Track & Field Travels to Bloomington for Gladstein Invitational

January 21, 2016 | Track & Field

By: Ball State Athletics

Live Results | Heat Sheets: Day 1 / Day 2 | Schedule of Events

MUNCIE, Ind. - - With a little more than a month remaining until the 2016 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Ball State track & field team will look to build upon a solid start to the season when it competes in this weekend's Gladstein Invitational hosted by Indiana.

The two-day meet will take place at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse and is slated to start Friday at Noon with the first round of the women's pentathlon. Ball State's first event will be the 3000m run, with Jessica Bryzek (Brownsburg, Ind./Indiana Academy) scheduled to run at 4:20 p.m. Ball State's first field event will be the triple jump, with both Zenée Gadson (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) and Gabrielle Perryman (Beachwood, Ohio/Beachwood) set to compete at 4:30 p.m.

In all, the Cardinals are scheduled to compete in seven events Friday and four on Saturday. Amber McGee (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) will open the second day of action for Ball State by competing in the 200m dash starting at 10:50 p.m.

At last week's Kentucky Invitational, Ball State's student-athletes managed to produce five career-best performances and four top 20 individual finishes against its toughest competition to date this season, including eighth-ranked Kentucky among a field of 22 teams. Senior runner Danielle Dahl (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) led the Cardinals at the two-day meet by placing seventh in the 800m run with a time of 2:16.67.

In addition to the strong showing from Dahl, freshman sprinter Peyton Stewart (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) continued to run well in the 60m dash, placing 16th overall with a time of 7.66. Stewart also made her collegiate debut in the 200m dash, placing 35th overall with a personal-best time of 25.57.

NEWS & NOTES:

- Senior thrower Marie Lumpkin (Losantville, Ind./Union) enters the week ranked second in the Mid-American Conference and 47th in the nation with a career-best and school-record weight throw of 18.55m (60'-10.5”) at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 5) … The effort is also a Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship automatic qualifying mark.

- Freshman sprinter Peyton Stewart became the second Ball State student-athlete to earn a MAC Indoor Championship automatic qualifying mark when she crossed the finish line of the 60m dash in 7.61 at the Bowling Green Opener (Jan. 9) … Stewart's time is the fastest for a Ball State sprinter since Amber Williams won the 60m dash at the 2009 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 7.44.

- Six Cardinals enter the week ranked in the top 10 in their respective events on the Mid-American Conference indoor performance list including; Marie Lumpkin who is second in the weight throw (18.55m / 60'-10.5”), Peyton Stewart who is fifth in the 60m dash (7.61), freshman Regan Lewis (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield-Central) who is seventh in the high jump (1.68m / 5'-6”), freshman Amber McGee who is ninth in the 400m dash (57.68 – converted from 58.44), freshman Jazmin Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio / North College Hill) who is ninth in the 60m hurdles (8.82) and senior Zenée Gadson who is ninth in the triple jump (11.30m / 37'-1”).

- Through the first three meets of the 2015-16 indoor season, Ball State's student-athletes have collected nine individual victories, one relay win and 32 career-best performances.

Fans can get the most up-to-date news on Ball State track & field by following the team on Twitter: @BallStateSports, @BallStateTFXC and @CoachE_BSU.

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