Track & Field Heading to #MACtion Indoor Championships

Friday, February 28

Akron, OH

TBA

Ball State University

MAC Indoor Championships

Photo by: Don Rogers, Ball State University

Track & Field Heading to #MACtion Indoor Championships

February 26, 2020 | Track & Field

MUNCIE, Ind. - - With 16 career-best performances and one school record at last Friday's home meet, the Ball State indoor track & field team gained valuable momentum heading into this weekend's Mid-American Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Akron (Feb. 28-29).

The action starts Friday at 11:20 a.m. in the Stile Athletics Field House with the opening event of the pentathlon; the 60m hurdles. Overall, the Cardinals are entered in nine events on the opening day of the championship which concluded with the distance medley relay at 6:35 p.m.

Day two picks up with the high jump at 1 p.m. and ends with the 4x400 relay at 4:30 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held at the conclusion of all events on Saturday.

Important Links: MAC Indoor Championship Central | Schedule of Events | Meet Entries

Follow The Action: Live Results
Live Video: Friday Morning | Friday Afternoon (Field Events) | Friday Afternoon - ESPN3 (Running Events)
Saturday (Heptathlon) | Saturday (Field Events) | Saturday - ESPN3 (Running Events)

Friday's events consist of four event finals in the pentathlon, weight throw, 5000m and the distance medley relay. The top eight performers from each event score based on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. The rest of the first day is made up of preliminary events in the 60m, 60m hurdles, 200m, 400m and 800m. The finals will be held on Saturday, along with the rest of the events.

Ball State will send 19 student-athletes to compete across 14 events. Leading the Cardinals are six of the program's seniors; Bryeana Byrdsong, Megan Graves, Amber Jones, Peyton Kneadler, Maritza Rodriguez and Kelsey Walters.

Under the current format, events are capped at 20 participants. If 20 student-athletes do not earn automatic marks in an event, which the Cardinals had three student-athletes earn a total of four auto marks, entrants are selected going down the conference's performance list.

Ball State Entries in the MAC Indoor Championships
Day 1: Friday, February 28
Pentathlon (60m H – 11:20 a.m., HJ – 12 p.m., SP – 1:30 p.m., LJ – 2:30 p.m., 800m – 3:30 p.m.) – Karlie Zumbro (3,332), Charity Griffith (3,029)
Weight Throw (4:30 p.m.) – Megan Graves (17.86m / 58'-7.25")
60m Hurdles (3:05 p.m.) – Anasja Troutman (8.65), Kennedy Batts (8.73)
400m Dash (3:25 p.m.) – Amber Jones (55.43), Dejah Johnson (56.88), MaQuila Norman (56.49)
60m Dash (4 p.m.) – Ivy McKee (7.71), Bryeana Byrdsong (7.53), Michelle Lehmann (7.63)
800m Run (4:35 p.m.) – Madison Kiser (2:14.57)
200m Dash (5:10 p.m.) – Amber Jones (24.65), Bryeana Byrdsong (23.99), MaQuila Norman (24.73)
5000m Run (5:45 p.m.) – Maritza Rodriguez (17:01.47), Cayla Eckenroth (17:39.17)
Distance Medley (6:35 p.m.) – Peyton Kneadler, Dejah Johnson, Madison Kiser, Grace Dean

Day 2: Saturday, February 29
High Jump (1 p.m.) – Charity Griffith (1.62m / 5'-3.75")
Mile Run (1:25 p.m.) – Peyton Kneadler (5:03.72)
Shot Put (2:30 p.m.) – Jada Caldwell (13.61m / 44'-8"), Kelsey Walters (15.15m / 49'-8.5")
3000m Run (3:50 p.m.) – Vivian Van Eck (10:07.83), Maritza Rodriguez (9:48.17)
4x400m Relay (4:30 p.m.) – Amber Jones, Dejah Johnson, Madison Kiser, MaQuila Norman

MAC AUTO MARKS:
Ball State's student-athletes picked up a pair of MAC automatic qualifying marks at the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 21), starting with a school-record throw of 15.15m by senior Kelsey Walters in the shot put.

