Track & Field Travels To Prestigious Drake and Penn Relays
4/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 27, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State track and field team will travel to three different competitions this weekend for its most active weekend of the outdoor season. MSU will travel to Des Moines, Iowa - site of the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships - for the Drake Relays, Philadelphia, Pa., for the Penn Relays and Mount Pleasant, Mich., for the Jack Skoog Open. Action at the prestigious Drake Relays and Penn Relays is scheduled to run from Thursday-Saturday, April 28-30, while competition at Central Michigan is planned for Saturday, April 30.
Last Time Out...
MSU had a busy schedule last weekend when it will send members of its team to both the EMU Twilight on Friday and Saturday, April 22-23 as well as the Jesse Owens Classic on Sunday, April 24. During day one in Ypsilanti, junior Jay Gillespie and sophomore Lonnie Pugh placed first and second in the men's hammer throw, respectively. Gillespie finished with a 58.14m mark and Pugh with a distance of 56.60m. The weekend was capped with senior Yury Ratomski highlighting the Spartans' performance as he won the 200m dash with a season-best time of 21.34.
Record-Breaking Spartans...
Although it's early in the season, the Spartans have already rewritten the MSU record books during the 2011 season. So far, five school records have been broken during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Outdoor:
• Anthony Agrusa
Hammer Throw (62.25m (204-3)) - Sun Angel Classic
• Beth Rohl
Hammer Throw (59.94m (196-8)) - Sun Angel Classic
Indoor:
• Lonnie Pugh
Weight Throw (20.69m (67-10 3/4)) - Big Ten Indoor Championships
• Beth Rohl
Weight Throw (20.44m (67-0 3/4)) - GVSU Big Meet
• Carlie Green, Alysson Bodenbach, Amelia Bannister and Emily MacLeod
Distance Medley Relay (11:17.62) - Meyo Invitational
Climbing the Rankings...
The MSU track & field team celebrates 27 Spartans that are ranked in the top-48 in the latest east region performance list - 11 women and 16 men.
Women:
Distance
• Tiffany Evans
3,000m Steeplechase (10:41.07) - 40th
• Emily MacLeod
5,000m Run (16:06.62) - Fourth
1,500m Run (4:21.30) - 17th
Jumps
• Rebecca Buchholtz
High Jump (1.79m) - Ninth
• Ashley Smith
Pole Vault (3.85m) - 37th
• Ashley Stacey
Long Jump (6.24m) - 12th
Sprints/Hurdles
• Leslie Aririguzo
100m Hurdles (13.71) - 40th
• Jaelynn Pryor
400m Hurdles (59.84) - 31st
Throws
• Ashley Lawrence
Discus Throw (50.37m) - 17th
• Beth Rohl
Discus Throw (54.34m) - Second
Hammer Throw (59.94m) - Ninth
Men:
Distance
• Spencer Beatty
3,000m Steeplechase (9:05.78) - 41st
• Patrick Grosskopf
10,000m Run (29:40.03) - 14th
• Josh McAlaray
1,500m Run (3:46.65) - 32nd
• Aaron Simoneau
3,000m Steeplechase (9:03.27) - 35th
Jumps
• Kevin Jackson
High Jump (2.10m ) - 23rd
• Codi Mattix
Pole Vault (5.13m) - 19th
• Cliff Miller
High Jump (2.10m ) - 23rd
• Derik Peterman
Pole Vault (5.03m) - 38th
• Kurt Schneider
High Jump (2.10m) - 23rd
Sprints/Hurdles
• Yury Ratomski
400m Dash (47.25) - 35th
Throws
• Anthony Agrusa
Hammer Throw (62.25m) - 11th
• Zack Hill
Shot Put (17.64m) - 19th
• Aaron Ide
Shot Put (16.85m) - 38th
• Lonnie Pugh
Discus Throw (54.65m) - 13th
Hammer Throw (58.20m) - 37th
• Brad Wentzel
Hammer Throw (59.08m) - 29th
Qualifying for the Preliminary Championships...
Qualification to Preliminary Championship Competition is based on the descending order list for the season, segregated by east and west sites, and prepared solely from the mandatory submission of meet results during the season and adhering to the Qualifying Regulations published in the Championship Handbook. For each individual event contested at each Preliminary Championship Competition, the top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested at each Preliminary Championship Competition, the top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition.
Indoor All-Americans...
Three members of the Michigan State track & field team earned All-America honors following their performances last weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday, March 14. Earning first team honors for the Spartans were sophomores Lonnie Pugh and Beth Rohl while freshman Zack Hill received second team distinction.
Mid-Season USTFCCCA Report...
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its annual program report through the indoor track season and the Michigan State women's track & field and cross country programs rank 21st nationally. The Spartans are one of four Big Ten teams currently on the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list.
Big Ten Champs...
Senior Emily MacLeod opened the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships with a win in the 3,000-meter run. The Loveland, Ohio, native started the event on a high note for MSU as she won the first event title indoors in school history with a time of 9:22.83. MacLeod closed out the weekend with her second win when she clocked in a 16:25.65 in the 5,000-meter run.
Freshman Ashley Stacey captured her first conference crown of her career when she posted a personal-best leap of 12.69m in the triple jump. Stacey became only the second Spartan all-time to win an indoor triple jump title, joining Sherita Williams who won the event in 2001.
Post-Season Conference Honors...
Senior Emily MacLeod and freshman Ashley Stacey both received First Team All-Big Ten distinction for their conference championships. Joining MacLeod and Stacey with Second Team All-Big Ten honors were freshman Zack Hill, sophomore Lonnie Pugh and sophomore Beth Rohl.
Next Up...
The Spartans begin their final preparations for the Big Ten Championships when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Len Paddock Invite. Action is scheduled to run from Friday, May 6 through Saturday, May 7 on the campus of the University of Michigan.
Players Mentioned
