Michigan State Opens 2016-17 Season at GVSU
12/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
EAST LANSING, Michigan -- The Michigan State track & field team will begin the 2016-17 indoor season at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open in Allendale, Michigan, at the Kelly Family Sports Center on Friday, Dec. 2.
"The track athletes run all fall, we essentially have weeks of 20 hours leading up to this event then we have a three and a half week break then we get in to gear," said Director of Track and Cross Country. "This meet is really an opportunity to get in to competition. When you've trained as long as they have we are trying to take the monotony out of it."
The meet opens with the men's high jump at 2:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The rest of the field events will commence at 3 p.m., with women's and men's weight throw, men's and women's shot put, men's long jump, men's triple jump, women's long jump, women's triple jump, and concluded with women's and men's pole vault.
The first running event of the day will be the 60-meter hurdle prelims followed by the 60-meter dash prelims that will begin at 3 p.m. The meet will progress in to the 5000-meter, the one-mile, and the 400-meter race.
The meet will move on to the 60-meter hurdle and 60-meter dash semi-finals, followed by the 600-meter, 300-meter, and 1000-meter races. The meet will then wind down with the 60-meter hurdle and 60-meter dash finals, the 800-meter, the 200-meter, and the 3000-meter race. The final running event of the day will be the 1600-meter relay.
MSU finished tied for sixth on the women's side and 11th place on the men's at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships last season. For the men, redshirt sophomore Justine Kiprotich landed second-team All-Big Ten. On the women's side, three's Spartans garnered All-Big Ten accolades. Last year's senior Katie Landwehr was named first team, while returners redshirt sophomore Katelyn Daniels and senior Rachele Schulist were placed on the second team.
A total of seven Michigan State individuals qualified for the NCAA Championships. The Spartans were led by Daniels who was named first team All-American after an outstanding performance and fifth-place finish in the discus. Landwehr was also named second team All-American from her performance in the steeplechase.
"For us this is a test," said Drenth. "We are going to get a good sense of where they are at, what they have done, and where they have progressed. This will really be a good tool for not only the athletes but the coaches as well."
After this weekend the Spartans will have a small break before returning to action. To start the new year off MSU will travel to the University of Michigan on January 14.
Complete results will be available following the conclusion of the meet on MSUspartans.com and TFRRS.org.
Players Mentioned
