Friday, February 12
Geneva, Ohio
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
SPIRE Institute Division I Invitational
Spartan Track & Field Shines in Trio of Meets
2/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 12, 2016 
SPIRE DI Invite | GVSU Big Meet | Iowa State Classic
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State track & field completed its day with a trio of meets, highlighted by a one-two finish in the men's weight throw at the SPIRE DI Invitational in Geneva, Ohio, at the SPIRE Institute, and a myriad of personal bests at the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale.
"I thought everyone had a really good day," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth. "Erin (Billette) just missed out on a school record in the 1,000. The men's throwers performed well and we were very strong in the 5,000 meters. It was a good start to the weekend."
The bulk of the Spartans made the trip to Geneva, Ohio, for the SPIRE DI Invite hosted by the SPIRE Institute. MSU found early success in the weight throw, led by senior Connor Kostrzewa and Riley Norman with a one-two finish. Kostrzewa's lifetime-best toss of 21.43m paced the field, as Norman recorded a heave of 20.97m. In the women's weight throw, senior Cynthia Watt posted a fourth-place finish with a mark of 19.20m. Junior Margaret Goettsch recorded a 17.65m on her second attempt to take ninth.
"It was nice to see Connor go over 21 meters," said Drenth. "He will move up in the national standings. Vinny Gjokaj has been our most consistent thrower this season, but he had the three early fouls. He will be fine though tomorrow and will learn from it."
In the women's 1,000-meters, junior Erin Billette raced to a third-place finish with a 2:51.82. Billette led a trio of Spartans in the top 10, as sophomore Sarah Rustmann, running unattached, took fifth with a 2:54.07 and sophomore Erin McDonald was 10th in 2:55.86. Senior Austin Wissler had one of MSU's top finishes of the day, crossing the line in second with a 2:24.87 in the men's 1K. Sophomore Andrew O'Connor just missed the top 10, stopping the clock in 2:29.08 in 11th.
"It was nice to see Austin Wissler back on the track and performing well," Drenth said. "It is important for us to get him going. He can be a scorer at the Big Ten Championships."
The Spartans' distance corps continued its impressive night in the 5,000-meter run. In the women's race, junior Alexis Wiersma took second with a lifetime-best 16:04.31. Junior Shelby Jackson followed suit with a personal best of her own to take fourth, clocking a 16:22.19. On the men's side, sophomore Clark Ruiz turned in a personal record of 14:35.78 to finish third.
"Ally (Alexis Wiersma) and Shelby ran a great race. Erin Finn of Michigan went off on her own early and then Ally broke away. Shelby went back-and-forth for awhile before getting outkicked. Clark ran a good race and led for a portion. He has been running so well but the field just wasn't as strong," Drenth said.
Senior Caleb Rhynard was the lone Spartan to travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic. Rhynard competed in the second heat of the highly-competitive 5,000-meters, taking second in his heat and 14th overall with a 13:53.92. It was Rhynard's fastest 5K since turning in a 13:49.60 outdoors at the Raleigh Relays in 2014.
"We knew the second heat would be more conservative," said assistant coach Aaron Simoneau. "They crossed the two mile at 8:55, which was right on pace of what we thought it would be. We talked before the race about having to take control and push that last mile, which he showed initiative and took charge."
At the GVSU Big Meet, freshman Michael Schauer took top honors in the open shot put competition with a mark of 15.87m. Sophomore Justin Pederson also notched a first-place finish for MSU, winning the long jump with a personal-best 7.09m. Fellow sophomore Heather Smallegan took fourth in the women's open shot put with a heave of 13.37m, which came on her first attempt of the day. In the men's invite flight of the shot put, Jake Bennett was sixth with a distance of 16.06m. In the women's 5,000 meters, it was freshman Jessica Goethals earning a top finish, rounding out the top 10 with a 17:19.55. Sophomore Morgan Johnson's leap of 5.43m in the invite flight of the long jump garnered sixth-place honors.
"It went well, and we had solid performances throughout the day," said associate head coach Lisa Senakiewich. "Justin Pederson set the standard in the meet with a personal record in the long jump. He was really excited and the group fed off that energy. I was really impressed with the energy and how well they all managed the long day. There were solid runs at 800 meters in terms of making progress that we needed to see.
"To come to a meet without your primary event coach and to compete with winning performances speaks volumes. We were very mature throughout the day ad stuck to our plan to manage it," Senakiewich said.
The Spartans will conclude the weekend at the SPIRE DI Invite on Saturday with a full slate of events starting with the women's pole vault and mile run.
