
Tough Field Awaits Track & Field at Meyo Invitational
January 31, 2019 | Track & Field
MUNCIE, Ind.- - The Ball State track & field program will face another big test this weekend, when it heads to the two-day Meyo Invitational hosted by Notre Dame at the Loftus Center.
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The Cardinals are slated to compete in nine events on the first day of competition, starting at 4 p.m. Friday with the long jump and weight throw.Â
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Ball State will see action in five more events Saturday and are hopeful to have entries in the semifinals of both the 60m hurdles (9:45 a.m.) and 60m dash (10:05 a.m.), which are the first two scheduled events for the day.
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The Meyo Invitational will be a good barometer for the Cardinals heading into the final month of the indoor season. In the meet, Ball State will face five programs ranked ahead of it in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Great Lakes Regional Poll, as well as eight of the 11 other teams it will battle in the Mid-American Conference Championships at the end of the month.
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This Weekend's Ball State Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 1 @ Meyo Invitational
Long Jump (4 pm): Michelle Lehmann
Weight Throw (4 pm): Princess Carter, Kelsey Walters
60m Hurdles (Prelims – 4:30 pm – Top 24 Advance): Jazmin Smith, Jasmine Harris
60m (Prelims – 5:05 pm – Top 24 Advance): Peyton Stewart, Bryeana Byrdsong, Michelle Lehmann, Jazmin Smith, Ivy McKee
5000m (5:45 pm): Meliza Rodriguez
200m (7:35 pm): Bryeana Byrdsong, Jazmin Smith, Peyton Stewart, Jasmine Harris, Ivy McKee
600m (8:30 pm): Karlie Zumbro
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Saturday, Feb. 2 @ Meyo Invitational
3000m (10:15 am): Maritza Rodriguez
Shot Put (10:30 am): Kelsey Walters
400m (12:05 pm): Amber Jones, MaQuila Norman
800m (12:45 pm): Karleigh Conner, Peyton Kneadler
4x400m Relay (3:35 pm): Ball State "A"
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Three Things to Know Entering the Weekend:
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No. 1: Ball State student-athletes lead the Mid-American Conference in the 60m hurdles (Jazmin Smith) and high jump (Regan Lewis), while holding down the No. 2 slot in the pentathlon (Karlie Zumbro) and the No. 3 & No. 4 spots in the 60m (Peyton Stewart & Jazmin Smith).
In addition, the Cardinals have two student-athletes ranked in the Top 50 of the NCAA Rankings; 60m hurdles (Jazmin Smith, 31st) and high jump (Regan Lewis, 35th).
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Â?? RANKINGS UPDATE ??
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 30, 2019
2? Cardinals enter this weekend's Meyo Invitational leading @MACSports in their respective events and ranked in the Top 3?5? among all @NCAATrackField Division I student-athletes ??#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #MACtion | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/GYgAAK4nPy
No. 2: Ball State remains 12th in the latest USTFCCCA Great Lakes Regional Poll. The Cardinals will look to gain some more ground in the poll this week, as they face five teams ahead of them at this weekend's Meyo Invitational; No. 5 Central Michigan, No. 6 Purdue, No. 7 Eastern Michigan, No. 10 Michigan State and No. 11 Indiana State.
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In addition, the Cardinals will get a good idea where they stand in the MAC this weekend, with eight other league teams in the event; CMU, EMU, Bowling Green, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan.
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No. 3: Last weekend saw freshman Karlie Zumbro become the first Ball State student-athlete to finish a pentathlon since the 2015 MAC Championships. With a score of 3,219 points, she placed second at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic and enters the week ranked second in the league in the event.
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Zumbro topped all six pentathlon participants in the 60m hurdles (9.30 / 848 pts), long jump (5.70m / 578 pts) and 800m (2:28.83 / 708 pts). She also turned in personal bests in the shot put (8.65m / 441 pts) and high jump (1.52m / 644 pts).
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In addition, sophomore Princess Carter etched her name in the Ball State record books with a spectacular performance in the weight throw, recording the fourth-best individual mark in program history at 17.46m.
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 ÂICYMI: @_laneecarter climbed to 4??th on @BallStateTFXC's record board w/this weight throw of 17.46m#ChirpChirp #WeFly #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/V9SsEOxMF7
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 27, 2019
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Quotables:
Head Coach Brian Etelman on facing eight other MAC teams this weekend, and the overall level of competition at the Meyo Invitational.
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Â"... We know where we fall on the rankings, but what's down on paper doesn't indicate what's going to happen in real life. We're looking forward to going head-to-head against them ..." - Brian Etelman on facing 8? #MACtion teams at Meyo Invite.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/7dmsGU3UOD
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 31, 2019
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Sophomore Princess Carter on moving into the Ball State record books in the weight throw.
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Â"Because I have done it so early, it makes me think I can break the record …" - Princess Carter (@_laneecarter) on her performance in the weight throw last weekend which moved her into 4th in program history.
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 30, 2019
#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/C6RZen6sfZ
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Junior Bryeana Byrdsong on running a PR in the 60m in her first indoor meet of the 2018-19 season.
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Â"... I was excited at the end of the day. It was very humbling and exciting." - @trackprodigyyy on running a PR & #MACtion auto mark of 7.58 in the 60m in her first race of the 2018-19 indoor season.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/fk184ORPC4
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 29, 2019
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Last Time at Meyo Invitational – Feb. 5-6, 2016 (Day 1 Recap/ Day 2 Recap)
Led by an eighth place finish in the high jump by a then-freshman Regan Lewis and a 15th-place mark in the weight throw by then-senior Marie Lumpkin, the Cardinals earned a pair of top 15 performances in its last trip to the Meyo Invitational in 2016.
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Last Time Out – Ball State Award Winners Tom Hathaway Distance Classic
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Â?? @BallStateTFXC Track Athlete of the Week ??@trackprodigyyy flew past her competition last weekend, placing ?? in the 60m at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic.
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 28, 2019
Her time of 7.58 ... a career best & #MACtion auto mark.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/N1JN1lwtzM
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Â?? @BallStateTFXC Field Athlete of the Week ??
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 28, 2019
DYK @_laneecarter entered last week with a career-best weight throw of 16.26m … She shattered that mark Friday with the 4?th-best individual effort in program history at 17.46m #ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/gakjfBWmUZ
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Â?? @BallStateTFXC Cardinal of the Week ??
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) January 28, 2019
W/a ??-place mile of 5:01.32 (converted to 4:58.37) at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic, @karleighconner_ now ranks in the top 11 in #MACtion in both the mile (11th) and 800m (9th).#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/uUOcQleZTB