Ball State University
MAC Indoor Championship
Track & Field Scores in Four Events on Final Day of MAC Championship
February 28, 2016 | Track & Field
AKRON, Ohio - - The Ball State indoor track & field team scored in four of six events on the final day of the 2016 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and finished the two-day event with a team total of 14 points.
“I was really happy with how we competed this weekend,” head coach Brian Etelman said. “We competed with a lot of spirit, and I thought the 4x4 was indicative of how everything went. We came in as an underdog, competed hard and fought with pride to beat a couple teams running out of the slow heat. Overall, we had a lot of people step up and score higher than they were supposed to coming in. In the grand scheme of things, our performance this weekend shows we are making progress and that's what it's really all about.”
Freshman sprinter Peyton Stewart (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) led the Cardinals on the final day of the championships, placing fourth in the 60m dash with a career-fast clocking of 7.56. It marks the best finish for a Ball State sprinter in a championship race since the 2009 season and locked up five of the Cardinals' 14 points in the meet.
Senior Danielle Dahl (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) also turned in a strong showing in the finals of the 800m run, improving one spot from her qualifying effort to place seventh overall with a finals time of 2:13.27. The effort earned a pair of points for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals also scored three points in the 4x400m relay, as freshman Amber McGee (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop), junior Olivia Ashba (Ellettsville, Ind./Edgewood), Dahl and sophomore Gabby Sims (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) combined for a Ball State season-fast time of 3:46.13. The finish marked the best in a relay for Ball State since the 2008 distance medley relay capture the MAC title.
Ball State also scored three points in the triple jump, as senior Zenée Gadson (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) fell just shy of her career-best leap, placing sixth overall at 12.03m / 39'-5.75”. Gadson is the first Ball State student-athlete to score in the triple jump since Terri Abraham placed sixth at the 2008 league indoor meet. Gadson jumped a career-best distance of 12.10m / 39'-8.5” at the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 18).
Eastern Michigan captured the overall women's titled by one point, edging out host Akron at the Stile Athletics Field House with a score of 127 points. Following the Zips (126) were Kent State (87), Northern Illinois (75.50), Western Michigan (46), Buffalo (44), Central Michigan (41), Bowling Green (39), Miami (29), Ohio (21.50), Ball State (14) and Toledo (13).
With the indoor season coming to a close, the Ball State track & field program will turn its attention back to training for the start of the 2016 outdoor campaign. Ball State's first outdoor meet is slated for March 19, when it travels to Indianapolis for the Bulldog Opener hosted by Butler.
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.
Saturday's Results at MAC Indoor Championships
High Jump
10th - Regan Lewis – 1.64m / 5'-4.5”
Triple Jump - Finals 2 p.m. Saturday
6th - Zenée Gadson – 12.03m / 39'-5.75” – 3 points
15th - Gabrielle Perryman – 11.14m / 36'-6.75
Shot Put - Finals 2:05 p.m. Saturday
16th - Michaela Hull – 12.66m / 41'-6.50”
19th - Adrienne Mayfield – 9.95m / 32'-7.75”
60m Dash - Finals 3 p.m. Saturday
4th - Peyton Stewart – 7.56 (Career-Best) – 5 points
800m Run - Finals 3:20 p.m. Saturday
7th - Danielle Dahl – 2:13.27 – 2 points
4x400m Relay - Finals 4:40 p.m. Saturday
6th - Amber McGee, Olivia Ashba, Danielle Dahl, Gabby Sims – 3:46.13 – 3 points
- BallStateSports.com -
Players Mentioned
