Spartans Set to End Regular Season at Len Paddock Open

Len Paddock Open
Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: 10 a.m. ET
Location: U-M Outdoor Track & Field Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Live Results: Delta Timing
Event Schedule: PDF

EAST LANSING, Mich. – With a week until the Big Ten Championships, the Michigan State track and field program wraps up the regular season on Saturday, May 7, heading to the Len Paddock Open in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Field events get underway at 10 a.m., while track events start at 12:30 p.m. with the 4x100m relays.

The Spartans split up this past weekend, with several throwers going to the Ashland Alumni Open while a contingent of MSU athletes made the trek to Kalamazoo for the Jack Shaw Invite. Between the two meets, the Green and White tallied 14 first-place finishes, including a pair of event wins by Quiara Wheeler in Ashland. Wheeler's season-best 63.70m toss in the elite women's weight throw placed her first at the event and gave her the top mark in the Big Ten this season, while her discus throw of 50.20m also put her first in the elite section for that event.

In addition to MSU sweeping the high jump and pole vault events in Kalamazoo, Courtney Krupp posted a PR of 4:36.99 to win the women's 1500m and Aden Smith took first in the men's 1500m by running a 3:54.23. The women's 100m hurdles then saw Kaia Scheffler win at 13.98, while Antonio Postell II (11.08 in men's 100m dash), Zachary DiStefano (50.33 in men's 400m) and Shakira Dancy (24.72 in women's 200m) all picked up first-place finishes later in the day.

Action in Ann Arbor will see nearly a dozen Spartans make the trek, including pole vaulters Sophia Franklin, Trevor Stephenson and Michael Davenport, as well as 800m runner Jalen Smith and thrower Joshua DeVries, who is coming off a personal-record 61.41m in the elite men's hammer throw at Ashland.

Last year's Len Paddock Open featured Franklin winning the women's pole vault, Kendel Hammock claiming first in the men's 400m dash and Haley Rathwell finishing in first place for the women's 400m hurdles.

Entering the final weekend before conference championships, the Spartans have multiple athletes near the top of the NCAA qualifying lists. Morgan Beadlescomb holds a top-25 time in three different distances, highlighted by his 13:17.16 school-record time in the Bryan Clay Invitational's 5000m invite run putting him second in the nation this season and eighth in the NCAA history. In the decathlon, Ryan Tablot's 7677 points and Heath Baldwin's 7604 points at the Jim Click Shootout put them 12th and 15th in the country, respectively, and Stephenson's 5.41m vault at the Raleigh Relays ranks 15th nationally.

On the women's side, Jenna Magness' 15:26.21 school record at the Virginia Challenge lands her sixth nationally in the 5000m. Additionally, Franklin's 4.32m vault at the Spartan Invite is good enough for 13th in the country, while Makayla Perez ranks 23rd in the NCAA after a 33:36.86 posting in the Raleigh Relays' 10,000m run.

Michigan State travels next week to Minneapolis, Minn., for the Big Ten Championships on May 13-15.

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Players Mentioned

Heath Baldwin

Morgan Beadlescomb

Shakira Dancy

Michael Davenport

Joshua DeVries

Zachary DiStefano

Sophia Franklin

Kendel Hammock

Courtney Krupp

Jenna Magness

Makayla Perez

Antonio Postell II

Haley Rathwell

Kaia Scheffler

Aden Smith

Jalen Smith

Trevor Stephenson

Quiara Wheeler