Nettles Time: Heptathlon Star Competes in NCAA Outdoor Finals

EUGENE, Ore. -- Ball State is represented in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the fourth straight year, this weekend, when Kenli Nettles competes among 24 qualifiers in the NCAA heptathlon finals. Her two-day, seven-event schedule opens Friday (2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT) with the heptathlon 100-meter hurdles, and concludes Saturday night (10:43 p.m. ET/7:43 p.m. PT) in the heptathlon 800 meters.

Nettles, a senior transfer who won the Mid-American Conference outdoor championships in the heptathlon and placed second overall in the 400-meter hurdles, makes her first appearance in the NCAA finals. She competed in the 400m hurdles two weeks ago in the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida, producing a career-best time of 58.95 while rising 17 places (31st place) from her preliminary qualification.

The heptathlon, though, is her main event. She qualified for this weekend's NCAA Finals with 5,655 points while winning the MAC title last month and producing personal records in five of the heptathlon's seven events. Her point total was the second-best in MAC Championships history behind former Ball State star Jenelle Rogers (5,667).

Rogers precedes Nettles in the NCAA heptathlon field, finishing fifth in the NCAA field in 2023 and fourth last year. Rogers' 6,018 points in the 2023 NCAA outdoor championships is the program record for the event.

In the MAC championships in May, Nettles posted top-four finishes in every event, and won three of them - the 100m hurdles (14.02), 200 meters (24.50) and 800 meters (2:18.01), with personal records in each. She finished second in 5:30the high jump (1.67m) and javelin (35.92m), the only events in which she didn't produce a PR. She finished third in the long jump (6.01m) and fourth in the shot put (11.60m).

NCAA Heptathlon Finals Schedule - Friday:
2:45pm ET | 11:45am PT - 100m Hurdles (14.02 PR) | ESPN+
3:45pm ET | 12:45pm PT - High Jump (1.75m PR) | ESPN+
5:45pm ET | 2:45pm PT - Shot Put (11.60m PR) | ESPN+
9:43pm ET | 6:43pm PT - 200m (24.50 PR) | ESPN+
NCAA Heptathlon Finals Schedule - Saturday
6:30pm ET | 3:30pm PT - Long Jump (6:01m PR) | ESPN+
7:45pm ET | 4:45pm PT - Javelin (39.69m PR) | ESPN+
10:43pm ET | 7:43pm PT - 800m (2:18.01 PR) | ESPN+
11:30pm ET | 8:30pm PT - Trophy Presentation | ESPN+

* ESPN+ viewing links are unique for each heptathlon event

Nettles Time: Heptathlon Star Competes in NCAA Outdoor Finals

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Kenli Nettles

Jenelle Rogers