Franklin Sets School Record, Five Spartans Win Events at Michigan Invitational

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Breaking her own program record in the indoor pole vault, senior Sophia Franklin was one of five Spartans to take first place in their respective event at the Michigan Invitational, as the Michigan State men's and women's track & field teams completed its third meet of the season Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor.

MSU had a strong day with its pole-vaulters and high jumpers on both the men's and women's side, as senior Trevor Stephenson kicked off the meet by winning the men's pole vault at a height of 5.25m. That momentum carried into Franklin reaching a height of 4.27m in the women's pole vault, breaking a school record that she had previously set at the last two GVSU Holiday Opens (4.25m). The women's high jump had Spartans in three of the top-4 spots, as sophomore Avery Budz had a personal-record height of 1.73m to take first place, while fellow sophomore Elizabeth Knoll and junior Olivia Lopez finished tied in second with Toledo's Promise Cross at 1.63m. Freshman Jalen Nelson, competing unattached, took the men's high jump title when he got a top height of 2.00m.

Saturday also saw graduate transfer Quiara Wheeler make her MSU debut, as the 2021 All-American recorded a 20.73m distance in the women's weight throw, taking home first place.

On the track, freshman Noah Sage won the men's 400m race with a 47.49 finish, his second first-place finish in that event this season after winning the 400m at the GVSU Holiday Open. The Spartans also had senior Shakira Dancy place second in the women's 200m dash with a PR time of 24.68, while fellow senior Brooke Bogan took second place in the 60m dash at 7.52 and junior Jaiden Paris was the runner-up in the 60m hurdles final with an 8.50 time.

Other notable finishes were sophomore Hunter Zartman finishing fourth with a 1:53.40 time in his first-ever appearance in the men's 800m and senior Michael Davenport placing second in the men's pole vault behind Stephenson at 4.80m. Sophomore Kaia Scheffler had the second-best time in the preliminaries of the women's 60m hurdles at 8.60, but she had a false start in the finals to eliminate her from placing.

"I think we saw a lot of improvement through our first couple meets at this point," said Director of Track& Field Lisa Breznau. "From a performance standpoint, our group is just starting to let go and focus on just competing instead the outcome and we are seeing that pay off. The sprinters and hurdlers in particular had a really great day, and the jumps squad as well. There were positive things coming out of both of those groups and I'm excited about the momentum that they're creating. For the throws, Quiara stepping up in her first meet in the Green and White and winning was really positive. There were a lot of personal bests and people matching their personal best all around, which

Michigan State continues its indoor season next weekend by sending groups to the Indiana Relays and the Rod McCravy Memorial, with both meets taking place on Jan. 28-29.

Franklin Sets School Record, Five Spartans Win Events at Michigan Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Bogan

Avery Budz

Shakira Dancy

Michael Davenport

Sophia Franklin

Elizabeth Knoll

Olivia Lopez

Jalen Nelson

Jaiden Paris

Noah Sage

Kaia Scheffler

Trevor Stephenson

Quiara Wheeler

Hunter Zartman