Track & Field Earns 17 Entries to the NCAA East Preliminary Round

Kate Stewart-Barnett at the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Christopher Mitchell / Big Ten

Track & Field Earns 17 Entries to the NCAA East Preliminary Round

5/19/2022 2:10:00 PM | Track and Field

Baldwin and Talbot Earn Decathlon Bids at NCAA Championships

EAST LANSING, Mich. – A total of 16 athletes from the Michigan State track and field team were named as participants for the upcoming NCAA Division I Outdoor East Preliminary Round next week in Bloomington, Indiana, the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon.

With Quiara Wheeler competing in both the women's hammer throw and discus competitions, the Spartans have 17 total entries in the preliminary field, with 11 on the women's side and six men's entries. The NCAA also announced Thursday that Heath Baldwin and Ryan Talbot were among the 24 athletes selected for the men's decathlon at next month's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Being held May 25-28 on the campus of Indiana University, the NCAA East Preliminary Round will send the top 12 performers in each event to the NCAA Championships, as will the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Joshua DeVries will open up competition for the Spartans in the men's hammer throw on Wednesday, May 25 at 10 a.m., while John Petruno (men's 1,500m first round) and Trevor Stephenson (men's pole vault) both start at 6:30 p.m. Also competing on the opening day are Terrence Muex and Noah Sage in men's 400m first round, slated for a 7:25 p.m. start.

Wheeler competes in her first event, the women's hammer throw, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 26. Jaiden Paris then competes in the women's 100m hurdles at 6 p.m. that evening, while Sophia Franklin begins the women's pole vault competition at 6:30 p.m. Also competing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday will be the trio of Lauren Freeland, Melanie Helder and Katie Osika in the women's 1,500m first round, while Lynsie Gram, Jenna Magness and Makayla Perez are set to compete in the women's 10,000m race at 9:10 p.m.

Friday, May 27 features Morgan Beadlescomb running the men's 5,000m semifinals at 8:10 p.m., while Saturday, May 28 will have Wheeler in the women's discus at 1 p.m. and Kate Stewart-Barnett in the women's 3,000m steeplechase at 5:40 p.m.

The 2022 NCAA Championships are being held June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.