Friday, February 26
Geneva, Ohio
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Spartan Track & Field Ends Day With Podium Finishes
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 26, 2016 
Results | Championship Central
GENEVA, Ohio - Sophomore Noah Gary and the men's Distance Medley Relay team highlighted Michigan State track & field's opening day of the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on Friday, Feb. 26, with podium finishes. Through the first day of events, the Spartan women are in eighth with 13.5 points, as the men are tied for fifth with 16 points.
"Objectively, I think we performed at a high level based on our season leading into the championships," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth. "There were a lot of personal and season bests. You are what you are coming into championships. We out ran or performed our seeds in every instance minus the throws. From a growth standpoint, we did a lot of things that were good today. From an outcome standpoint, we need more in the finals. We didn't advance enough people that we needed to. We will have a successful second day based on how we engaged and behaved in competition. We just need more involved on the final day to have more of an impact."
Michigan State's best finish of the day on the men's side came in the distance medley relay, as senior Austin Wissler, sophomore Antonio Clarke and freshmen Justine Kiprotich and Daniel Sims posted a time of 9:46.12 for third place.
"We had some outstanding DMRs tonight and gutsy performances," said Drenth. "Justine in the 800 was very good with a 1:48.8 split and got us back in the hunt. In that relay, you have to be a part of the break. Antonio had run prelims earlier in the day and got the baton and really turned a good leg. It is hard for freshman to go in front, but Dan Sims kept poised and knew the race lagged so he went to the front and made it go. That probably made the difference between us getting third or fifth or sixth. It was a big step for us to get on the trophy stand. And Austin did a nice job as the senior on that team."
Sophomore Noah Gary and junior Jaime Salisbury tallied eight points in the men's pole vault, led by Gary's third-place performance. After a pair of early misses, Gary worked his way and cleared 5.18m before being knocked out at 5.23m. Salisbury cleared 5.08m on his final attempt before missing at 5.13m.
"Jaime Salisbury and Noah deserve a lot of credit tonight," Drenth said. "They did great job and Noah has grown and grown in that event. He realized what it takes to have success at this level."
Junior Hannah Sailar and senior Lauren Chorny finished fifth and tied for sixth, respectively, in the pole vault to contribute 6.50 points to the Spartans' total. Sailar cleared the opening four heights on her first attempt all the way to 4.11m. She was unable to clear 4.16m. Chorny passed on the opening height of 3.71m and then cleared the next two on her first attempt, including 4.01m. She was knocked out at 4.11m.
The women's DMR finished fifth, combining for a MSU season-best 11:27.54. The Spartans' team featured a pair of freshmen in Erin McDonald and Kayla Kavulich.
Sophomore Katie Landwehr crushed her personal best by 9.73 to earn sixth place in the women's 3,000 meters, clocking a 9:23.20. Junior Molly Jeakle recorded a new personal best in the same race, finishing just outside of points in ninth. Jeakle turned in an effort of 9:32.10, besting her previous best by 11.41.
On the men's side of the 3K, junior Sherod Hardt tallied the Spartans' first points of the weekend with a seventh-place finish. Hardt clocked an 8:06.57 to take sixth in his heat. Junior Nick Soter turned in a season-best 8:15.53 to finish 15th overall and third in the unseeded heat.
"Katie and Molly were both ready for big races in the 3000, and we went back and forth on whether Molly would run the 3K or the DMR, but she wanted to run the 3000," Drenth said. "She did an outstanding job, and Katie scoring was exciting to see her progress. Sherod did well also, which the men's race was more tactical. It was Sherod's first time scoring in the conference meet, and he looks like he belongs with the top guys."
Freshman Will Agodu finished one slot out of the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, coming in 10th overall with a lifetime best of 8.01. Agodu was fifth in his heat and third fastest freshman.
"Will has been outstanding," said Drenth. "You get a clearer idea of what it takes be a Big Ten finalist. Will ran a season best and didn't make the final. He'll have to get better, but so far he has had a great freshman campaign. No other conference is that competitive in the hurdles."
Sophomore Katelyn Daniels recorded a top-10 finish in the shot put, recording a heave of 15.57m, earning her ninth-place honors. The mark came on her third attempt.
