Sunday, May 12
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan State University
at
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Freeland Wins Title, Baldwin Scores Big and Spartan Men Record Best Finish in 15 Years at B1G Championships
5/12/2024 8:24:00 PM | Track and Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan State Track and Field rounded out the third and final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with several podium finishes and a 1500m title from Lauren Freeland as the men finished eighth in conference and the women 10th.
Day One Recap | Day Two Recap | Final Results
For the Michigan State men, the 61 points accumulated across the weekend is the most for the program in 15 years, scoring 62 in 2009. The women tallied 25 points across the three-day meet. On the final day of the championships there was a stretch of nine of 10 consecutive events in which a Spartan podiumed.
10 of those points came by way of graduate student Lauren Freeland's 1500m title in which she stormed past two competitors in the final 100m, crossing the line in a blitzing 4:14.55, just .3 seconds of her personal best. The 2023 NCAA Championship qualifier becomes the second woman to win the 1500m Big Ten championship after All-American Leah O'Connor did so in 2014.
The other Spartan to win an individual conference title on the weekend was graduate student Ryan Talbot in the decathlon on Friday and Saturday. The Novi, Mich. claimed his second career B1G decathlon gold behind a season-best score of 7,535. Talbot's score comprised of wins by two feet and two seconds in the shot put and 400m dash respectively on day one as well as a second-place finish by .001 seconds in the 100m dash. On day two, he padded his lead with top-three finishes in the javelin and 110m hurdles, also winning the discus on a crucial 42.38-meter final throw.
Graduate Student Heath Baldwin was the highest scorer of the weekend for the Spartans, however. The 2023 MSU George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year forewent competition in the decathlon in preparation for the U.S. Summer Olympic trials and instead podiumed in all four events he competed in individually across the three days.
Baldwin's fourth-place finish in the javelin on Friday, sixth in the long jump Saturday, sixth in the high jump Sunday and third in the 110m hurdles finals Sunday saw the Kalamazoo, Mich. native score 17 points in total, more than the 12th-place Maryland (12 points). It's the most points an MSU individual has scored since O'Connor won three distance events (30 points) in 2015.
Also medaling on the day was senior Luke Perelli who after qualifying for his first career final on Friday, claimed a personal record 3:44.96 and bronze in the 1500m Sunday. Underclassmen shined in the Sunday field events, as freshman Dalton DeBeau and sophomore Adam Blue claimed points in the discus and pole vault respectively.
Winning the men's outdoor conference championship was Nebraska for the second straight season, with 136 points. The Spartan men were only five points removed from fifth place and were in third after day two behind the second-most points in the league on the second day with 24. Minnesota topped the women's conference competition with 131 points.
Select Spartans will await to see if their season-best marks rank in the top-48 of the East Region and qualify them for the NCAA Eastern Regional Preliminary from May 22-25 in Lexington, Ky., or whether their season is effectively over.
Director of Cross Country & Track and Field Lisa Breznau
"Our program showed great growth this weekend. I'm really proud of our staff and student-athletes. Our men's team in particular had a meet where we can say we were in the fight. The women will get better and we had many bright spots throughout the weekend. Our seniors have been incredible and they will truly be missed. I know I speak for all of the others when I say it's been a privilege to be a part of their journey at MSU."
Scoring Breakdown
MSU Men: 8th, 61 points
Friday, May 10
Javelin – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 4th, 5 points
10,000m – CarLee Stimpfel (Gr.), 5th, 4 points
10,000m – Andrew Lane (Sr.), 8th, 1 point
Saturday, May 11
Decathlon – Ryan Talbot (Gr.), 1st, 10 points
Long Jump – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 6th, 3 points
3,000m Steeplechase – Andrew Nolan (Sr.), 2nd, 8 points
3,000m Steeplechase – Tyler Pritchett (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
Sunday, May 12
High Jump – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 6th, 3 points
Discus – Dalton DeBeau (Fr.), 7th, 2 points
Pole Vault – Adam Blue (So.), 6th, 3 points
1500m – Luke Perelli (Sr.), 3rd, 6 points
1500m – Owen Huard (Sr.), 5th, 4 points
110m Hurdles – Heath Baldwin (Sr.), 3rd, 6 points
4x100m Relay – Antonio Postell II, Tee Muex, Logan Allen, Noah Sage, 6th, 3 points
MSU Women: 10th, 25 points
Friday, May 10
Pole Vault – Natalie Blake (So.), 8th, 1 point
10,000m – Kaitlyn Hynes (Jr.), 5th, 4 points
Saturday, May 11
3,00m Steeplechase – Sophia Lucki (Jr.), 6th, 3 points
Sunday, May 12
1500m – Lauren Freeland (Gr.), 1st, 10 points
100m Hurdles – Kaia Scheffler (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
800m – Shae Harbaugh (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
4x100m – Taryn Hankins, Liz Anderson, Anyssa Hall, Amani Nuels, 8th, 1 point
Day One Recap | Day Two Recap | Final Results
For the Michigan State men, the 61 points accumulated across the weekend is the most for the program in 15 years, scoring 62 in 2009. The women tallied 25 points across the three-day meet. On the final day of the championships there was a stretch of nine of 10 consecutive events in which a Spartan podiumed.
