Magness Claims Bronze, Franklin Reaches Podium on Day 2 of NCAA Championships

Jenna Magness after placing third in women's 10,000m at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Angela Fieno

Magness Claims Bronze, Franklin Reaches Podium on Day 2 of NCAA Championships

6/10/2022 2:00:00 AM | Track and Field

Spartans Tally Five All-Americans, as Baldwin and Perez Earn Second Team Honors

EUGENE, Ore. – Spartans Jenna Magness and Sophia Franklin capped off their record-setting collegiate careers with impressive First Team All-American performances on Thursday night, as the Michigan State track and field team finished the second day of the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Racing in only her third-ever 10,000m race, Magness used a personal-record time to place third and win the bronze medal, while Franklin cleared a season-best height in the women's pole vault to improve upon last year's eighth-place finish and earn herself seventh this year. The evening also saw Makayla Perez (Second Team) and Ryan Talbot (Honorable Mention) become All-Americans for the first time, while Heath Baldwin picked up Second Team All-American status for the second-straight season and for the first time as a Spartan.

Franklin started her women's pole vault finals by easily clearing the 4.05m and 4.20m bars on her first attempt at each, and then got the 4.30m height on her second try. She then needed all three jumps at 4.35m, but Franklin was able to vault the season-best mark on the final attempt, securing herself a podium finish when she was one of only seven to clear it.

While she did not clear a would-be personal record of 4.40m, Franklin posted the highest finish by a Spartan vaulter at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in program history and claimed the third Outdoor All-American accolade of her career.

Coming out of Wednesday, both Baldwin and Talbot made up ground in the men's decathlon standings with Thursday's first event, as Baldwin posted a 14.48 mark in the fifth heat to lead the heat and take eighth overall, while Talbot was 12th with a personal-best time of 14.82 to lead the fourth heat and finish 12th among all decathletes. The discus throw boosted Talbot's score when racked up a 45.10m mark on his first attempt and placed third, and Baldwin followed by tossing 38.67m on his second try to secure 15th in the event.

Talbot did not fare as well in the pole vault, as he could not clear the 4.61m bar on three tries to no-height, but Baldwin improved his placing by clearing the 4.31m, 4.41m and 4.51m bars on his first attempt at each, finishing 12th after faltering at the 4.61m height.

Talbot recovered in the javelin when he tallied a 51.57m mark on his third and final attempt to finish 15th, while Baldwin recorded a season-best 60.93m throw in the javelin on his first attempt, putting him second in the event. In the final event of the decathlon, the 1500m run, Talbot crossed the line 17th at 4:46.60 and Baldwin was right behind in 18th with a 4:47.57 time.

In the final decathlon standings, Baldwin concluded with 7538 points to place 13th and be a Second Team All-American in back-to-back season, while Talbot ended in 20th place at 6863 points to receive Honorable Mention All-American status.

MSU has now had at least one decathlete finish top-16 in seven of the past eight NCAA Outdoor Championships, dating back to Kurt Schneider earning Second Team All-American honors in 2014.

The women's 10,000m finals had Magness settled in towards the lead pack early on, while Perez needed to make up ground. For Magness, she was able to stay with the top-7 runners for much of the race, eventually finding herself in fourth during the final 2000 meters and passing Washington's Haley Herberg for third with five laps left, making a final push to post a PR of 32:59.96 for bronze. Perez also made moves late, moving up from last place with 5000 meters remaining to 15th by the time she crossed the finish line, running a 33:43.76 final time to grab Second Team All-American distinction.

With her finish, Magness became the first Spartan woman to earn First Team All-American honors in both the 5000m and 10,000m during an MSU career. Magness and Perez are also the first Spartan duo to finish Second Team All-American-or-better in the same NCAA Outdoor Championships event since 2018, when Tim Ehrhardt and Nick Guerrant both were top-16 in the men's decathlon. They are the first to do so on the MSU women's side since 2016, when Rachele Schulist and Alexis Wiersma both earned Second Team All-American honors in the 10,000m finals.

Michigan State concludes action at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Friday night, when John Petruno (men's 1500m) and Morgan Beadlescomb (men's 5000m) both compete in their respective finals. Petruno will run at 6:12 p.m. PT, while Beadlescomb is scheduled for a 7:55 p.m. PT start time.