Ball State University
University of South Florida's Alumni Invite
Track and Field Opens Outdoor Season in Tampa for USF Alumni Invite
March 16, 2024 | Track & Field
Tampa, Fla. -- Track and field opened its outdoor season at the USF Alumni Invite on Friday, March 15 in Tampa, Florida. Competition continued through Saturday as the team worked towards a strong outdoor premier.
"This past weekend was an exciting one for our women's team," said head coach Adrian Wheatley. "We had the chance to compete against some teams we don't usually get to face and we were encouraged by our start to the season. We saw several lifetime personal records and had some of our best season openers yet. We're always looking for opportunities to improve and we're excited to continue our season. The team is looking forward to what's to come as this was another dress rehearsal for the big show."
Friday afternoon, Alana Springer had an impressive race in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line with a time of 23.93. Her efforts were good for an eighth place finish out of 74 competitors.
The field events opened with Malena Higgins's and Sydney Miller's debut in the hammer throw. Miller threw for 37.98m and Higgins threw for 33.16m.
As throwing events continued, Brooklyn Taylor hit her fourth farthest mark in the shot put with a throw of 12.11m.
On Saturday, the 4x100m relay team made up of Makayla Sumrall, Alana Springer, Moriah Johnson and Jenna Oriani, ran a very strong race, crossing the finish line with a collective time of 45.10.
Sarah Mahenmsith and Carly Spletzer both achieved new personal best times in the 1500m run. Mahnensmith finished 14th with a time of 4:33.10 and Spletzer finished 23rd with a time of 4:38.38.
Next, the Cardinals will travel to Murray, Kentucky for the Murray State Margaret Simmons Invitational on March 22-23.
Ball State Individual Results at USF Alumni Invite
FRIDAY
Hammer Throw
22nd – Sydney Miller (37.98m)
25th – Malena Higgins (33.16m)
Shot Put
15th – Jenelle Rogers (14.28m)
25th – Sophie Daugard (13.02m)
28th – Brooklyn Taylor (12.11m)
400m Hurdles
21st – Leila Williams-Molitor (1:07.16)
200m Dash
8th – Alana Springer (23.93)
25th – Jenelle Rogers (24.46)
32nd – Jenna Oriani (24.68)
49th – Lindley Steele (25.10)
66th – Paige Kirtz (25.77)
SATURDAY
Triple Jump
14th – Brenna Lehrke (11.29m)
High Jump
14th – Malina Miller (1.65m)
Discus Throw
16th – Sydney Miller (41.29m)
22nd – Malena Higgins (37.56m)
24th – Brooklyn Taylor (37.04m)
4x100m Relay
6th – Makayla Sumrall, Alana Springer, Moriah Johnson, Jenna Oriani (45.10)
1500m Run
14th – Sarah Mahnensmith (4:33.10)
23rd – Carly Spletzer (4:38.38)
100m Hurdles
21st – Jennah Rogers (14.29)
43rd – Sophie Daugard (19.56)
400m Dash
13th – Alexis Thigpen (56.74)
100m Dash
7th – Makayla Sumrall (11.69)
13th – Alana Springer (11.86)
18th – Moriah Johnson (11.93)
2000m Steeplechase
8th – Shelby Christman (7:22.52)
4x400m Relay
14th – Paige Kirtz, Leila Williams-Molitor, Jenna Oriani, Alexis Thigpen (3:49.63)
Players Mentioned