SPIRE DI Invite | GVSU Big Meet | Iowa State Classic
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State track & field completed its day with a trio of meets, highlighted by a one-two finish in the men's weight throw at the SPIRE DI Invitational in Geneva, Ohio, at the SPIRE Institute, and a myriad of personal bests at the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale.
"I thought everyone had a really good day," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth. "Erin (Billette) just missed out on a school record in the 1,000. The men's throwers performed well and we were very strong in the 5,000 meters. It was a good start to the weekend."
The bulk of the Spartans made the trip to Geneva, Ohio, for the SPIRE DI Invite hosted by the SPIRE Institute. MSU found early success in the weight throw, led by senior Connor Kostrzewa and Riley Norman with a one-two finish. Kostrzewa's lifetime-best toss of 21.43m paced the field, as Norman recorded a heave of 20.97m. In the women's weight throw, senior Cynthia Watt posted a fourth-place finish with a mark of 19.20m. Junior Margaret Goettsch recorded a 17.65m on her second attempt to take ninth.
"It was nice to see Connor go over 21 meters," said Drenth. "He will move up in the national standings. Vinny Gjokaj has been our most consistent thrower this season, but he had the three early fouls. He will be fine though tomorrow and will learn from it."
In the women's 1,000-meters, junior Erin Billette raced to a third-place finish with a 2:51.82. Billette led a trio of Spartans in the top 10, as sophomore Sarah Rustmann, running unattached, took fifth with a 2:54.07 and sophomore Erin McDonald was 10th in 2:55.86. Senior Austin Wissler had one of MSU's top finishes of the day, crossing the line in second with a 2:24.87 in the men's 1K. Sophomore Andrew O'Connor just missed the top 10, stopping the clock in 2:29.08 in 11th.
"It was nice to see Austin Wissler back on the track and performing well," Drenth said. "It is important for us to get him going. He can be a scorer at the Big Ten Championships."
The Spartans' distance corps continued its impressive night in the 5,000-meter run. In the women's race, junior Alexis Wiersma took second with a lifetime-best 16:04.31. Junior Shelby Jackson followed suit with a personal best of her own to take fourth, clocking a 16:22.19. On the men's side, sophomore Clark Ruiz turned in a personal record of 14:35.78 to finish third.
"Ally (Alexis Wiersma) and Shelby ran a great race. Erin Finn of Michigan went off on her own early and then Ally broke away. Shelby went back-and-forth for awhile before getting outkicked. Clark ran a good race and led for a portion. He has been running so well but the field just wasn't as strong," Drenth said.
Senior Caleb Rhynard was the lone Spartan to travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic. Rhynard competed in the second heat of the highly-competitive 5,000-meters, taking second in his heat and 14th overall with a 13:53.92. It was Rhynard's fastest 5K since turning in a 13:49.60 outdoors at the Raleigh Relays in 2014.
"We knew the second heat would be more conservative," said assistant coach Aaron Simoneau. "They crossed the two mile at 8:55, which was right on pace of what we thought it would be. We talked before the race about having to take control and push that last mile, which he showed initiative and took charge."
At the GVSU Big Meet, freshman Michael Schauer took top honors in the open shot put competition with a mark of 15.87m. Sophomore Justin Pederson also notched a first-place finish for MSU, winning the long jump with a personal-best 7.09m. Fellow sophomore Heather Smallegan took fourth in the women's open shot put with a heave of 13.37m, which came on her first attempt of the day. In the men's invite flight of the shot put, Jake Bennett was sixth with a distance of 16.06m. In the women's 5,000 meters, it was freshman Jessica Goethals earning a top finish, rounding out the top 10 with a 17:19.55. Sophomore Morgan Johnson's leap of 5.43m in the invite flight of the long jump garnered sixth-place honors.
"It went well, and we had solid performances throughout the day," said associate head coach Lisa Senakiewich. "Justin Pederson set the standard in the meet with a personal record in the long jump. He was really excited and the group fed off that energy. I was really impressed with the energy and how well they all managed the long day. There were solid runs at 800 meters in terms of making progress that we needed to see.
"To come to a meet without your primary event coach and to compete with winning performances speaks volumes. We were very mature throughout the day ad stuck to our plan to manage it," Senakiewich said.
The Spartans will conclude the weekend at the SPIRE DI Invite on Saturday with a full slate of events starting with the women's pole vault and mile run.
Players Mentioned
Throws
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Mid-Distance
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Throws
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Distance
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Distance
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Jumps
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi-Events
/ Track and FieldMulti-Events
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Distance
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Distance
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Distance
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
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Throws
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Distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
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