Ball State University Athletics
Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season Saturday at Stan Lyons Invitational
March 18, 2016 | Track & Field
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State track and field team opens the 2016 outdoor campaign Saturday, when it travels to Indianapolis, Ind., for the 2016 Stan Lyons Invitational hosted by Butler.
Action in the meet is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. with the women's javelin throw, while running events begin at noon with the women's 3000m run. Fans not able to attend Saturday's meet can follow along with live results at: http://michianatiming.com/results/
In addition to competing at the Stan Lyons Invitational Saturday, the Cardinals are now schedule to compete at this coming Thursday's (March 24) Polar Bear Invitational hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University. Several other events have also been adjusted over the course of the outdoor season and fans can find the team's up-to-date schedule at: http://www.ballstatesports.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=14200&SPID=6775&SPSID=62084
The Cardinals enter the outdoor season coming off one of its best performances at the MAC Indoor Championships in the past six year. Ball State placed 11th at the event, scoring in five different events.
Freshman sprinter Peyton Stewart (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) led the Cardinals at the meet, 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).
On the opening day of competition, senior Marie Lumpkin (Losantville, Ind./Union) earned the Cardinals' first point of the meet with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw. Lumpkin's best throw came in her second of six attempts, when she reached a distance of 17.39m (57'-0”).
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.
- BallStateSports.com -
