Track & Field Travels Up I-69 For Saturday's IWU Invitational

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MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State track & field team will take a short trip up I-69 Saturday, when it travels to Marion, Indiana, for the 2018 Indiana Wesleyan University Invitational.

Competition in the meet, which includes athletes from seven different programs, is slated to begin at 11 a.m. in Troyer Indoor Fieldhouse with action in the field events. Track events are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday will mark Ball State's first trip to IWU for an indoor meet since the 2015 season when the Cardinals won two events and tallied 23 top 10 finishes at the Wildcat Invitational (Jan. 31).

BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
- Two meets into the 2017-18 indoor season, the Cardinals already boast a pair of MAC Indoor Track & Field Championship automatic qualifiers … Defending MAC Indoor 60m Hurdles champion Jazmin Smith locked up her spot at the league championships with a winning time of 8.65 at the season-opening Mastodon Opener (Dec. 2) … Last season's MAC Indoor High Jump runner-up Regan Lewis did the same with her winning mark of 1.73m (5-8) also set opening weekend in Fort Wayne.

- With her first-place leap of 1.73m (5-8) in the high jump at the Mastodon Opener, junior Regan Lewis enters the IWU Invitational ranked second in the MAC and 43rd nationally in the event.

- Junior Jazmin Smith is right behind in the 60m hurdles, as her first-place time of 8.65 at the Mastodon Opener ranks as the third-best time in the MAC and 92nd nationally entering the IWU Invitational.

- Sophomore Bryeana Byrdsong had a strong showing at last weekend's Kentucky Invitational (Jan. 12), placing 10th in the 60m dash (7.67) and 14th in the 200m dash (25.02) …. Her time of 7.67 in the 60m was just .05 off the MAC Indoor Championship automatic qualifying mark and currently ranks sixth in the league … Her 200m time of 25.02 is also seventh in the league, making her the only Ball State student-athlete ranked in the top 10 in the conference in multiple individual events.

- Byrdsong also ran the second leg for the eighth-place 4x400m relay at the Kentucky Invitational which clocked in at 3:54.52 and is currently ranked sixth in the conference ... She was joined in the race by freshman Dejah Johnson, freshman MaQuila Norman and senior Gabby Sims.

- Ball State's throwers had a field day at the Mastodon Opener, with both results in the shot put and all six results in the weight throw being career-best performances … leading the way in the shot put was sophomore Kelsey Walters with a throw of 13.57m (44-6.25) which currently ranks 11th in the league … senior Adrienne Mayfield led Ball State's six entries in the weight throw with a mark of 16.22m (53-2.75) which also stands 11th among MAC throwers.

- Freshman thrower Jada Caldwell built upon her opening-meet performance at the Kentucky Invitational, posting a new career-best distance of 12.82m (42-0.75) in the shot put.

- In her first mile race of the season, sophomore Brooke Talhelm clocked in at 5:07.08 at the Kentucky Invitational to move into ninth in the MAC rankings in the event.

- Two meets into the 2017-18 indoor season, the Cardinals have claimed five event victories, 22 top five finishes and 41 career-best performances.

Track & Field Travels Up I-69 For Saturday's IWU Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Bryeana Byrdsong

Jada Caldwell

Dejah Johnson

Regan Lewis

Adrienne Mayfield

MaQuila Norman

Gabby Sims

Jazmin Smith

Brooke Talhelm

Kelsey Walters