SPARTAN TRACK & FIELD RALEIGH RELAYS March 30-31 // Raleigh, N.C. IN THE BLOCKS BIG TEN OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS NTS Michigan State track & field will head to Blooming- ton, Indiana, for the 2018 Big Ten Championships SPARTAN INVITATIONAL at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex April 6-7 // East Lansing, Mich. May 11-13. This will be Indiana’s sixth time hosting NTS the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex last hosted a con- ference championship in 2010. ACC/B1G CHALLENGE April 13 // Louisville, Ky. Men - 2nd (175) Women - 3rd (148.50) FOLLOWING THE MEET Live results will be available at MSUSpartans.com. Championships Central is available JESSE OWENS CLASSIC April 20-21 // Columbus, Ohio at http://bit.ly/B1GTrack18. Recaps of Michigan State’s performances and results will NTS posted at MSUSpartans.com. // Live Coverage // Follow the B1G Championship via FloTrack - http://bit.ly/B1GFlo and VIRGINIA CHALLENGE April 20-21 // Charlottesville, Va. BTN Plus - http://bit.ly/BTN2GOTF NTS Michigan State track & field resumes action, heading to Bloomington, Indiana for the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday, May 11, to Sunday, May HILLSDALE GINA RELAYS 13. The three-day meet will take place at Robert C. Haugh Track & Field on the campus April 27-28 // Hillsdale, Mich. NTS of Indiana University. Last year, Purdue women and Penn State’s men captured the team titles, as 13 Big Ten schools participate in track and field. “For the elite athletes, it’s really good preparation for the Nationals, because they’re go- B1G OTF CHAMPIONSHIPS ing to line up with so many people that they’re going to see in two weeks, and then two May 11-13 // Bloomington, Ind. weeks after that in the NCAA final, so I think it’s good preparation for that. For most of us, we’re not warm weather teams until now, so having the opportunity to be in better, consistent weather, I think you’ll see some outstanding performances. For the develop- NCAA EAST PRELIMS mental kids, it gives them a real good sense of where the bar is and how much better May 24-26 // Tampa, Fla. they have to get. Hopefully, that translates into something that starts in September,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Walt Drenth. The meet opens at noon on Friday with the decathlon, as well as the women’s hammer. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS The decathlon kicks off with the 100 meters, while the heptathlon follows at 12:15 p.m. June 6-8 // Eugene, Ore. with the 100-meter hurdles. Friday features finals of the men’s and women’s hammer throw, women’s pole vault, men and women’s javelin and the men and women’s 10,000 meters. Saturday’s slate begins at 10:30 a.m. with the decathlon’s 110-meter hurdle competition. Finals of the men and women’s long jump, men and women’s shot put, women’s high jump and men and women’s steeplechase will be contested on Saturday. // SOCIAL CORNER // The third and final day of action will commence at 11 a.m. with the finals of the men’s @MSUTrackFieldXC triple jump and the women’s discus, and will conclude with the 4x400-meter relays at approximately 3:45 p.m. facebook.com/MSUTF SPARTAN TRACK & FIELD ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TRACK & FIELD NOTES QUICK FACTS MSU TRACK & FIELD in 5...4...3...2...1 Men’s Location ...................................................East Lansing, Michigan 1 | SENIOR STANDOUTS Program Founded .................................................................. 1938 Michigan State heads to Bloomington with a very experienced team led by several Spar- Conference ......................................................................... Big Ten tans competing in their final Big Ten Championship. Redshirt seniors Tim Ehrhardt Enrollment............................................................................50,085 and Katelyn Daniels join seniors Noah Gary and Jade Madison among the experienced Nickname ......................................................................... Spartans Colors ...................................................Green (1C453B) & White leaders for Michigan State. Five-time All-American Ehrhardt broke the MSU record Twitter Handle ............................................