Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Track & Field Begins B1G Championships Friday
5/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Championship Central | Schedule of Events | Complete Notes | Tickets | Heat Sheets
Michigan State track & field heads to University Park, Pennsylvania for the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Friday, May 12, to Sunday, May 14. The three-day meet will take place at the Nittany Lion Outdoor Track on the campus of Penn State and will feature the top student-athletes from the 13 Big Ten schools participating in track and field.
"I think there are a couple favorite teams, but from top to bottom this is the hardest league in the country from a depth standpoint. You go into the meet with the understanding that every point is important, and eighth place is really hard to come by. There are some conferences where the top is pretty good, but fourth through eighth place is just okay. That is not the case in the Big Ten. There are no cheap points anywhere. I don't think the Big Ten across the board has been as good as it is right now," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth.
The meet opens at noon on Friday with the multi-event competitions. The decathlon kicks off with the 100 meters, while the heptathlon follows at 12:15 with the 100-meter hurdles. Friday features finals of the men's and women's hammer throw, women's pole vault and the men and women's 10,000 meters.
Saturday's slate begins at 9:30 a.m. with the decathlon's 110-meter hurdle competition. Finals of the women's discus, men and women's long jump, women's high jump, men's shot put, and men and women's steeplechase will be contested on Saturday.
The third and final day begins at 11:30 a.m. with the finals of the men's triple jump and discus, and carries through to the 4x400-meter relays at approximately 4:45 p.m.
1 | EXPERIENCED PERFORMERS
The Spartans will be led in University Park by their upperclassmen. Senior Alexis Wiersma looks to improve upon her third-place finish in the 5,000m at the Big Ten Championship last year. Junior Katelyn Daniels is a former Big Ten champion in the discus.
"They have been competitive for a long time for a reason. They have been consistent; they have high expectations. They seem to be calm under stress. They enjoy the competition. They don't come out of character. That is the thing that we want to convey to everyone is that your good performances are going to come because you stayed calm. You have to trust your training. Without standing up and talking about it they will lead by example," Drenth said.
2 | THE DISTANCE SQUAD
On the women's side, the Spartans hold two of the top three spots in the Big Ten in the 10,000m led by freshman Amber Way (33.54.70) and senior Alexis Wiersma (34.06.99). Sophomore Jessica Goethals has the fourth-fastest time in the Big Ten this outdoor season. Wiersma has the sixth-fastest time in the 5,000m (16.02.12). On the men's side, junior Clark Ruiz has the fastest time in the 10,000m (28:52.46). Sophomore Justine Kiprotich is one of Michigan State's top middle distance runners, leading the Big Ten in the 1,500m (3:42.36).
"The young distance runners could do some damage. We have heard of Ali (Wiersma) and we have heard of Justine (Kiprotich) and Sherod (Hardt), but it looks like Karrigan Smith is starting to make some progress. Amber Way and Jeralyn Poe kind of go under the radar, but Max (Benoit)and Jade (Madison) are both having a nice breakout year," Drenth said.
3 | YOUTH STEPPING UP
The 2017 Spartans are solid mix of youth and experience. MSU will be counting on the young guns at this year's Big Ten Outdoor Championship. On the women's side, freshman Karrigan Smith is No. 5 in the Big Ten in the steeplechase (10:21.51). Freshman Dillon McClintock is second in the Big Ten in the 800m (2:06.10). Distance runners Amber Way and Jeralyn Poe have had solid freshman campaigns. On the men's side, freshman Noah Burton is looking to have a breakout performance in the 400m, hurdles.
"I am confident in our young group. I am confident on both sides we have a number of young ones that have climbed the ladder. The distance runners for example have kind of been going throughout the year. They have been in a national championship and in some really competitive meets. I don't think that this is going to be something different for them. I feel like everyone is ready to go," Drenth added.
4 | RETURNING TO FORM
Junior Tim Ehrhardt is returning to his All-American form after missing the entire 2015-16 season with injury. During the indoor season, Ehrhardt was a first-team All-American and a Big Ten Champion in the pole vault. The junior earned the third-best decathlon score in the Big Ten this season with 7,529 points at the Virginia Challenge in April.
5 | VAULTING TO THE TOP
Michigan State has the two top times on the men's side in the pole vault this season. Junior Gary Noah leads the way with a vault of 5.35m at the Virginia Challenge in April. Fellow junior Tim Ehrhardt has the second-best vault with a 5.31m at the Louisville Invitational also in April. Senior Hannah Sailar has the second-best pole vault in the Big Ten this season with a 4.20m at the Louisville Invitational.
