Michigan State University
Indiana Invitational
Spartans Record Nine First-Place Finishes at Indiana Invitational
4/22/2023 5:13:00 PM | Track and Field
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Michigan State track & field wrapped up action at the two-day Indiana Invitational in Bloomington on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans recorded a season-high in podium finishes and several personal bests at the Haugh Track & Field Complex.
"We saw some really solid performances," said MSU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lisa Breznau. "We asked them to be a teammate and focus on bringing a sense of urgency and purpose."
JUMPS
The Spartans kicked off action on Friday in the pole vault compeitions, both of which were moved indoors due to high winds in the area. Fifth-year senior Trevor Stephenson captured runner-up honors on the men's side with a clearance of 5.49m, tying for the best mark in the competition. Teammate Michael Davenport used a 5.09m clearance to finish fourth, while freshman Adam Blue earned a top-10 finish with a mark of 4.79m.
In the women's pole vault, freshman duo Natalie Blake and Sophia Mettes both cleared 3.89m, with Blake taking seventh place and Mettes finishing 12th based on misses.
Senior Olivia Lopez grabbed the first gold of the meet for the Spartans, tying a season-best 5.83m mark in the women's long jump. Sophomore Jalen Nelson placed fourth in the men's long jump with a mark of 6.88m.
The Spartans' high jump contingents closed the weekend for the field event athletes on Saturday. Freshman Korin Whitcomb placed eighth in the women's high jump with a clearance of 1.64m. In the men's high jump, junior Tylor Leedom jumped 2.03m to finish in a tie for third, while freshman Brady Schultz cleared 1.99m for sixth place.
SPRINTS/HURDLES
Graduate student Shakira Dancy earned her first podium finish of the weekend on Friday with a third-place, 24.42 finish in the women's 200m. Senior Antonio Postell ran 21.77 in the men's 200m to finish fourth.
In Friday's hurdle races, senior Kendel Hammock continued his impressive season in the 400m hurdles with a third-place finish in the event, running 52.82. In the women's race, junior Kaia Scheffler placed sixth with a time of 1:04.26.
Saturday's events kicked off with the 4x100 relays for the Spartans, with MSU's men's team of Logan Allen, Terrence Muex, Ian Thompson and Antonio Postell finishing second in 41.41.
Scheffler returned to the track Saturday, earning a spot in the finals of the 100m hurdles. She finished fourth in the final with a time of 14.25. In the men's 110m hurdles, Allen recorded a massive personal best of 14.82 to earn bronze in the final.
Senior Amani Nuels narrowly missed a personal best in the women's 100m finals, finishing second with a time of 11.79. Postell and Allen both competed in the men's 100m finals, with Postell finishing third in 10.69 and Allen placing sixth with a time of 11.01.
Four Spartans finished under 60 seconds in the women's 400m, led by Dancy, who posted an impressive personal best of 54.84 to win the event. Graduate student Nala Barlow placed sixth in a time of 56.62, while freshman Alexys Wilson used a personal best of 57.99 to place ninth. Junior Lexy Alston placed 13th in 59.28.
Sophomore Noah Sage was MSU's lone entrant in the men's 400m, notching a first-place finish in a time of 47.55.
The Spartans closed out the weekend with a sweep of the 4x400 relays. MSU's women's team of Wilson, Dancy, Barlow and Alston won with a time of 3:50.17, while the Spartan men's team of Sage, Muex, Postell and Hammock took first with a time of 3:15.52. MSU's B teams also enjoyed success in both relays, with the women's B team taking third and men's taking fourth.
DISTANCE
MSU closed out Friday night with dominant showings in the distance events. Beginning the evening with the women's 1500m, the Spartans took seven of the top 10 spots, including a sweep of first through fifth place. Senior Lauren Freeland led the Spartans with the top spot, running 4:15.97. Sophomore Kate Stewart-Barnett claimed runner-up honors in a personal-best 4:20.44, while senior Judith Rector took third (4:28.13), sophomore Sophia Lucki placed fourth (4:28.36) and senior Alison Ziehl took fifth (4:28.72). Sophomore Olivia Millen placed seventh with a time of 4:30.30 and freshman Sarah Forsyth finished ninth with a time of 4:32.50 running unattached.
The Spartans also dominated the men's 1500m, taking four of the top five spots. Graduate student John Petruno won the event with a time of 3:43.82, while junior Owen Huard set a personal best of 3:44.78 to place third. Junior Luke Perelli (3:46.08) and senior Jeremy Kloss (3:48.24) also set personal bests, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
MSU continued its strong performances in the final event on Friday night, recording several personal bests in the men's and women's 5000m. Fifth-year senior Katie Osika won the women's race with a personal best of 16:04.72, followed by a string of personal bests by sophomore Kaitlyn Hynes (second, 16:20.08), Makenna Veen (third, 16:22.77 unattached), junior Emily Bardwell (sixth, 16:30.73) graduate student Grace Molloy (seventh, 16:31.61) and junior Eleanor Kendell (ninth, 16:44.87). Junior Taylor Visscher also recorded an eighth-place finish in 16:44.20.
Graduate student CarLee Stimpfel led the Spartans in the men's 5000m, running 14:02.97 for third place. Junior Andrew Lane finished sixth in a personal-best 14:09.01, while senior Aden Smith (eighth, 14:19.24) and junior Alexander Penski (10th, 14:20.05) also recorded top-10 finishes for the Spartans in personal-best times. Sophomore Drew Seabase placed 13th with a personal best of 14:29.68 and senior Joshua Smith ran a personal-best 14:54.51.
MSU wrapped up the distance events with the 800m on Saturday. Sophomore Abbey Carvey won the women's 800m with a time of 2:10.34 and was followed closely by junior Shae Harbaugh in second with a time of 2:11.11. Freshman Reese Powers ran 2:15.57 for fifth place.
In the men's 800m, senior Jalen Smith finished fifth in 1:54.26, while sophomore Gage Killewald ran 1:55.01 for sixth and junior Hunter Zartman placed seventh in 1:55.06.
Up next, the Spartans travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the historic Penn Relays from April 27 to 29 and the Music City Challenge in Nashville on April 28 and 29.
Players Mentioned
