Three More Spartans Are Eugene-Bound After Day 2 of the NCAA East Preliminary Round

Thursday, May 26

Bloomington, Ind.

10 a.m.

Michigan State University

NCAA East Preliminary Round (Day 2)

Jenna Magness at the 2022 NCAA East Preliminary Round

Photo by: Angela Fieno

Three More Spartans Are Eugene-Bound After Day 2 of the NCAA East Preliminary Round

5/26/2022 8:40:00 PM | Track and Field

Thursday Results

Franklin, Magness and Perez Punch Tickets to NCAA Championships

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three Spartans punched their ticket to the NCAA Finals on Thursday, as the Michigan State track and field team completed the second day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor East Preliminary Round at the Haugh Track & Field Complex in Bloomington, Indiana.

A big final jump in the national semifinal from women's pole vaulter Sophia Franklin secured her ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon for the second-straight year, while Jenna Magness and Makayla Perez both posted top-12 times in the women's 10,000m semifinals to earn themselves spots in the NCAA Finals in two weeks.

Thursday also saw three other Spartans advance to Saturday's quarterfinal action, as Jaiden Paris will compete for qualifying spot to the NCAA Championships in the women's 100m hurdles after being a top-24 time in the opening heats. Lauren Freeland and Katie Osika both ran personal records in the women's 1500m first-round heats to make the cut for the final regional race.

Quiara Wheeler, 2021 All-American, started the day for MSU in the third flight of the women's hammer. The Central Michigan transfer just missed the cutoff for the NCAA Finals with a top throw of 62.03m, finishing in 18th. Wheeler will have one more chance to get back to Eugene when she competes in Saturday's NCAA women's discus semifinals.

Paris was the next Spartan on the schedule, as she posted a 13.50 time in the fourth heat of the 100m hurdles, just missing an automatic qualifier spot to the quarterfinals, but she ended up being the 21st-fastest time overall, advancing to Saturday.

MSU had a trio of runners in the first round of the 1500m competition, as Freeland made a strong push in the final 100 meters to take second place in the second heat and automatically advance to Saturday, as her PR time of 4:15.58 was 12th overall. Osika then kept up with the lead pack in the final stretch of the third 1500m heat, using a 4:17.64 personal best to take fifth in the heat and automatically reach the quarterfinals. Melanie Helder also competed in the second heat alongside Freeland, finishing ninth in the heat and 34th overall at 4:21.71, ending Helder's campaign.

Franklin was one of the final 11 vaulters standing after the 4.31m bar progression, earning her a place among the 12 East Region qualifiers bound for Oregon. After skipping the 3.81m bar, Franklin successfully vaulted the 3.96m bar on her first attempt, and then made the 4.11m and 4.21m heights on her second try at each, before clearing the 4.31m bar on her first attempt to lock up a return to Eugene.

In the final event of the day for MSU, Magness made her way to the front of the women's 10,000m field over the first 5,000 meters, while Perez followed closely behind for much of the race. A First Team All-American in the 5000m last spring in Oregon, Magness eventually duked it out with Alabama's Mercy Chelangat for the leader's spot, finishing second overall with a 34:18.92 time, while Perez crossed the finish line at 34:27.73 to take eighth and earn her first trip to the national meet. Lynsie Gram came across in a time of 35:51.18, placing 35th and missing her return to the national 10,000m finals.

Michigan State is set to have a pair of men's distance runners competing Friday at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, as John Petruno (1500m) and Morgan Beadlescomb (5000m) will both look to punch their own tickets to the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Petruno is slated for a 5:15 p.m. start and Beadlescomb will run at 8:10 p.m.

Follow @MSU_TFXC on Twitter for weather updates at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.