Kristin Mackley Executive Assistant to Athletic Director | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Kristin Mackley Executive Assistant to Athletic Director | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Five Spartan women made their debut at the 2024 NCAA East First Round Regional on Thursday, with graduate student Lauren Freeland advancing to the finals in the 1500m. The men's and women's preliminaries have concluded, with the men's finals set for tomorrow. The women's pole vault event, featuring two Spartan competitors, is rescheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
Athletes who finish in the top 12 will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8. They will compete against top finishers from the West Regional held in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Freeland secured her spot by finishing third in her heat with a time of 4:23.57. She is scheduled to compete in the finals on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Other performances included junior Shae Harbaugh's 40th place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:07.16 and junior Opal Jackson's 36th place in shot put at 14.92m. Freshman Jessica Stieb had three faults in her NCAA debut, while senior Kaia Scheffler did not complete the 100m hurdles.
Graduate student Heath Baldwin headlines Friday's competition for Michigan State University (MSU). Baldwin holds four MSU school records and narrowly missed a fifth during his last outing at the Big Ten Championships. Though he usually competes in decathlons, Baldwin will focus on one event here as he prepares for the US Summer Olympic Trials.
Sophomore Sophia Mettes returns to Lexington after setting her personal record there earlier this year. Her performance earned her a ninth seed position in pole vault for this round.
Senior Andrew Nolan is another notable athlete competing; his personal best time of 8:45.33 earned him silver at conference championships and a No.20 seed position here.
Freshman Dalton DeBeau also stands out after achieving a podium finish with his discus throw of 56.34m during Big Ten Championships.
Junior Brady Schultz participates as well, having achieved his personal best high jump mark during recent competitions.
The events are streamed live on ESPN+, with additional coverage available on MSUSpartans.com and updates via MSU_TFXC social media accounts.
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