Michigan State Welcomes Big Ten Rivals For Conference Championships
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 9, 2006
EAST LANSING, MICH. - The Michigan State men's and women's track and field teams will join forces with the Big Ten to host the 2006 Outdoor Championships at the Ralph Young Track and Field Complex on May 12-14. Single-day tickets are available for purchase at $10 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens, while an all-session pass costs $15 for adults and $10 for children, students and senior citizens.
MSU BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Spartan women have won one Big Ten outdoor team title, doing so in 1982, on the strength of event wins by Anne Pewe (3,000 meters) and Judi Brown (400-meter hurdles). Since that time, MSU has collected 24 individual titles, including at least one in each of the last four seasons. Last year, senior Mickie Rzepka captured first-place overall in the pole-vault competition, with a leap of 13-1 1/2, to lead Michigan State to a 10thplace finish.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior Taren James has paced the Spartans in both the long jump and triple jump this season. James boasts Michigan State's top-three individual performances in each event, netting herself a pair of NCAA Regional invitations. James leapt 19-8 1/2 at the Stanford Invitational March 31 to surpass the NCAA Regional mark in the long jump, then added a triple-jump effort of 42-0 3/4 in front of the home crowd at the 2006 Spartan Invitational April 15 to easily qualify for regional competition. She ranks third in the Big Ten in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump.
MS. VERSATILITY
Spartan sophomore Etienne Chaplin continues to do it all for the Michigan State women's track and field team. In addition to her daily duties as a heptathlete, Chaplin has competed in the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, the high jump and the long jump. The Chicago native, who has already provisionally qualified for NCAA Regionals in the heptathlon with a score of 5,050 points at the Hillsdale Relays, could earn herself another invite in any of the aforementioned events with a strong performance at the Big Ten Championships.
TWICE AROUND THE TRACK
Senior Aimee Keenan, a threat in all of the middle-distance events, has especially excelled in the 800 meters this season. Keenan has posted the two fastest Spartan times in the event this season, both coming at the Eastern Michigan Twilight Relays, on April 22. Keenan blitzed the preliminary field with a time of 2:11.10 to earn the top-seed heading into the event finals. Once there, the Bellmont, Mich., native cruised past the competition, turning in a regional qualifying performance in the process with a time of 2:08.92.
BACK FOR MORE
In last year's Big Ten Championships at Ohio State, then-junior Michelle Rafferty posted a 10,000-meter time of 35.46 to claim second-place honors in the event. Now a senior, the Carmel, Ind., native has shaved 34 seconds off of last season's time after running a 35:12 at the Stanford Invitational. At Big Ten's, she's looking to win the 10,000-meter title and earn her second regional qualifying mark of the season. Rafferty has already regionally qualified in the 5,000 meters, posting a time of 16:47.29 at the Hillsdale Relays on April 29.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION
Heading into the conference championships, Michigan State sophomore Nicole Bush leads all Spartans with three NCAA Regional qualifying marks. Bush opened the 2006 season with a bang, turning in a 5,000-meter time of 16:30.68, more than 21 seconds under the qualifying mark, at the Stanford Invitational on April 1. The Wyoming, Mich., native surpassed the regional benchmark for the 1,500 meters, posting a 4:24.61 at Eastern Michigan on April 22, before smashing the qualifying time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by nearly 29 seconds at the Hillsdale Relays on April 29. Bush's time of 10:21.97 was the second-fastest in the Big Ten, and one of the 10-fastest times in the nation this season.
ADAMA WAY
Joining Bush in the regional steeplechase will be Spartan sophomore Emily Adama. Adama posted a 10:47.85 in the event at the Hillsdale Relays on April 29.
SAVING HER BEST FOR LAST
Junior Melinda Buckmaster placed fourth in the javelin competition at the Big Ten Championship for the Green and White a season ago, earning five points for the Spartan cause. Buckmaster saved her best for last in 2005, tossing a seasonhigh 147-01 at the conference meet. In 2006, Buckmaster's top effort (132-10) came in the season's opening meet, the Stanford Invitational, on April 1.
ALUMNI RECEPTION
All Michigan State track and field and cross country alumni are welcome to attend an alumni reception at the LaSalle Bank Club in Spartan Stadium during the weekend of the Big Ten Championships. The reception will be held on Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m., following the completion of the day's events.