EAST LANSING, MICH. – The Spartans will return to Ann Arbor Saturday for the second time, this time for what will be the Spartans' first scored meet of the season at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, scheduled to span from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m..
The meet is expected to feature just a handful of Big Ten teams and their top athletes in what will be a mini-preview of the Big Ten Indoor Championships that will take place on Feb. 23 in Geneva, Ohio.
Top of the morning
Last time out at the Wolverine Invite in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, Spartans placed first in both the first track and field events of the day.
To get things started, junior Elle Adrian was crowned weight throw winner with a 20.22m toss. In the 60m hurdles graduate senior Heath Baldwin saved his best sprint for the finals, besting the competition at 7.96, a PR.
Dashing through the snow
A winter storm with several inches of snow prior to the Wolverine Invite forced multiple teams to withdraw from competing at the meet. For MSU however, the sprinters traveled especially well, placing on the podium and racking up personal best times on numerous occasions.
In addition to Baldwin, also victorious during the morning events was sophomore Lexy Wilson, who finished the 400m sprint in 56.48. On the men's side, sophomore Alex Yon finished second with a 49.55 400 time. Sophomore Ian Thompson also had a career-day, placing second in the 60m dash with a PR of 6.78.
Competing for pole (vault) position
Spartans shined and landed finalists in both the men's and women's pole vault events. In fact, the last two women standing were Michigan State sophomores Natalie Blake and Sophia Mettes. Both cleared 3.95m but failed the next height, ceding Blake the winner as she completed previous feat in less attempts.
On the men's side, Adam Blue matched his PR of 4.90m despite using a shortened approach. The Potterville, Mich. native earned second in the event, only behind Olympian Steven Bastien who, competing unattached, only beat Blue as he cleared 4.90m in less attempts than the sophomore.
Freshman sets school record in first career try
In her first career try, Jessica Stieb set an indoor shot put school record with a 16.60m throw. The record previously stood at 16.15m, set by Katelyn Daniels in 2018. The Loup City, Nebraska native wound up finishing second in the event at the GVSU Holiday Open on Dec. 8.
Several Spartans shine in debuts at Holiday Open
Also having a standout performance from the throws squad at the GVSU Holiday Open was junior Elle Adrian, who topped the 20-pound weight throw event by nearly a whole meter with a 20.74m mark in her first performance of the season.
On the men's side, junior Josh DeVries and freshman Xavier Griffiths put up solid results in the weight throw and shot put respectively, also in their season debuts.
Highlighting the sprint events for the Spartans, sophomore Lexy Wilson broke her 400m PR with a blitzing time of 56.38 to finish second, while freshman Liz Anderson joined her on the podium in her collegiate debut at 57 seconds flat.
Sage's win highlights season opener
Four Track and Field student-athletes opened the season at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener alongside national competition on Dec. 2 on what is regarded by many as the fastest track in the world, highlighted by an overall 400m win by junior Noah Sage.
Meet preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
The meet is expected to feature just a handful of Big Ten teams and their top athletes in what will be a mini-preview of the Big Ten Indoor Championships that will take place on Feb. 23 in Geneva, Ohio.
Top of the morning
Last time out at the Wolverine Invite in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, Spartans placed first in both the first track and field events of the day.
To get things started, junior Elle Adrian was crowned weight throw winner with a 20.22m toss. In the 60m hurdles graduate senior Heath Baldwin saved his best sprint for the finals, besting the competition at 7.96, a PR.
Dashing through the snow
A winter storm with several inches of snow prior to the Wolverine Invite forced multiple teams to withdraw from competing at the meet. For MSU however, the sprinters traveled especially well, placing on the podium and racking up personal best times on numerous occasions.
In addition to Baldwin, also victorious during the morning events was sophomore Lexy Wilson, who finished the 400m sprint in 56.48. On the men's side, sophomore Alex Yon finished second with a 49.55 400 time. Sophomore Ian Thompson also had a career-day, placing second in the 60m dash with a PR of 6.78.
Competing for pole (vault) position
Spartans shined and landed finalists in both the men's and women's pole vault events. In fact, the last two women standing were Michigan State sophomores Natalie Blake and Sophia Mettes. Both cleared 3.95m but failed the next height, ceding Blake the winner as she completed previous feat in less attempts.
On the men's side, Adam Blue matched his PR of 4.90m despite using a shortened approach. The Potterville, Mich. native earned second in the event, only behind Olympian Steven Bastien who, competing unattached, only beat Blue as he cleared 4.90m in less attempts than the sophomore.
Freshman sets school record in first career try
In her first career try, Jessica Stieb set an indoor shot put school record with a 16.60m throw. The record previously stood at 16.15m, set by Katelyn Daniels in 2018. The Loup City, Nebraska native wound up finishing second in the event at the GVSU Holiday Open on Dec. 8.
Several Spartans shine in debuts at Holiday Open
Also having a standout performance from the throws squad at the GVSU Holiday Open was junior Elle Adrian, who topped the 20-pound weight throw event by nearly a whole meter with a 20.74m mark in her first performance of the season.
On the men's side, junior Josh DeVries and freshman Xavier Griffiths put up solid results in the weight throw and shot put respectively, also in their season debuts.
Highlighting the sprint events for the Spartans, sophomore Lexy Wilson broke her 400m PR with a blitzing time of 56.38 to finish second, while freshman Liz Anderson joined her on the podium in her collegiate debut at 57 seconds flat.
Sage's win highlights season opener
Four Track and Field student-athletes opened the season at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener alongside national competition on Dec. 2 on what is regarded by many as the fastest track in the world, highlighted by an overall 400m win by junior Noah Sage.
Meet preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