@MSUTrackFieldXC in the decathlon with 8,044 points at the Virginia Challenge on April 21. The previous Facebook URL ..................https://www.facebook.com/MSUTF record was 8,041 points held by Paul Terek in 2002. Gary finished third in the Virginia Interim President ........................................................John Engler Challenge with a season-best pole vault of 5.10m. Interim Director of Athletics ................................. Bill Beekman Senior Women’s Administrator ...................Shelley Appelbaum Daniels has MSU’s top throws in the shot put (16.19m), discus (57.11m) and the ham- Head Coach, Year ............................................Walt Drenth, 12th mer (54.26m). She is the Michigan State record holder in the shot put (16.40m, 2017) Associate Head Coach ..................................... Lisa Senakiewich and the discus (60.54m, 2015). Jade Madison has a solid history in the Big Ten Champi- Assistant Coaches .............................................. Ceith Creekmur, ons with a then-personal best throw of 48.30m in the B1G Championship in 2017. She ......................Yolanda Johnson, Lonnie Pugh, Aaron Simoneau topped that with a heave of 49.20m at the NCAA Championship in 2017. 2017 Big Ten Finish ................................................... 11th, 28 pts. All-Big Ten ...............................................Kiprotich (First Team) “We just want to make sure they stay who they’ve been, don’t make any big changes. Women’s I think that striving for consistency is important for KD (Katelyn Daniels), Tim (Eh- Location ...................................................East Lansing, Michigan rhardt) and Noah (Gary). We have some outstanding seniors, so there’s a bunch of them Program Founded .................................................................. 1974 that we’ll look to but really, I don’t want them to be something that they haven’t been all Conference ......................................................................... Big Ten year. Mostly we want them to come out and just be at their best and have fun. If they’re Enrollment............................................................................50,085 fully engaged and embrace the weekend, it’ll be a lot of fun for them.” Drenth said. Nickname ......................................................................... Spartans Colors ...................................................Green (1C453B) & White 2 | THE DISTANCE SQUAD Twitter Handle ............................................@MSUTrackFieldXC On the women’s side, the Spartans hold three of the top eight spots in the Big Ten in the Facebook URL ..................https://www.facebook.com/MSUTF Interim President ........................................................John Engler 10,000m led by sophomore Lynsie Gram (34.05.55), sophomore Amber Way (34:52.45) Interim Director of Athletics ................................. Bill Beekman and junior Jessica Goethals (35.34.95). Gram has the second-fastest time in the B1G Senior Women’s Administrator ...................Shelley Appelbaum this season, while Way has the sixth and Goethals has the eighth-fastest time this out- Head Coach, Year ............................................Walt Drenth, 12th door season. On the men’s side, senior Clark Ruiz has the sixth-fastest time in the Big Associate Head Coach ..................................... Lisa Senakiewich Ten in the 10,000m (29:9.30). Ruiz also has the eighth-fastest time in the league in the Assistant Coaches .............................................. Ceith Creekmur, 5,000m (14:02.03). ......................Yolanda Johnson, Lonnie Pugh, Aaron Simoneau 2017 Big Ten Finish ................................................... 10th, 34 pts. 3 | WHAT TO WATCH FOR All-Big Ten ..............................................Daniels (Second Team) The 2018 Michigan State squad is a diverse group with strengths in many events. MSU will be counting on the mix of veterans and newcomers at this year’s Big Ten Outdoor Championship. On the women’s side, freshman Sophia Franklin is tied for fifth in the pole vault (4.11m), standing tied with Penn State’s Katie Jones. On the men’s side, senior Clark Ruiz is sixth in the Big Ten this season in the 10,000m with a time of 29:39.30 at the Raleigh Relays on March 30. Redshirt-sophomore Jonathan Fife has had a solid campaign, holding the seventh-fastest time in the B1G in the 200m (20.89) and 16th- fastest in the 100m (10.62). Follow the Spartans on Twitter @msutrack- “We’ll see breakthroughs from a few people. Are we expecting anyone to come out fieldxc. To get the latest on all of Michigan State’s and do something we haven’t seen all year? Not necessarily. We’ll see incremental im- athletic teams, be sure to follow @MSU_Athletics. provements. We’ll see people rise to opportunity. Some of them may do something they haven’t done all year, but it won’t be a surprise. I believe they’re probably won’t be a ‘Oh The Spartans are on Facebook as well! Like the man, did that just happen?’ moment.” Drenth added. Michigan State Track & Field and Cross Coun- try page. 4 | DEFENDING CHAMPION Justine Kiprotich looks to defend his title 1,500m was the only Spartan to capture gold