10 of those points came by way of graduate student Lauren Freeland's 1500m title in which she stormed past two competitors in the final 100m, crossing the line in a blitzing 4:14.55, just .3 seconds of her personal best. The 2023 NCAA Championship qualifier becomes the second woman to win the 1500m Big Ten championship after All-American Leah O'Connor did so in 2014.
Lauren Freeland what a finish for gold!!! 🤩 #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/6LtIQPAWGj
— MSU Track & Field/XC (@MSU_TFXC) May 12, 2024
The other Spartan to win an individual conference title on the weekend was graduate student Ryan Talbot in the decathlon on Friday and Saturday. The Novi, Mich. claimed his second career B1G decathlon gold behind a season-best score of 7,535. Talbot's score comprised of wins by two feet and two seconds in the shot put and 400m dash respectively on day one as well as a second-place finish by .001 seconds in the 100m dash. On day two, he padded his lead with top-three finishes in the javelin and 110m hurdles, also winning the discus on a crucial 42.38-meter final throw.
Graduate Student Heath Baldwin was the highest scorer of the weekend for the Spartans, however. The 2023 MSU George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year forewent competition in the decathlon in preparation for the U.S. Summer Olympic trials and instead podiumed in all four events he competed in individually across the three days.
Baldwin's fourth-place finish in the javelin on Friday, sixth in the long jump Saturday, sixth in the high jump Sunday and third in the 110m hurdles finals Sunday saw the Kalamazoo, Mich. native score 17 points in total, more than the 12th-place Maryland (12 points). It's the most points an MSU individual has scored since O'Connor won three distance events (30 points) in 2015.
Also medaling on the day was senior Luke Perelli who after qualifying for his first career final on Friday, claimed a personal record 3:44.96 and bronze in the 1500m Sunday. Underclassmen shined in the Sunday field events, as freshman Dalton DeBeau and sophomore Adam Blue claimed points in the discus and pole vault respectively.
Winning the men's outdoor conference championship was Nebraska for the second straight season, with 136 points. The Spartan men were only five points removed from fifth place and were in third after day two behind the second-most points in the league on the second day with 24. Minnesota topped the women's conference competition with 131 points.
Select Spartans will await to see if their season-best marks rank in the top-48 of the East Region and qualify them for the NCAA Eastern Regional Preliminary from May 22-25 in Lexington, Ky., or whether their season is effectively over.
Director of Cross Country & Track and Field Lisa Breznau
"Our program showed great growth this weekend. I'm really proud of our staff and student-athletes. Our men's team in particular had a meet where we can say we were in the fight. The women will get better and we had many bright spots throughout the weekend. Our seniors have been incredible and they will truly be missed. I know I speak for all of the others when I say it's been a privilege to be a part of their journey at MSU."
Scoring Breakdown
MSU Men: 8th, 61 points
Friday, May 10
Javelin – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 4th, 5 points
10,000m – CarLee Stimpfel (Gr.), 5th, 4 points
10,000m – Andrew Lane (Sr.), 8th, 1 point
Saturday, May 11
Decathlon – Ryan Talbot (Gr.), 1st, 10 points
Long Jump – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 6th, 3 points
3,000m Steeplechase – Andrew Nolan (Sr.), 2nd, 8 points
3,000m Steeplechase – Tyler Pritchett (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
Sunday, May 12
High Jump – Heath Baldwin (Gr.), 6th, 3 points
Discus – Dalton DeBeau (Fr.), 7th, 2 points
Pole Vault – Adam Blue (So.), 6th, 3 points
1500m – Luke Perelli (Sr.), 3rd, 6 points
1500m – Owen Huard (Sr.), 5th, 4 points
110m Hurdles – Heath Baldwin (Sr.), 3rd, 6 points
4x100m Relay – Antonio Postell II, Tee Muex, Logan Allen, Noah Sage, 6th, 3 points
MSU Women: 10th, 25 points
Friday, May 10
Pole Vault – Natalie Blake (So.), 8th, 1 point
10,000m – Kaitlyn Hynes (Jr.), 5th, 4 points
Saturday, May 11
3,00m Steeplechase – Sophia Lucki (Jr.), 6th, 3 points
Sunday, May 12
1500m – Lauren Freeland (Gr.), 1st, 10 points
100m Hurdles – Kaia Scheffler (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
800m – Shae Harbaugh (Sr.), 6th, 3 points
4x100m – Taryn Hankins, Liz Anderson, Anyssa Hall, Amani Nuels, 8th, 1 point
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/ Track and FieldProcess Oriented | Spartans All-Access
Wednesday, April 02
Track & Field | Big Ten Outdoor Championship recap
Monday, May 13
Track & Field | Big Ten Outdoor Championships highlights
Saturday, May 11
Track & Field | Big Ten Outdoor Championships | Day 2
Saturday, May 11