Thursday, May 23
Lexington, Ky.
Michigan State University
at
NCAA East First Round
Freeland Rounds Up NCAA East Preliminary Day Two with Finals Qualification
5/23/2024 6:28:00 PM | Track and Field
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Five Spartan women made their 2024 NCAA East First Round Regional debuts on Thursday, highlighted by graduate student Lauren Freeland's qualification for the 1500m finals.
With the men's and women's preliminaries both in the books, the men's finals will take place throughout the day tomorrow while the women's pole vault, including two Spartan women, is rescheduled to start the day at 10 a.m. ET.
If the Spartans place within the top 12 in their event, they advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 5-8, where they will meet the top 12 finishers from the West Regional, being held in Fayetteville, Ark..
On Thursday, Freeland put herself in a good spot for one of those 12 spots in the 1500m using a late kick to finish third in her heat at 4:23.57. The 2024 1500 Big Ten Champion will compete in the finals scheduled for Saturday at 5:15 p.m..
Also on the day, junior Shae Harbaugh finished 40th in the 800m, crossing the finish line in 2:07.16. Junior Opal Jackson finished 36th in the shot put competition at 14.92m while freshman Jessica Stieb triple-faulted in her NCAA debut. Senior Kaia Scheffler did not finish in the 100m hurdles to start the day.
Headlining the seven Spartans competing on Friday is graduate student Heath Baldwin the 110m Hurdles finals. The Kalamazoo, Mich. native holds four MSU school records and was .02 seconds off from a fifth in the 110m hurdles (13.77) while scoring points in all four events he competed in last time out at the Big Ten Championships.
Typically competing in the decathlon, Baldwin focuses on just one event at regionals and will forgo the NCAA Championships in preparation for the US Summer Olympic Trials just two weeks later. The 2023 MSU Athletics George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year and five-time All-American is currently the U.S. No. 1 and World No. 3 in the decathlon after an NCAA seventh best all-time score of 8470 at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 17-18) that met the Olympic standard.
Sophomore Sophia Mettes' pole vault personal record came in Lexington, Ky. on the runways at Shively Track and Field Stadium, a massive 4.27m clearance at the Jim Green Invite (April 19-20). The mark qualified her for the NCAA East First Round, right back where she set her career mark. The native of Dexter, Mich. returns with the ninth seeded mark in the region and best by a Spartan this season following a down indoor season.
The Spartans' lone Second Team All-Big Ten finisher, senior Andrew Nolan's 3000m Steeplechase time of 8:45.33 was a personal best that earned him silver at the conference championships and the No. 20 seed at the NCAA Eastern First Round. A NCAA Cross Country Individual qualifier in 2023, the native of Oxford, Mich. is a proven runner across different distances, having also won the 1500m at MSU's lone home meet, the Spartan Invite (April 5).
Perhaps the biggest Spartan to breakout onto the scene is freshman thrower Dalton DeBeau. The Frankenmuth, Mich. native surprised many with a massive 56.34m discus throw that landed the first-year on the podium at the Big Ten Championships. DeBeau is seeded 29th in the East Region for the discus but another PB in consecutive competitions could see him jump those rankings and land in the NCAA Championships.
Junior Brady Schultz competes in his first NCAA Championship event, seeded 36th in the high jump. Like several of his teammates, Schultz's regional-qualifying mark was a personal best set at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His career clearance of 2.11m saw him finish just shy of scoring at the conference meet.
Competing in the one-and-done 3000m Steeplechase with Nolan, while in a separate heat, is senior Tyler Pritchett. He scored in sixth at the Big Ten Championships but his East Preliminary qualifying time came at the competitive Virginia Challenge (April 19-20), clocking in at 8:52.76.
Sophomore Natalie Blake has broken onto the scene in the 2023-24 seasons, her pole vault PB of 4.07m qualifying her as the 37th seed at the preliminaries. The mark was achieved at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships where she was the first Spartan to score for the women. Her PR is 4.25m, however, achieved during the indoor season.
All of the action can be streamed live on ESPN+, links and additional coverage can be found on MSUSpartans.com while updates will be provided on the MSU_TFXC social accounts.
Tentative MSU Schedule
// Women //
Name Event Seed Mark Date - Time (ET)
Shae Harbaugh 800m 45 2:06.09 Thurs., 7:50 p.m.
Sat., 7:05 p.m.
Lauren Freeland 1500m 24 4:14.55 Thurs., 6:30 p.m. Sat., 5:15 p.m.
Katie Osika 5000m 9 15:39.01 Sat., 8:10 p.m.
Kaia Scheffler 100m Hurdles 40 13.41 Thu., 6 p.m.
Sat., 6:35 p.m.
Sophia Mettes Pole Vault 8 4.27m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Natalie Blake Pole Vault 37 4.07m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Jessica Stieb Shot Put 28 16.00m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Opal Jackson Shot Put 42 15.52m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Discus 40 51.08m Sat. 1 p.m.
// Men //
Name Event Seed Mark Date - Time (ET)
Noah Sage 200m 42 20.66 Wed., 8:45 p.m.
Fri., 7:50 p.m.
CarLee Stimpfel 10,000m 45 28:56.92 Wed., 9:10 p.m.
Heath Baldwin 110m Hurdles 26 13.77 Wed., 6 p.m.
Fri., 6:15 p.m.
Andrew Nolan Steeplechase 20 8:45.33 Fri., 5:45 p.m.
Tyler Pritchett Steeplechase 38 8:52.76 Fri., 5:45 p.m.
Brady Schultz High Jump 36 2.11m Fri., 2 p.m.
Adam Blue Pole Vault 46 5.12m Wed., 3 p.m.
Colby Morlock Shot Put 26 18.53m Wed., 5:30 p.m.
