Rodriguez Wins 5000m to Guide T&F on Day 1 of Gladstein Invite

Rodriguez Wins 5000m to Guide T&F on Day 1 of Gladstein Invite

January 24, 2020 | Track & Field

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - - Led by a first-place run from senior Maritza Rodriguez (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) in the 5000m, the Ball State indoor track & field team turned in another strong performance to open the two-day Gladstein Invitational Friday evening at Indiana's Gladstein Fieldhouse.

Rodriguez saved the Cardinals' best performance for last, capping the opening day of the meet with a time of 17:16.61 to easily win the longest race of the competition. The next closest competitor finished 46.41 behind Rodriguez, while junior Cayla Eckenroth (Novi, Mich./Northville) placed third in a career-fast 18:04.05.

A trio of Ball State runners also turned in runner-up finishes on the day, starting with freshman distance runner Vivian Van Eck (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) who crossed the finish line in the 3000m run with a career-fast time of 10:11.56.

Junior Anasja Troutman (Chesterland, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) followed with a pair of strong runs in the 60m hurdles, clocking in with the fastest prelim time of the day at 8.78. She followed with a career-fast time of 8.65 in the finals, only to be edged out by .005 by Indiana's De'Aira Robertson. Troutman's effort was also just .006 away from being a MAC automatic qualifying mark in the event.

Senior Amber Jones (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) rounded out BSU's top performers with a second-place time of 56.95 in the 400m.

Senior Megan Graves (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) set the tone early, placing sixth overall in the weight throw with a career-best toss of 17.86m (58-7.25). The mark moved her into fourth on Ball State's career chart, just ahead of junior Princess Carter's (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) throw of 17.83m (58-6) set at the season-opening Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7).

Overall, Ball State's student-athletes turned in seven career-best performances on the day, while collecting 15 top 10 finishes.

The Ball State indoor track & field team concludes competition in the Gladstein Invitational Saturday, with eight events in a little over two hours. The high jump will start the day at 10:45 a.m., while the meet concludes with the 4x400m relay at 12:55 p.m.

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Ball State Results on Opening Day of the Gladstein Invitational
Weight Throw / MAC Qualifying Standard: 18.25m / 59-10.5  / Program Record: 18.55m / 60-10 by Marie Lumpkin in 2015
6th - Megan Graves - 17.86m (58-7.25)* - 4th in program history
13th - Kelsey Walters - 14.82m (48-7.5)
14th - Jada Caldwell - 13.46m (44-2)

3000m Run  / MAC Qualifying Standard: 9:41.68  / Program Record: 9:31.43 by Jill Scully in 2006
2nd - Vivian Van Eck - 10:11.56*
7th - Hannah Cummings - 10:56.20*

60m Hurdles / MAC Qualifying Standard: 8.64 / Program Record: 8.19 by Amber Williams in 2007
2nd - Anasja Troutman - 8.65* (finals) / 8.78 (prelim)
3rd - Kennedy Batts - 8.85* (finals) / 8.95 (prelim)
16th - Karlie Zumbro - 9.61

60m Dash  / MAC Qualifying Standard: 7.60 / Program Record: 7.33 (c) by LaTasha Jenkins in 1998
4th - Bryeana Byrdsong - 7.64 (finals) / 7.60 (prelim)
6th - Ivy McKee 7.75 (finals) / 7.74 (prelim)
10th - Michelle Lehmann 7.91

400m Dash / MAC Qualifying Standard: 55.51 / Program Record: 55.11 by Linise Gordon in 2000
2nd - Amber Jones - 56.95
5th - Dejah Johnson - 58.36
6th - MaQuila Norman - 58.63

Mile Run / MAC Qualifying Standard: 4:51.38 / Program Record: 4:50.10 by MaryKate Mellen in 2013
6th - Grace Dean - 5:07.26*
9th - Peyton Kneadler - 5:10.35

5000m Run / MAC Qualifying Standard: 16:52.00 / Program Record: 16:21.66 by Ali Bishel in 2008
1st - Maritza Rodriguez - 17:16.61
3rd - Cayla Eckenroth - 18:04.05*

* - denotes career-best performance