Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational (Outdoor)
Outdoor Track & Field Places Third At Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invite
April 18, 2009 | Track & Field
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - The Ball State outdoor track and field team finished third with 30 points at the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational hosted by Louisville this weekend.
The Cardinals were led by junior Katie Johnson (Evansville, Ind./Harrison H.S.) who scored eight points individually and had a leg in the 4x100 relay squad that added three to BSU's effort.
Johnson registered a victory in the 100m hurdles (14.25) and finished second in the 400m hurdles (1:01.79). Along with fifth-year senior Amber Williams (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran H.S.) and freshmen Kelsey Stephens (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop H.S.) and Janae Taylor (Richmond, Ind./Richmond H.S.), Johnson also helped the 4x100 relay team place second (46.94).
Williams and Taylor also scored points in other events for BSU. The 2007 NCAA All-American, who set a NCAA regional qualifying mark in the 100m hurdles last weekend, notched a second place finish in the 100m hurdles (12.38) to earn three points for the Cardinals. Taylor, who ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in the 200m dash, recorded a second-place clocking (25.81) in the 200.
BSU earned five points in the 1500m run, placing two runners in the top three. Juniors Ali Bishel (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) and Brittany Ade (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger H.S.) claimed second (4:38.10) and third (4:44.21) finishes, respectively.
The Cardinals added four points in the 400m dash. Sophomore Thekla Lorenz (Hamburg, Germany) led BSU finishing in second (59.80). Stephens placed less than a second behind Lorenz placing fourth (1:00.53).
Lorenz also added a fourth-place finish in the javelin throw (107-2) to earn her fourth point for BSU.
Senior Lauren McNichols (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central H.S.) tallied a fourth-place finish in the high jump (5-3).
The 4x400 relay combination of Lorenz, Stephens, Taylor, and junior Jenna Schmitmeyer (Celina, Ohio/Celina H.S.) recorded a third place finish (3:52.84).
The host school Louisville won the event with 109 points followed by Arkansas State in second place with 31 points. Western Kentucky finished in fourth with 26 points.
The Cardinals will return to action next weekend when they split up to compete in two separate meets. Part of the team will travel to Hillsdale, Mich., for the Gina Relays (April 24-25), while others will head to Indianapolis for the Stan Lyons Open (April 25).
MEET PREVIEW
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After taking home five event wins and 17 top-five finishes at the Miami Invitational last weekend, the Ball State outdoor track and field team will seek to carry its momentum to Louisville, Ky. for the Lenny Lyles/Clark Woode Invitational, a two-day meet that begins Friday and ends Saturday.
The Cardinals dominated several events last weekend, including the 100m and 200m dashes.
In the 100m, fifth-year senior Amber Williams (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran H.S.) won the event (12.05) with sidekick freshman Janae Taylor (Richmond, Ind./Richmond H.S.) placing fourth (12.30).The duo of Williams and Taylor also managed to finish first (25.18) and second (25.24) in the 200m.
Williams also led BSU in the 100m hurdles by setting an NCAA regional qualifying time and Mid-American Conference best (13.84) in her third victory of the day. Junior Katie Johnson (Evansville, Ind./Harrison H.S.) finished in third (14.14) and sophomore Thekla Lorenz (Hamburg, Germany) placed sixth (15.03).
In the 800m run, junior Brittany Ade (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger H.S.) registered a Cardinal victory with a time of 2:17.97 and was followed by freshman Christine Talhelm (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central H.S.) in third (2:20.14) and sophomore Brandi Robinson (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park H.S.) in sixth (2:24.94).
BSU's fifth victory of the day was courtesy of Johnson, Taylor, Williams, and fifth-year senior Christina Whitt (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran H.S.) as the Cardinals 4x100 relay team set a MAC-leading time of 46.18.
In her first action of the outdoor season, junior Ali Bishel (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) notched a second-place finish (17:18.15) in the 5000m run with a time that currently stands as the third best in the conference.
At the Mike Poehlein Invitational (Apr. 3-4), the Cardinals set several other current top-five league marks. In the 200m, Taylor leads BSU with a time of 24.62.
After winning the 100m hurdles at the meet, Johnson's time (14.08) is good for fifth in the conference. In the 400m hurdles, junior Jenna Schmitmeyer (Celina, Ohio/Celina H.S.) ranks fifth with a mark of 1:03.25 that was good for a second-place finish at the meet. Both Johnson and Schmitmeyer had legs in the 4x400 meter relay squad that finished second at the meet with a clocking of 3:52.36 that qualifies for third in the MAC. Lorenz and freshman Kelsey Stephens (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop H.S.) also competed in the event.
Friday's (Apr. 17) only event at the Lenny Lyles/Clark Woode Invitational will be the javelin throw at 6:30 p.m. The Cardinals will begin a full day of action Saturday at 10 a.m. with the 4x100m relay, high jump, and long jump all slated to begin at the same time. The meet will conclude with the 4x400m relay which is set to start at 12:55 p.m. A full schedule of events can be found by following the link at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
