Track & Field Heads to Jesse Owens Classic

April 29, 2009

• Jesse Owens Classic Event Page
• Live Stats
• Big Ten Performance List

EAST LANSING, Mich. - One week removed from competing in the 100th running of the Drake Relays, the 2009 Michigan State track & field program will participate in another one of the nation's most prestigious meets, the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State University. The meet is scheduled to being at 2 p.m. on Friday with the men's hammer throw at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The meet will resume Saturday at 11 a.m. The Jesse Owens Classic will feature athletes from all levels, including individuals from more than 35 colleges at the two-day event. Saturday's event finals will be featured on the Big Ten Network in a tape-delayed broadcast, scheduled to air May 10 at 4 p.m.

The Spartans are coming off of an impressive weekend in which several student-athletes improved their NCAA regional qualifying marks at both the Drake Relays and the Hillsdale College Gina Relays. The pole vaulters set the tone for the weekend as three set personal records in the event while improving their qualifying marks at the Drake Relays. Sophomore Logan Lynch (Lambertville, Mich.) vaulted 5.20m (17-0 1/4), smashing his previous personal-best marks and ranking him second in the Big Ten this season. Junior Katie Shaw (Lakeview, Mich.) was equally as impressive on the women's side as she posted a mark of 4.00m (13-1 1/2), a personal-best, improving her previous qualifying mark of 3.85m (12-7 1/2). She currently ranks fifth in the conference. Sophomore Ashley Smith (Ceresco, Mich.) also tied her personal-best in the pole vault after clearing 3.85m (12-7 1/2).

In all, 17 MSU student-athletes have qualified for regional competition this season and MSU has student-athletes rank in the Big Ten's top four in 13 different events this season. Leading the league in his respective event is freshman Lonnie Pugh (Grosse Ile, Mich.), whose toss of 56.33m (184-10) is more than a full meter ahead of his next closest competitor. He is one of nine regional qualifiers from the Big Ten in the event as his mark shattered the previous school record, previously held by current Spartan Anthony Agrusa (St. Clair Shores, Mich.).

Although Pugh is the only Spartan to lead the Big Ten in his respective event, five other Spartans currently rank second in their events, highlighted by Nicole Bush (Wyoming, Mich.), who comes in at second place in both the 5,000m run and the 3,000m steeplechase. Bush ran a time of 15:54.26 in the 5,000m run at the Indiana Invitational, which set the school record by nearly 14 seconds. She also ran 10:12.72 in the steeplechase at the USF Quad Meet to open the season. Bush also ranks fourth in the Big Ten in the 1,500m run, making her one of only two student-athletes in the conference to rank in the top five in the three different events; the other is Gayle Hunter, a multi-event specialist for Penn State.

The men also have plenty of people who rank in the top two in their event. Aside from Lynch and Pugh, three other Spartans rank in the top two - Jeremy Orr (Detroit, Mich.), Shane Knoll (Warren, Mich.) and Isaac Marshall (Rochester, Mich.) Orr ran 46.78 in the 400m dash at the Indiana Invite to rank second behind only Lesiba Masheto of Illinois. Knoll, the indoor school-record holder in the 800m run, ranks second in the Big Ten during the outdoor season after running 1:49.62 at the Indiana Invitational as well. Marshall turned in one of the more impressive performances during last week's competitions, leaping 7.26m (23-10) at the Gina Relays, earning him the league's second-best mark. Marshall is one of only two freshmen to rank in the top 10 in the event and is the highest-ranked underclassman.

For a complete recap and results from the action on both Friday and Saturday, stay tuned to www.msuspartans.com.