Track & Field Travels to Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday
1/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Jan. 22, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State track & field team continues its 2010 indoor season when it travels to the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23, in Notre Dame, Ind. Competition will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The men remain ranked 31st in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association preseason, while the women also remain in 66th as a team.
"It is important we make progress every time we compete," said director of track & field and cross country Walt Drenth. "All of our best performances in Kentucky came from people who engaged well in the competition. Our less competitive marks were generally a result of not competing as well. So, our primary goal for the weekend is to have everyone competitively engaged. With this being our first scored meet against two exceptional teams, choosing to compete should not be a problem. The meet should be a lot of fun."
Last time out, at the Kentucky Invitational, the Spartans were led by junior Kyron Foster (Deltona, Fla.) in the triple jump event. On Friday, Foster defeated the defending national champion in Andre Black of Louisville by 0.03m, posting a NCAA provisional and school record mark of 16.06m. On Monday, Foster was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week as a result of his performance, which is the top mark in the nation this season.
Also posting impressive performances for the men was the distance tandem of freshman Isaiah VanDoorne (Grant, Mich.) and junior Spencer Beatty (Harbor Springs, Mich.). In the one-mile run, VanDoorne and Beatty finished second and third with times of 4:12.12 and 4:12.35, respectively.
On the women's side, senior Leah Elenbaas (Greenville, Mich.) led the distance runners with her team-best time of 2:12.61 in the 800m run, finishing fourth overall. The sprinters were led by junior Erica Mann (Battle Creek, Mich.) and her eighth-place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 24.34.
Junior Becky McCormack (Canton, Mich.) paced the women in the 3000m run with a time of 9:42.97, finishing eighth overall. McCormack's mark currently ranks ninth in the nation in the event.
The Spartans will be back in action in two weeks, Feb. 5-6, for the Meyo Invitational, the second of two consecutive competitions hosted by Notre Dame.
Players Mentioned
