Jackson Punches Ticket to NCAA Championships on Second Day of NCAA East Preliminary Round

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Michigan State track & field sophomore Opal Jackson punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put to highlight a second successful day for the Spartans at the NCAA East Preliminary Round Thursday evening in Jacksonville. 

Jackson, whose second-round 16.63m throw was good for 11th place, qualifies for her first NCAA Championship in her first collegiate outdoor season. She is the first Spartan to qualify in the event since Katelyn Daniels in 2018. 

Jackson is the fourth Spartan to move on to the NCAA Championships this season and first on the women’s side, following Trevor Stephenson (pole vault), Ryan Talbot (decathlon) and Heath Baldwin (decathlon). 

Seniors Lauren Freeland and Katie Osika moved on to the quarterfinals of the women’s 1500, both finishing in the top five in their respective heats to earn automatic qualifying spots. Freeland ran 4:24.08 to finish fourth in her heat, while Osika used a strong kick to pass a runner in the final meters for fifth in her heat (4:22.26). 

The pair will look to each qualify for their first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the quarterfinals at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. 

Competing in her first NCAA East Preliminary, freshman Sophia Mettes finished 23rd in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.96m. 

A pair of Spartans on the men’s side will have the chance to punch their tickets to Austin Friday night, with John Petruno in the 1500m quarterfinals (5:15 p.m.) and Kendel Hammock in the 400m hurdles quarterfinals (7:25 p.m.). Live results will be available on MSUSpartans.com with streaming on ESPN+.