Competition Comes to a Close at East Preliminaries, Attention Turns to NCAA Championships

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three MSU wrapped up Spartan competition at the NCAA Track and Field East First Round, while graduate student Lauren Freeland’s historic mark came short of the qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
 
The conclusion of the fourth and final day at Shively Track and Field Stadium meant that just two Spartans advance to the NCAA Championships at the famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Michigan State’s grad duo of Ryan Talbot and Heath Baldwin in the men’s decathlon – which was not contended at the preliminary rounds. The two qualified with top-12 season-best scores in the East region to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, starting June 5.
 
Such is the case for 2024 Big Ten Decathlon Champion Ryan Talbot, ranked 7^th in the East, and the Region’s top-ranked Heath Baldwin.
 
Baldwin made the 110m finals and broke a fifth school record at regionals Friday but will forgo the NCAA Championships in preparation for the US Summer Olympic Trials just two weeks later. The 2023 MSU Athletics George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year and five-time All-American is currently the U.S. No. 1 and World No. 3 in the decathlon after an NCAA seventh-best all-time score of 8470 at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 17-18) that met the Olympic standard.
 
On Saturday, in the 1500m finals Freeland raced to a 4:12.53 PR, an MSU third-fastest mark in program history. It was effectively the last race of her decorated five-year career however as she barely missed the top-12 cut to advance in what has been an incredible year of women’s 1500 times.
 
Graduate student Katie Osika’s season also came to a close, while she will still return with eligibility remaining in 2024-25. The Waterford, Mich. native placed 22^nd in the 5K. Junior Opal Jackson started the day for MSU, triple-fouling in the discus.
 
Talbot returns to East Lansing to train for the NCAA Championships that will run from June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon at the famous Hayward Field. Baldwin will train for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which begin June 21 while the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic decathlon commences August 2.