead the Spartans in the event.
The women also saw success at the Big Meet. Senior Sarah Price (Mankato, Minn.) set a new personal-best in the 3,000m run after clocking in at 9:36.39, more than three seconds better than her previous best. Junior Jenna Nusholtz (Huntington Woods, Mich.) won the open division 800m dash, beating a very competitive field with a time of 2:15.20, an indoor personal-best.
The women also dominated the field events as freshman Brittany Tolar (Evanston, Ill.) took home second place in the women's long jump. Her leap of 5.64m (18-6) is a personal-best and the team's second-best jump of the season. Freshman Jessica Scherting (Saginaw, Mich.) made her triple jump debut and took third in the event after jumping 11.44m (37-6 1/2). Thrower Ashley Lawrence (Troy, Mich.) rounded out the top performances on the day after finishing second in the shot put. Lawrence threw 13.63m (44-8 3/4), the fourth-best mark of the season by any Spartan.
In Ames, Iowa at the ISU Classic, sophomore Patrick Grosskopf (Corruna, Mich.) placed seventh in the 5,000m run after clocking in at 14:23.07, a personal-best. On the women's side, Ashley Smith (Ceresco, Mich.) and Katie Shaw (Lakeview, Mich.) finished 11th and 12th respectively in the pole vault, while Laura Portis (Richland, Mich.) took 11th in the 5,000m run with a personal-best time of 17:08.35.
The Spartans will return to action next weekend at the Red Simmons Invitational.
Players Mentioned
