Garner Wins Dramatic High Jump Event; Ratney Records MAC's Best Time in 60m Hurdles at Heartland Invitational

Friday, February 13

Indianapolis, Ind.

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Heartland Invitational

Photo by: Brayden Minix/Ball State Athletics

Garner Wins Dramatic High Jump Event; Ratney Records MAC's Best Time in 60m Hurdles at Heartland Invitational

February 13, 2026 | Track & Field

Heartland Invitational

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State freshman Nina Garner, competing in just the second meet of her career, launched herself into a first-place leap of 1.76 meters in the collegiate division of the high jump as part of a jam-packed Heartland Invitational field on Friday evening. Garner's personal-record 1.76m height matched that of teammate Malina Miller, who just last week recorded her own personal record at 1.76m to rank second in the Mid-American Conference and seventh in the Great Lakes Region. Miller competes Saturday in the invitational division of the high jump.

The 1.76-meter height is tied as the fifth-best indoor mark in Ball State history.

Garner was one of three Cardinals in the competition, with Lexi Hale finishing third and Bella Jackson fifth, sandwiched around Tess Roman of Michigan State. Significant for Hale was twice clearing heights she had never achieved. Numerous times since last spring, she had stalled at a career-high height of 1.65m, but Friday she cleared 1.67m on her third attempt, then got over the bar at 1.70 on a third try, too. She missed on three tries at 1.73m while competing with Garner and unattached Elizabeth Evans in a three-way battle for the championship. Garner and Evans both cleared 1.73m in two attempts, and Garner catapulted over 1.76m in just one try while Evans failed in three.

Nearly overshadowed by the evening drama in the high jump, sprinter Laya'Lapri Ratney finished in second place in the 60-meter hurdles and in the process recorded the best time in the Mid-American Conference this season. Ratney's 8.44 time shaved over a tenth of a second from her previous person record (8.55), and moved up to sixth in Great Lakes Region rankings.

Ratney won the sixth heat in prelims with a time of 8.58, and in the finals, her 8.44 was second to Michigan's Chyler Turner (8.39).

Ratney's second-place finish was one of two for Ball State. Sophomore Kylee Marshall placed second in the collegiate division of the long jump with a jump of 5.74 meters in her last of six attempts, trailing Michigan's Kourtney Rathke (6.02m). Marshall finished just ahead of teammate Kendra Keesling, in seventh place, who registered a career-best jump of 5.54 meters. Keesling, a multi-event specialist competing in individual events Friday, had a second personal record with a time of 9.29 in a preliminary heat of the 60m hurdles.

Similar to Marshall, senior Kenli Nettles finished third in the invitational division of the long jump, leaping 5.90 meters in her last try to finish behind Michigan's Amare Harlan (6.34m), who won the event. Competition resumes Saturday morning from the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Ball State entries in the Heartland Invitational, with qualifying marks for each event
FRIDAY'S EVENTS
Weight Throw
8th, Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 16.82m PR
13th, Brooklyn Taylor, Jr. -- 15.97m
31st, Ayla Rice, Jr. -- 12.01m

Long Jump -- Invitational Division
3rd, Kenli Nettles, Sr. -- 5.90m

60m Hurdles
2nd, Laya'Lapri Ratney, So. -- 8.44 PR (ranked 1st in MAC, 6th in Great Lakes Region)
16th, Lia Patterson, Fr. -- 8.93
21st, Lauren Graham, Jr. -- 9.08
22nd, Lily Eagleston, Fr. -- 9.10
29th, Kendra Keesling, Jr. -- 9.29 PR
43rd, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 10.12

60m Dash
19th, Kylee Marshall, So. -- 7.79
30th, Jiah Davenport, So. -- 7.86 (7.855)
31st, Savannah Lake, So. -- 7.86 (7.860)

Long Jump -- Collegiate Division
2nd, Kylee Marshall, So. -- 5.74m
7th, Kendra Keesling, Jr. -- 5.54m PR
12th, Anisa Barnett, Fr. -- 5.37m
22nd, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 5.05m

High Jump -- Collegiate Division
1st, Nina Garner, Fr. - 1.76m PR (ranked 2nd in MAC, 7th in Great Lakes Region)
3rd, Lexi Hale, So. -- 1.70m PR
5th, Bella Jackson, Sr. -- 1.67m

3000m Run
12th, Emily Decker, Fr. -- 9:56.74 PR
19th, Kaitlyn Kauppila, Fr. -- 10:07.43
21st, Maci Hoskins, Jr. -- 10:08.81 PR
26th, Sarah Mahnensmith, Sr. -- 10:20.65

400m Dash
10th, Paige Kirtz, Jr. -- 56.29 PR
32nd, Amina Hadziahmetovic, Fr. -- 58.00
38th, Abby Brennan, Sr. -- 58.79

SATURDAY'S EVENTS
Shot Put
Sydney Miller, Jr. -- 13.54m
Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 13.62m
Ayla Rice, Jr. -- 12.28m

Mile Run
Sarah Mahnensmith, Sr. - 4:51.54
Kaitlyn Kauppila, Fr. -- 5:03.53
Maci Hoskins, Jr. -- 5:10.59

Triple Jump
Brenna Lehrke, Sr. -- 11.75m
Anisa Barnett, Fr. -- 11.41m

200m Dash
Alana Springer, Sr. -- 23.67
Kylee Marshall, So. -- 24.40
Laya'Lapri Ratney, So. -- 25.06
Savannah Lake, So. -- 25.66
Jiah Davenport, So. -- 26.12

High Jump -- Invitational Division
Malina Miller, Jr. -- 1.76m

4x400m Relay
Springer, Brennan, Hadziahmetovic, Kirtz