Pair of Spartans Finish First at the Len Paddock Open

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In its final meet of the regular season, the Michigan State track and field team had two student-athletes place first at the Len Paddock Open on Saturday at the U-M Outdoor Track & Field Stadium.

MSU saw both first-place finishes come from its jumps squad, as Trevor Stephenson was the top men's pole vaulter, while Day'Anna Marr won the women's high jump competition.

The day started with the women's hammer throw, as unattached freshman Elle Adrian finished sixth with a 50.12m toss on her third try. In the men's hammer competition, Joshua DeVries used a 60.98m throw on his fourth attempt to place fourth, while unattached freshman Brendan Vander Meer finished in seventh at 46.23m.

Vander Meer then competed in the men's discus, tallying a 41.19m top throw on his fifth of six attempts.

Marr took first place in the field for the women's high jump, being the only competitor to clear the 1.67m bar and setting a personal record in the process.

In pole vaulting, Sophia Franklin placed third at 4.19m in the women's event, trailing former Division II champion Kristin Leland (4.55m) and Grand Valley State's Elianna Kimes (4.29m). For the men, Stephenson finished first when he cleared his first try at 5.23m but was unable to clear the 5.37m bar on his three attempts.

On the track, Jalen Smith paced the Spartans in the men's 800m with a 1:53.27 time that placed him sixth, with teammate Jeremy Kloss following him in seventh at 1:55.64 and Hunter Zartman finishing 12th in a time of 2:04.27.

Michigan State now heads to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships from May 13-15.

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Players Mentioned

Elle Adrian

Joshua DeVries

Sophia Franklin

Jeremy Kloss

Day'Anna Marr

Jalen Smith

Trevor Stephenson

Brendan Vander Meer

Hunter Zartman