Sophomore Justin Pederson is in ninth place of the heptathlon with 2,953 points through four events. The remaining three competitions will be contested on Saturday. In the pentathlon, junior Molly Walker took 12th with a combined score of 3,225. Her best event was the high jump where her 1.58m clearance earned her 712 points.
Day two of the Big Ten Indoor Championships take off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, with the continuation of the men's heptathlon. The full slate of events concludes at approximately 4:35 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay.
"Our fight all the way to the finish should carry over to tomorrow," Drenth said. "It was indicative of how we were all day. It started this morning with the women's pole vault and was contagious. It sets a precedent for how we behave."
:: DAY TWO SCHEDULE ::
10:00 Heptathlon 60m Hurdles (men)
11:00 Heptathlon Pole Vault (men)
11:00 Men's High Jump (trials & finals)
11:00 Women's Triple Jump (trials & finals)
11:10 Men's Weight Throw (trials & finals)
12:30 Men's 5,000m (unseeded section) (finals)
12:55 Women's 5,000m (unseeded section) (finals)
1:30 Heptathlon 1,000m (men)
1:45 Women's Weight Throw (trials & finals)
1:20 Men's Mile Run (finals)
1:30 Women's Mile Run (finals)
1:40 Men's 400m (finals - 2 sections)
1:50 Women's 400m (finals - 2 sections)
2:00 Men's Triple Jump (trials & finals)
2:00 Women's High Jump (trials & finals)
2:00 Men's 60m (finals)
2:10 Women's 60m (finals)
2:20 Men's 800m (finals)
2:30 Women's 800m (finals)
2:40 Men's 60m Hurdles (finals)
2:50 Women's 60m Hurdles (finals)
3:00 Men's 600m (finals - 2 sections)
3:10 Women's 600m (finals - 2 sections)
3:20 Men's 200m (finals - 2 sections)
3:30 Women's 200m (finals - 2 sections)
3:40 Men's 5,000m (seeded section) (finals)
4:05 Women's 5,000m (seeded section) (finals)
4:20 Men's 4x400m Relay (finals - 2 sections)
4:35 Women's 4x400m Relay (finals )
4:50 AWARDS PRESENTATION
Results | Championship Central
GENEVA, Ohio - Sophomore Noah Gary and the men's Distance Medley Relay team highlighted Michigan State track & field's opening day of the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on Friday, Feb. 26, with podium finishes. Through the first day of events, the Spartan women are in eighth with 13.5 points, as the men are tied for fifth with 16 points.
"Objectively, I think we performed at a high level based on our season leading into the championships," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth. "There were a lot of personal and season bests. You are what you are coming into championships. We out ran or performed our seeds in every instance minus the throws. From a growth standpoint, we did a lot of things that were good today. From an outcome standpoint, we need more in the finals. We didn't advance enough people that we needed to. We will have a successful second day based on how we engaged and behaved in competition. We just need more involved on the final day to have more of an impact."
Michigan State's best finish of the day on the men's side came in the distance medley relay, as senior Austin Wissler, sophomore Antonio Clarke and freshmen Justine Kiprotich and Daniel Sims posted a time of 9:46.12 for third place.
"We had some outstanding DMRs tonight and gutsy performances," said Drenth. "Justine in the 800 was very good with a 1:48.8 split and got us back in the hunt. In that relay, you have to be a part of the break. Antonio had run prelims earlier in the day and got the baton and really turned a good leg. It is hard for freshman to go in front, but Dan Sims kept poised and knew the race lagged so he went to the front and made it go. That probably made the difference between us getting third or fifth or sixth. It was a big step for us to get on the trophy stand. And Austin did a nice job as the senior on that team."
Sophomore Noah Gary and junior Jaime Salisbury tallied eight points in the men's pole vault, led by Gary's third-place performance. After a pair of early misses, Gary worked his way and cleared 5.18m before being knocked out at 5.23m. Salisbury cleared 5.08m on his final attempt before missing at 5.13m.
"Jaime Salisbury and Noah deserve a lot of credit tonight," Drenth said. "They did great job and Noah has grown and grown in that event. He realized what it takes to have success at this level."