Senior Bryeana Byrdsong then sprinted to a time of 24.64 to win the 200m. However, because of Ball State's track size, the time converts to 24.27 for ranking purposes and gives Byrdsong her second MAC automatic qualifying mark of the season.

Byrdsong's and Ball State's first MAC auto mark came in the 60m, when she clocked in at 7.58 at the Gene Edmonds Memorial Invite (Jan. 10). She undercut the time last Friday at the Ball State Tune-Up when she won the 60m at 7.56.

After posting a time of 55.43 in the 400m at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 7), senior Amber Jones became the second Ball State track & field student-athlete to hit a MAC automatic qualifying mark this season.

CARDINALS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS:
In addition to the 16 performances ranked in the top 10 on the MAC performance list, nine of those performances have also made their way into the top 200 on the NCAA Division I performance list, including one performance in the top 100.

60m – 171. Bryeana Byrdsong (7.56)
60m H – 182. Anasja Troutman (8.65)
200m – 154. Bryeana Byrdsong (24.27)
400m – 149. Amber Jones (55.43)
5,000m – 141. Maritza Rodriguez (17:01.47)
Distance Medley – 123. Ball State (12:05.72)
Shot Put – 92. Kelsey Walters (15.15m / 49'-8.5")
Weight Throw – 160. Megan Graves (17.86m / 58'-7.25"), 161. Princess Carter (17.83m / 58'-6")

IN THE BALL STATE RECORD BOOKS:
With a toss of 17.86m (58'-7.25") in the weight throw at the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 24), senior Megan Graves moved into fourth in the Ball State track & field record book.

She climbed past junior Princess Carter who won the weight throw with a career-best toss of 17.83m (58'-6") at the season-opening Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7).

Adding to the Ball State track & field record book at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 7) was senior Maritza Rodriguez with her performance in the 3,000m run (9:48.17). Her career-best leaves her third on the record book.

Amber Jones' performance in the 400m dash (55.43) at the Akron Invitational (Feb.7) was not only a MAC automatic qualifying mark, but it also boosted her to fifth on the Ball State record book.

The highlight of the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 21) was Kelsey Walters' shot put effort of 15.15m (49'-8.5") which broke the previous school record not one, not twice, but three times … Before last Friday, she ranked second in program history with mark of 14.49m (47'-6.5") at the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 25).

EVENT WINNERS:
Ball State's student-athletes have won 20 events so far this season, with six wins coming at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7), two coming at the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 24-25), one coming at the Music City Challenge (Feb. 14-15) and 11 coming at the Ball State Tune Up (Feb. 21).

Gladstein Invitational Event Winners
300m – Amber Jones (39.89)
800m – Madison Kiser (2:19.18)
3000m – Cayla Eckenroth (10:07.61)
4x400m Relay – Amber Jones, Dejah Johnson, Madison Kiser, MaQuila Norman (3:56.72)
Shot Put – Kelsey Walters (14.35m / 47-1)
Weight Throw – Princess Carter (17.83m / 58-6)

Akron Invitational Event Winners
200m – Amber Jones (24.65)
5000m – Maritza Rodriguez (17:16.61)

Music City Challenge Event Winner
Distance Medley Relay – Peyton Kneadler, Karlie Zumbro, Madison Kiser, Grace Dean (12:05.72)

Ball State Tune Up Event Winners
60m – Bryeana Byrdsong (7.56)
60m H – Kennedy Batts (8.90)
200m – Bryeana Byrdsong (24.64)
600m – Dejah Johnson (1:34.47)
800m – Peyton Kneadler (2:16.58)
Mile – Vivian Van Eck (5:06.04)
4x400 – Cayla Eckenroth, Grace Dean, Meghan Hedrick, Peyton Kneadler (4:53.86)
Weight Throw – Megan Graves (17.76m)
Shot Put – Kelsey Walters (15.15m)
Long Jump – Charity Griffith (5.22m)
High Jump – Charity Griffith (1.62m)

CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCES:
Ball State's student-athletes turned in 85 career-best performances over the six indoor meets of the season, with 25 coming at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7), 13 at the Gene Edmonds Memorial Invite (Jan. 10-11), 13 at the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 24-25), 12 at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 7), six at the Music City Challenge (Feb. 14-15) and 16 at the Ball State Tune Up (Feb. 21).