Track & Field Earns Three MAC Auto Qualifying Marks at Mastodon Opener

Saturday, December 3

Fort Wayne, Ind.

TBA

Ball State University

Mastodon Opener

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Track & Field Earns Three MAC Auto Qualifying Marks at Mastodon Opener

December 03, 2016 | Track & Field

Mastodon Opener - Complete Results

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - - While she fell just short of a school record, sophomore high jumper Regan Lewis (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield-Central) set the tone for the Ball State track & field team which opened the 2016-17 indoor season with five event wins and three Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship automatic qualifying marks Saturday afternoon at the Mastodon Opener.

Ball State's first medalist at the MAC Outdoor Championships since the 2012 season with her third-place showing to end last season, Lewis showed why she is considered one of the league's top high jumpers by winning the event Saturday at the Fort Wayne Athletics Center Fieldhouse by clearing the bar at a personal-best 1.75m.

Lewis also had three chances to clear 1.80m, which would have been a school record, but fell just shy and ended the day with the fourth-best individual effort in program history. It was also Ball State's first MAC automatic qualifying mark of the year.

"We had an awesome start to our season," second-year head coach Brian Etelman said. "We are very pleased with the effort and competitive focus from our entire team today. It was fun to watch our unique blend of youth, talent and experience begin to take shape. Regan was especially impressive, as she took close attempts at 1.80m which would have been a program record."

The Cardinals also started the season strong on the track, as freshman Jasmine Harris (Moreland Hills, Ohio/Orange) opened her collegiate career with a preliminary round time of 8.61 in the 60m hurdles. The effort was the fastest for a Ball State hurdler since the 2010 season.

Harris would ultimately clock a time of 8.72 in the finals to finish second in the race, trailing only sophomore teammate Jazmin Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/North College Hill) who edged her by 0.01 with a first-place effort of 8.71 in the finals. Both times by Harris and Smith were MAC Indoor Championship automatic qualifying marks.

The effort turned out to be the first of three one-two finishes for the Cardinals on the afternoon. The second came in the 60m dash, when Peyton Stewart (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) opened her sophomore campaign with a winning time of 7.66 in the race finals. Freshman Bryeana Byrdsong (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) was not far behind, clocking in at 7.71 in her first collegiate finals heat to take second.

The Cardinals then closed the meet by taking the top two spots in the 4x400m relay. Junior Gabby Sims (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North), Byrdsong, Smith and freshman Emily Tromp (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) combined for a first-place time of 4:01.43. Senior Olivia Ashba (Ellettsville, Ind./Edgewood), Harris, senior Anna-Kay West (Manchester, Jamaica/Manchester) and freshman Peyton Kneadler (Monticello, Ind./Twin Lakes) were not far behind, taking second in 4:01.60.

"We went 1-2 in the 60m dash, 60m hurdles and 4x400m relay, showing our talent and depth in both the sprints and hurdles. Now, we will turn our focus to final exams and preparing for our 2017-opening dual meet at Western Michigan."

Ball State's fifth event victory came in the 300m dash, with freshman Amber Jones (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) opening her collegiate career with a time of 41.00.

In addition to the five event wins and three MAC automatic qualifying marks, Ball State's student-athletes finished the day by combining for 18 career-best performances.

The Cardinals also finished the day with a 3-2 head-to-head dual record, scoring wins over Butler (70-36), Northern Kentucky (70-56) and Xavier (68-47). Ball State suffered losses to host Fort Wayne (88.5-68.5) and Oakland (68-66).

The Ball State indoor track and field team returns to action Saturday, Jan. 7, when it travels to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a dual meet with league rival Western Michigan starting at 2 p.m.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country and track & field, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateTFXC and @CoachE_BSU.

BALL STATE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS AT MASTODON OPENER

60m Dash (MAC Auto - 7.62)
1st - Peyton Stewart - 7.66
2nd - Bryeana Byrdsong - 7.71*
6th - Anna-Kay West - 7.97 (7.91 prelim)

300m Dash
1st - Amber Jones - 41.00*
4th - Peyton Stewart - 42.40*
8th - Makelle Skelton - 44.08

600m Run
2nd - Emily Tromp - 1:37.76*
3rd - Olivia Ashba - 1:37.86*
4th - Peyton Kneadler - 1:40.26*
5th - Gabby Sims - 1:41.36*

Mile Run (MAC Auto - 4:53.21)
4th - Lauren Whitehouse - 5:25.11*
7th - Emma Maddelein - 5:34.75*

3000m Run (MAC Auto - 9:47.13)
5th - Maritza Rodriguez - 10:48.57*
6th - Stephanie McElhaney - 10:48.74*
8th - Jordan Timmons - 10:56.52*
9th - Ericka Rinehart - 10:59.31
10th - Emma Manchess - 11:15.13
14th - Meliza Rodriguez - 11:44.98*

60m Hurdles (MAC Auto - 8.73)
1st - Jazmin Smith - 8.71
2nd - Jasmine Harris - 8.72 (8.61* prelim)
6th - Kassidy Swenson - 9.29

4x400m Relay
1st - Gabby Sims, Bryeana Byrdsong, Jazmin Smith, Emily Tromp - 4:01.43
2nd - Olivia Ashba, Jasmine Harris, Anna-Kay West, Peyton Kneadler - 4:01.60

High Jump (MAC Auto - 1.69m)
1st - Regan Lewis - 1.75m*
7th - Megan Graves - 1.45m*

Long Jump (MAC Auto - 5.74m)
4th - Makelle Skelton - 5.02m

Shot Put (MAC Auto - 14.82m)
2nd - Kelsey Walters - 12.84m*

Weight Throw (MAC Auto - 17.88m)
2nd - Adrienne Mayfield    - 15.60m*

* Denotes Career-Best Performance

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