Junior Hannah Sailar and senior Lauren Chorny finished fifth and tied for sixth, respectively, in the pole vault to contribute 6.50 points to the Spartans' total. Sailar cleared the opening four heights on her first attempt all the way to 4.11m. She was unable to clear 4.16m. Chorny passed on the opening height of 3.71m and then cleared the next two on her first attempt, including 4.01m. She was knocked out at 4.11m.
The women's DMR finished fifth, combining for a MSU season-best 11:27.54. The Spartans' team featured a pair of freshmen in Erin McDonald and Kayla Kavulich.
Sophomore Katie Landwehr crushed her personal best by 9.73 to earn sixth place in the women's 3,000 meters, clocking a 9:23.20. Junior Molly Jeakle recorded a new personal best in the same race, finishing just outside of points in ninth. Jeakle turned in an effort of 9:32.10, besting her previous best by 11.41.
On the men's side of the 3K, junior Sherod Hardt tallied the Spartans' first points of the weekend with a seventh-place finish. Hardt clocked an 8:06.57 to take sixth in his heat. Junior Nick Soter turned in a season-best 8:15.53 to finish 15th overall and third in the unseeded heat.
"Katie and Molly were both ready for big races in the 3000, and we went back and forth on whether Molly would run the 3K or the DMR, but she wanted to run the 3000," Drenth said. "She did an outstanding job, and Katie scoring was exciting to see her progress. Sherod did well also, which the men's race was more tactical. It was Sherod's first time scoring in the conference meet, and he looks like he belongs with the top guys."
Freshman Will Agodu finished one slot out of the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, coming in 10th overall with a lifetime best of 8.01. Agodu was fifth in his heat and third fastest freshman.
"Will has been outstanding," said Drenth. "You get a clearer idea of what it takes be a Big Ten finalist. Will ran a season best and didn't make the final. He'll have to get better, but so far he has had a great freshman campaign. No other conference is that competitive in the hurdles."
Sophomore Katelyn Daniels recorded a top-10 finish in the shot put, recording a heave of 15.57m, earning her ninth-place honors. The mark came on her third attempt.
Sophomore Justin Pederson is in ninth place of the heptathlon with 2,953 points through four events. The remaining three competitions will be contested on Saturday. In the pentathlon, junior Molly Walker took 12th with a combined score of 3,225. Her best event was the high jump where her 1.58m clearance earned her 712 points.
Day two of the Big Ten Indoor Championships take off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, with the continuation of the men's heptathlon. The full slate of events concludes at approximately 4:35 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay.
"Our fight all the way to the finish should carry over to tomorrow," Drenth said. "It was indicative of how we were all day. It started this morning with the women's pole vault and was contagious. It sets a precedent for how we behave."
:: DAY TWO SCHEDULE ::
10:00 Heptathlon 60m Hurdles (men)
11:00 Heptathlon Pole Vault (men)
11:00 Men's High Jump (trials & finals)
11:00 Women's Triple Jump (trials & finals)
11:10 Men's Weight Throw (trials & finals)
12:30 Men's 5,000m (unseeded section) (finals)
12:55 Women's 5,000m (unseeded section) (finals)
1:30 Heptathlon 1,000m (men)
1:45 Women's Weight Throw (trials & finals)
1:20 Men's Mile Run (finals)
1:30 Women's Mile Run (finals)
1:40 Men's 400m (finals - 2 sections)
1:50 Women's 400m (finals - 2 sections)
2:00 Men's Triple Jump (trials & finals)
2:00 Women's High Jump (trials & finals)
2:00 Men's 60m (finals)
2:10 Women's 60m (finals)
2:20 Men's 800m (finals)
2:30 Women's 800m (finals)
2:40 Men's 60m Hurdles (finals)
2:50 Women's 60m Hurdles (finals)
3:00 Men's 600m (finals - 2 sections)
3:10 Women's 600m (finals - 2 sections)
3:20 Men's 200m (finals - 2 sections)
3:30 Women's 200m (finals - 2 sections)
3:40 Men's 5,000m (seeded section) (finals)
4:05 Women's 5,000m (seeded section) (finals)
4:20 Men's 4x400m Relay (finals - 2 sections)
4:35 Women's 4x400m Relay (finals )
4:50 AWARDS PRESENTATION
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi-Events
/ Track and Field
Pole-Vault
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi-Events
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track and FieldProcess Oriented | Spartans All-Access
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