Wednesday, May 26
Jacksonville, Fla.
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
NCAA First Round
Photo by: Della Perrone / Big 10 Conference
MSU Track & Field Opens Action at the NCAA East Prelims Wednesday
5/25/2021 4:43:00 PM | Track and Field
The Spartans travel to Jacksonville, Florida looking for a top-12 finish.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State track & field will travel to Jacksonville, Florida for the NCAA Preliminary Round on May 26-29 at Hodges Stadium, hosted by the University of North Florida. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor track & field season.
"This year has offered us an opportunity to grow in what feels like a fast-paced environment. I am proud of our athletes for managing two or three seasons in a short period of time, while finding a significant amount of success. Their resilience has paid off and now we get to enjoy the last few weeks of our work. I look forward to seeing us in action this week and beyond," Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau said.
The Spartans will send 10 women's entries and men's five entries.
Michigan State Men's Entries (5)
John Petruno – 1500m
Morgan Beadlescomb – 5000m
James Uhlenberg – 5000m
Trevor Stephenson – Pole Vault
Jerimiah Evans – Discus
Michigan State Women's Entries (10)
Shakira Dancy – 200m
Sarah Anderson – 1500m
Casey Mossholder – 3000m Steeplechase
Jenna Magness – 5000m
Makayla Perez – 5000m
India Johnson – 10,000m
Lynsie Gram – 10,000m
Sophia Franklin – Pole Vault
Rebecca Mammel – Hammer Throw
Brittany Krug-Biddle – Javelin
1 | BACK IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
Michigan State returns to the NCAA Preliminary Round after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor track & field season. This is the second time that the Spartans have competed at Hodges Stadium this season. On April 2-3, the University of Iowa hosted the Big Ten-only B1G North Florida Invitational.
"We are excited to return to UNF for the First Round of Nationals. We've competed there previously and are familiar with the facility and the area. It's always helpful to understand the idiosyncrasies of a venue," Breznau said.
2 | THE DISTANCE SQUAD
Once again, the Spartan expect big things from the distance team. Coming off of winning the Big Ten title in the 5000m, Jenna Magness is seeded No. 7 at the East prelims. She broke the meet record at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 15:38.82. Makayla Perez will also be in action in the 5000m. India Johnson (33:36.00) and Lynsie Gram (33:37.92) are seeded No. 11 and No. 13, respectively in the 10,000m. Casey Mossholder makes her first appearance in the NCAA Prelims in the 3000m steeplechase.
On the men's side, MSU is led by Morgan Beadlescomb, who is seeded No. 10 in the 5000m with a time 13:40.44. Beadlescomb also captured the Big Ten title in the race. James Uhlenberg is also seeded No. 31 in the 5000m (13:51.86). John Petruno will make his NCAA Prelim debut in the 1500m on Wednesday.
"We have a squad of upperclassmen with experience at the first round, this should help our younger athletes adjust confidently to the meet," Breznau said.
3 | EXPERIENCE MATTER
The last time the NCAA Prelims were in Jacksonville in 2019 both Trevor Stephenson (pole vault) and Jerimiah Evans (discus) were in action. Stephenson will be the first Spartan in action on Wednesday as the pole vault begins at 3 p.m. All-American Evans takes center stage on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Stephenson is the No. 10 seed in the pole vault with a personal-best vault of 5.32m at the Big Ten Championships. Evans is seeded 16th in the discus with a season-best throw of 57.28m.
4 | LADIES NIGHT
With the schedule for the NCAA Prelims alternating between men's and women's days, Thursday will be a busy day for the Spartan women. Big Ten Champion Rebecca Mammel and Brittany Krug with both start the action at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the hammer and javelin throws, respectively. Big Ten Champion pole vault Sophia Franklin starts her quest for Nationals at 3 p.m. In the evening session, Sarah Anderson will race in the 1500m at 6:30 p.m., before the night concludes with Johnson and Gram in the 10,000m.
5 | A NEW ERA IN SPARTAN TRACK & FIELD
Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Beekman announced Tuesday that Lisa Breznau has been named Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. Breznau has served as the Interim Director since the retirement of Walt Drenth in November. Her official start date will be July 1, 2021.
Overall, Breznau has spent 11 years on the Michigan State staff. After serving as an assistant coach for five years from 2010-15, Breznau was promoted to the associate head coach for the cross country and track & field programs in 2015.