Dalton DeBeau Discus 29 56.34m Fri., 1 p.m.
With the men's and women's preliminaries both in the books, the men's finals will take place throughout the day tomorrow while the women's pole vault, including two Spartan women, is rescheduled to start the day at 10 a.m. ET.
If the Spartans place within the top 12 in their event, they advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 5-8, where they will meet the top 12 finishers from the West Regional, being held in Fayetteville, Ark..
On Thursday, Freeland put herself in a good spot for one of those 12 spots in the 1500m using a late kick to finish third in her heat at 4:23.57. The 2024 1500 Big Ten Champion will compete in the finals scheduled for Saturday at 5:15 p.m..
Also on the day, junior Shae Harbaugh finished 40th in the 800m, crossing the finish line in 2:07.16. Junior Opal Jackson finished 36th in the shot put competition at 14.92m while freshman Jessica Stieb triple-faulted in her NCAA debut. Senior Kaia Scheffler did not finish in the 100m hurdles to start the day.
Headlining the seven Spartans competing on Friday is graduate student Heath Baldwin the 110m Hurdles finals. The Kalamazoo, Mich. native holds four MSU school records and was .02 seconds off from a fifth in the 110m hurdles (13.77) while scoring points in all four events he competed in last time out at the Big Ten Championships.
Typically competing in the decathlon, Baldwin focuses on just one event at regionals and will forgo the NCAA Championships in preparation for the US Summer Olympic Trials just two weeks later. The 2023 MSU Athletics George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year and five-time All-American is currently the U.S. No. 1 and World No. 3 in the decathlon after an NCAA seventh best all-time score of 8470 at the Mt. SAC Relays (April 17-18) that met the Olympic standard.
Sophomore Sophia Mettes' pole vault personal record came in Lexington, Ky. on the runways at Shively Track and Field Stadium, a massive 4.27m clearance at the Jim Green Invite (April 19-20). The mark qualified her for the NCAA East First Round, right back where she set her career mark. The native of Dexter, Mich. returns with the ninth seeded mark in the region and best by a Spartan this season following a down indoor season.
The Spartans' lone Second Team All-Big Ten finisher, senior Andrew Nolan's 3000m Steeplechase time of 8:45.33 was a personal best that earned him silver at the conference championships and the No. 20 seed at the NCAA Eastern First Round. A NCAA Cross Country Individual qualifier in 2023, the native of Oxford, Mich. is a proven runner across different distances, having also won the 1500m at MSU's lone home meet, the Spartan Invite (April 5).
Perhaps the biggest Spartan to breakout onto the scene is freshman thrower Dalton DeBeau. The Frankenmuth, Mich. native surprised many with a massive 56.34m discus throw that landed the first-year on the podium at the Big Ten Championships. DeBeau is seeded 29th in the East Region for the discus but another PB in consecutive competitions could see him jump those rankings and land in the NCAA Championships.
Junior Brady Schultz competes in his first NCAA Championship event, seeded 36th in the high jump. Like several of his teammates, Schultz's regional-qualifying mark was a personal best set at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His career clearance of 2.11m saw him finish just shy of scoring at the conference meet.
Competing in the one-and-done 3000m Steeplechase with Nolan, while in a separate heat, is senior Tyler Pritchett. He scored in sixth at the Big Ten Championships but his East Preliminary qualifying time came at the competitive Virginia Challenge (April 19-20), clocking in at 8:52.76.
Sophomore Natalie Blake has broken onto the scene in the 2023-24 seasons, her pole vault PB of 4.07m qualifying her as the 37th seed at the preliminaries. The mark was achieved at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships where she was the first Spartan to score for the women. Her PR is 4.25m, however, achieved during the indoor season.
All of the action can be streamed live on ESPN+, links and additional coverage can be found on MSUSpartans.com while updates will be provided on the MSU_TFXC social accounts.
Tentative MSU Schedule
// Women //
Name Event Seed Mark Date - Time (ET)
Shae Harbaugh 800m 45 2:06.09 Thurs., 7:50 p.m.
Sat., 7:05 p.m.
Lauren Freeland 1500m 24 4:14.55 Thurs., 6:30 p.m. Sat., 5:15 p.m.
Katie Osika 5000m 9 15:39.01 Sat., 8:10 p.m.
Kaia Scheffler 100m Hurdles 40 13.41 Thu., 6 p.m.
Sat., 6:35 p.m.
Sophia Mettes Pole Vault 8 4.27m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Natalie Blake Pole Vault 37 4.07m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Jessica Stieb Shot Put 28 16.00m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Opal Jackson Shot Put 42 15.52m Thu., 6:30 p.m.
Discus 40 51.08m Sat. 1 p.m.
// Men //
Name Event Seed Mark Date - Time (ET)
Noah Sage 200m 42 20.66 Wed., 8:45 p.m.
Fri., 7:50 p.m.
CarLee Stimpfel 10,000m 45 28:56.92 Wed., 9:10 p.m.
Heath Baldwin 110m Hurdles 26 13.77 Wed., 6 p.m.
Fri., 6:15 p.m.
Andrew Nolan Steeplechase 20 8:45.33 Fri., 5:45 p.m.
Tyler Pritchett Steeplechase 38 8:52.76 Fri., 5:45 p.m.
Brady Schultz High Jump 36 2.11m Fri., 2 p.m.
Adam Blue Pole Vault 46 5.12m Wed., 3 p.m.
Colby Morlock Shot Put 26 18.53m Wed., 5:30 p.m.
Dalton DeBeau Discus 29 56.34m Fri., 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Multi-Event
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Throws
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Distance
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Distance
/ Track and FieldProcess Oriented | Spartans All-Access
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