Spartans Set to Compete at Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Ann Arbor

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Spartan Track & Field will commence the outdoor postseason with a three-day scored meet at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. from Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12.
 
Not only will the Spartans’ top 70 athletes aim to score points toward the team standings, but they will also look to set marks that will qualify them for the NCAA Eastern Regional. The NCAA Championships preliminary round is comprised of two regions, taking in just the region’s top-48 marks of the season per event, as MSU will compete out of the East Region in Lexington, Ky. from May 22-25.     
 
At last year’s Big Ten Outdoor Championships the Spartan men placed eighth of 13 and the women 11^th. At the conference indoor championships from Feb. 23-24 both teams placed 11^th in the field.
 
Season Headlines Review
Penn Relays – April 26-27 | Philadelphia, Pa. & Len Paddock Invitational – April 27 | Ann Arbor, Mich. & GVSU Extra Weekend – April 25 | Allendale, Mich.
Spartans Finish Outdoor Track and Field Regular Season Strong
The MSU throws squad set the tone with several podium finishes and two sweeps at the GVSU Extra Weekend meet. The Spartans also competed in six men’s and women’s distance relays at the highly-touted 128^th edition of the Penn Relays, twice placing second among the nation’s top relay teams. A small group of Spartans successfully concluded the weekend and regular season at the Len Paddock Invitational, led by graduate student Taryn Hankins’ 100m win.
 
Jim Green Invite – April 19-20 | Lexington, Ky. & Virginia Challenge – April 19-20 | Charlottesville, Va. & Al Owens Classic – April 20 | Allendale, Mich.
Personal Bests Plentiful for Spartans at Weekend Meets, Pole Vaulters Shine
The distance squad accepted the challenge at the Virginia Challenge as the majority of Spartans collected PRs on the weekend. Several individual breakthroughs were made, including the return of junior Kaitlyn Hynes and the men sweeping wins in each of the four 1500m heats.
 
The sprints, throws and jumps teams meanwhile put the ‘Green’ in the Jim Green Invite in Lexington, Ky.. Spartans swept the pole vault victories as sophomore Sophia Mettes continued her continual growth with a 4.27m PR, winning the event by over a foot on Friday, ranking her as NCAA East Region No. 6….