In March, Breznau was named USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. She followed in the footsteps of Walt Drenth who was honored as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year five times. She also guided the MSU men's and women's cross country teams to the best combined finish in Michigan State history, as the women finished fourth and the men were 17th. The fourth-place finish was the women's best since winning the NCAA title in 2014.
"This year has offered us an opportunity to grow in what feels like a fast-paced environment. I am proud of our athletes for managing two or three seasons in a short period of time, while finding a significant amount of success. Their resilience has paid off and now we get to enjoy the last few weeks of our work. I look forward to seeing us in action this week and beyond," Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau said.
The Spartans will send 10 women's entries and men's five entries.
Michigan State Men's Entries (5)
John Petruno – 1500m
Morgan Beadlescomb – 5000m
James Uhlenberg – 5000m
Trevor Stephenson – Pole Vault
Jerimiah Evans – Discus
Michigan State Women's Entries (10)
Shakira Dancy – 200m
Sarah Anderson – 1500m
Casey Mossholder – 3000m Steeplechase
Jenna Magness – 5000m
Makayla Perez – 5000m
India Johnson – 10,000m
Lynsie Gram – 10,000m
Sophia Franklin – Pole Vault
Rebecca Mammel – Hammer Throw
Brittany Krug-Biddle – Javelin
1 | BACK IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
Michigan State returns to the NCAA Preliminary Round after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor track & field season. This is the second time that the Spartans have competed at Hodges Stadium this season. On April 2-3, the University of Iowa hosted the Big Ten-only B1G North Florida Invitational.
"We are excited to return to UNF for the First Round of Nationals. We've competed there previously and are familiar with the facility and the area. It's always helpful to understand the idiosyncrasies of a venue," Breznau said.
2 | THE DISTANCE SQUAD
Once again, the Spartan expect big things from the distance team. Coming off of winning the Big Ten title in the 5000m, Jenna Magness is seeded No. 7 at the East prelims. She broke the meet record at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 15:38.82. Makayla Perez will also be in action in the 5000m. India Johnson (33:36.00) and Lynsie Gram (33:37.92) are seeded No. 11 and No. 13, respectively in the 10,000m. Casey Mossholder makes her first appearance in the NCAA Prelims in the 3000m steeplechase.
On the men's side, MSU is led by Morgan Beadlescomb, who is seeded No. 10 in the 5000m with a time 13:40.44. Beadlescomb also captured the Big Ten title in the race. James Uhlenberg is also seeded No. 31 in the 5000m (13:51.86). John Petruno will make his NCAA Prelim debut in the 1500m on Wednesday.
"We have a squad of upperclassmen with experience at the first round, this should help our younger athletes adjust confidently to the meet," Breznau said.
3 | EXPERIENCE MATTER
The last time the NCAA Prelims were in Jacksonville in 2019 both Trevor Stephenson (pole vault) and Jerimiah Evans (discus) were in action. Stephenson will be the first Spartan in action on Wednesday as the pole vault begins at 3 p.m. All-American Evans takes center stage on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Stephenson is the No. 10 seed in the pole vault with a personal-best vault of 5.32m at the Big Ten Championships. Evans is seeded 16th in the discus with a season-best throw of 57.28m.
4 | LADIES NIGHT
With the schedule for the NCAA Prelims alternating between men's and women's days, Thursday will be a busy day for the Spartan women. Big Ten Champion Rebecca Mammel and Brittany Krug with both start the action at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the hammer and javelin throws, respectively. Big Ten Champion pole vault Sophia Franklin starts her quest for Nationals at 3 p.m. In the evening session, Sarah Anderson will race in the 1500m at 6:30 p.m., before the night concludes with Johnson and Gram in the 10,000m.
5 | A NEW ERA IN SPARTAN TRACK & FIELD
Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Beekman announced Tuesday that Lisa Breznau has been named Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. Breznau has served as the Interim Director since the retirement of Walt Drenth in November. Her official start date will be July 1, 2021.
Overall, Breznau has spent 11 years on the Michigan State staff. After serving as an assistant coach for five years from 2010-15, Breznau was promoted to the associate head coach for the cross country and track & field programs in 2015.
In March, Breznau was named USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. She followed in the footsteps of Walt Drenth who was honored as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year five times. She also guided the MSU men's and women's cross country teams to the best combined finish in Michigan State history, as the women finished fourth and the men were 17th. The fourth-place finish was the women's best since winning the NCAA title in 2014.
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