Track and Field Opens Outdoor Season at Raleigh Relays

2022 Raleigh Relays
Date: Thursday-Saturday, March 24-26
Time: 10 a.m. (Each Day)
Location: Paul Derr Track & Field Facility (Raleigh, N.C.)
Live Results: Flash Results
Watch: ACC Network Extra – Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3
Event Schedule: PDF

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State track and field program is set to begin the outdoor season this week with a trip south to the Raleigh Relays, hosted by North Carolina State. Starting on Thursday morning and going through Saturday afternoon, the spring-opening meet will take place at the Paul Derr Track & Field Facility.

After a successful 2022 indoor campaign that saw the Spartans tally two Big Ten champions and four NCAA All-Americans, MSU returns five outdoor All-Americans from last spring and a 2021 Big Ten champion in Jenna Magness.

After Magness took home the B1G indoor title in the women's 5000m last month and Sophia Franklin claimed the conference crown in the women's pole vault, the two joined Morgan Beadlescomb and Trevor Stephenson in qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships. At the national championships, Beadlescomb won the silver medal in the men's mile and Magness garnered First-Team All-American honors in the women's 5000m race, while Franklin and Stephenson were both Second-Team All-Americans in the pole vault and Beadlescomb claimed additional recognition with a Second Team All-American finish in the men's 3000m. Beadlescomb's performances earned him USTFCCCA Great Lakes Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, the first MSU men's athlete to win the award.

Michigan State also enters the outdoor season in the top-18 for both the men's and women's USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings, as the MSU women sit at No. 15 (58.5 points) and the Spartan men are currently 18th (61 points). Northern Arizona currently leads men's programs at five points, while N.C. State and BYU are tied on top of the women's side at 10 points.

The 2021 outdoor campaign featured Magness winning the Big Ten women's 5000m title at a time of 15:38.82, while Beadlescomb was first-place in the men's 5000m with a 13:49.05 time. The pair then set school records at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn First-Team All-American honors, as Magness ran a 15:32.91 in the national women's 5000m race to place fourth, while Beadlescomb posted a 13:21.40 time to take eighth place in the men's 5000m. Stephenson and Franklin both garnered Second Team All-American honors in their respective pole vault competitions at the outdoor nationals as well, while Lynsie Gram was an All-America honorable mention in the women's 1000m race.

MSU also brought in a pair of transfers who were 2021 All-Americans during outdoor season, as former Michigan athlete Heath Baldwin joins the Spartans after earning Second-Team All-American honors in the outdoor decathlon, while Quiara Wheeler was an All-America honorable mention in the women's hammer throw at Central Michigan. Additionally, freshman Terrence Muex was the high school national champion in the boy's 400m during his senior season at Carman-Ainsworth last spring.

After the Raleigh Relays, Michigan State will head home for the first Spartan Invitational hosted since the 2019 season. The MSU home meet will take place April 1-2 at Ralph Young Field.

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Players Mentioned

Heath Baldwin

Morgan Beadlescomb

Sophia Franklin

Lynsie Gram

Jenna Magness

Tee Muex

Trevor Stephenson

Quiara Wheeler