Akron
AKRON, Ohio -
The University of Akron track and field team posted 12 victories as part of 28 overall top-three performances at the 20th Annual Akron Invitational on Friday (Feb. 2) at the Stile Athletics Field House.
Redshirt junior
Hunter Garretson (Newcomerstown, Ohio) eclipsed a career-best mark of18-5.25 (5.62m) to capture the men's pole vault.
Junior
Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) bested the field in the women's 400 meters in a career-best time of 55.83.
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Ball State
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ball State track and field continued to shine at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational Friday and Saturday in South Bend, Indiana.
The weekend started off strong as Jenelle Rogers represented the Cardinals in the pentathlon. Within her first two events, Rogers secured the lead and two personal bests. She ran a time of 8.42 in the 60m hurdles then achieved the highest mark of 1.76m in the high jump. Following, Rogers threw for 14.42m in the shot put, hit a mark of 5.48m in the long jump, and closed out the series running the 800m in 2:30.70. Her efforts were good for a combined winning score of 4163, a new personal best.
The afternoon was full of more successes. In the 60m hurdles qualifying event, Jennah Rogers ran a new season-best time of 8.77, just 0.2 seconds off her personal best. Soon after, Moriah Johnson and Allison Valladay both recorded personal bests in the 60m qualifying event with times of 7.59 and 7.89. Johnson's efforts were good to advance her to the 60m preliminaries.
Closing out Friday night for the Cardinals, Alana Springer finished ninth in the 200m out of 35 entries. Close behind, Johnson finished 14th with a new indoor best time of 25.13. Paige Kirtz also recorded an indoor best in the 200m with a time of 26.00.
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Bowling Green
South Bend, Ind. - Katherine Mendenhall and Jenna Lucas represented the Bowling Green State University Track and Field team at the Meyo Invitational on Friday, Feb. 2. Mendenhall and Lucas competed in the pentathlon in the Loftus Sports Center, hosted by Notre Dame. Lucas placed 3rd overall in the pentathlon with a score of 3,634, Mendenhall being close behind placing 4th with 3,609 points. Both athletes added two more PR's on the day, Mendenhall recorded a PR in the high jump (5' 8") and the 800m (2:25.82). Lucas recorded a personal best in the 60m hurdles (9.14) and the 800m (2:36.59).
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Buffalo
AKRON, OHIO – The University at Buffalo track and field team continued their streak of setting new personal best marks at the Akron Invitational on Friday night with the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships on the horizon. Vassi Klockhighlighted the night for the Bulls, setting a new personal best performance in the women's 800 meter with a time of 2:12.62, ranking ninth in program indoor history.
"In our third meet of the season, we continue to have improvements in both the track and field events," said Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "The Akron Invite provided great competition in a fantastic facility."
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Central Michigan
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Three program top-10 marks in three weeks for Central Michigan.
The wait was worth it for Anya Turner and Natalie Newcombe on Saturday, who each only ran in one event across the two-day Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame.
The second-to-last event of the meet, the 3000m Invitational, pulled the 4th and 5th best times in CMU Indoor history.
"Anya and Natalie continued their lights out season with another big performance," said Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Jenny Swieton. "It was so good to see. They worked together and hit personal bests by nearly 30 seconds."
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Eastern Michigan
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Eastern Michigan University track and field programs competed at the Meyo Invitational, hosted by the University of Notre Dame at the Loftus Sports Center, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 2-3. The meet saw ten personal-best from the Eagles and one performance mark inside the program top 10.
In the women's open 800m run, Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich./Cadillac) secured a first-place finish for the Eagles in a personal-best 2:09.30, moving herself up the EMU program top 10 from No. 10 to No. 9. Sophie Emin (Easton, Pa./Easton Area/Rutgers) also ran a career-best in the race as she finished in 2:15.24.
Miranda Cadwell (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) earned a top spot as the graduate student placed second in the Adam Beltran open weight throw with a toss of 18.04m (59-02.25). In the same event, Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins) secured a personal-best outing as she threw the weight 15.88m (52-01.25).
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Kent State
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Grace Lutherrecorded a personal-best to win the women's weight throw on Saturday as the Kent State track and field team competed at the Meyo Invitational.
Luther had already secured first place entering her final attempt before unleashing a monster throw of 63'-9". Her new PR moves her up two spots to No. 6 on the Golden Flashes' all-time performance list. Briana Wright and Noel Frye also performed well in the event and placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Wright's top throw went 57'-0.75" and Frye's best mark was 55'-7".
Ethan Yost also had a performance that ranks in the top-10 in program history. Yost clocked a time of 4:03.25 in the men's Meyo mile, a time that only three Flashes have ever run faster than, for eighth place.
Two Flashes posted top-five finishes in the 800-meter run. Karsyn Spears took second in the women's race with a season-best time of 2:10.73. Quintin Cooksalso ran his best time of the season and placed fifth in the men's race in 1:51.69.
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Northern Illinois
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Freshman Arianna Calloway (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) won her third consecutive high jump title to begin her collegiate career as the Northern Illinois University women's track and field team competed at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 2-3).
Calloway cleared the bar at 1.78 meters (5-10.00) to highlight the meet for the Huskies. Malia Watkins (Upper Marlboro, Md./Missouri State) and Skylynn Blue (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) both finished in the top-five in the 200 meters while Watkins also claimed a top-10 finish in the 60 meters.
"This weekend definitely showed the hard work the athletes have been putting in since the return to campus," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "The Notre Dame Meyo competition is extremely competitive, mental expectations have to be in check or they will falter.
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Ohio
AKRON, Ohio – The Ohio women's track and field recorded several impressive performances as it concluded competition at the Akron Invitational on Friday, Feb. 2.
Graduate student Taniah Stephens (Eerie, Pa.) and sophomore Rhiea Gordon (Youngstown, Ohio) qualified for the 60-meter finals. Stephens finished fifth with a time of 7.85 and Gordon finished seventh with a personal-best time of 7.87. Stephens also placed ninth in the 200m with a time of 25.96.
Freshman Gracie Smith (Grove City, Ohio) qualified for the 60-meter hurdle finals, placing sixth overall with a time of 9.27.
Sophomore Allie Martin (Kingwood, W. Va.) earned a second-place finish in the mile with a time of 5:02.94.
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Toledo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Toledo sophomore Marina Gross was the lone representative of the Toledo women's track & field team at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational this weekend. She finished eighth in the women's 3000m race. Gross crossed the line at 10:02.97 in her first attempt at the 3000m this season.
Three members of the Toledo men's cross country team also took the trip to South Bend, seniors Max Matolin and Ben Towler, and junior Sean Smith. Ten seconds separated Matolin and Towler, who finished ninth and 14threspectively in the open race, while Smith finished 15th in the 3,000m main race.
Toledo will head out to Boston, Mass. next weekend for the two-day David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 9-10.
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Western Michigan
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- After an impressive opening day at the Meyo Invitational yesterday afternoon, the Western Michigan track and field team picked up right where it left off this afternoon on the final day of competition. The Broncos have now opened the indoor season with five straight meets with at least one top-10 mark in program history.
Anichka Malachi opened the meet by earning a jump of 11.47 meters in the triple jump. That was good for eighth place in the event. Following that, Bri'Yanna Robinson, Kennedy Hagens, Lane Hagens and Mariah Sackett competed in the weight throw. Robinson paced the Broncos with a mark of 16.19 meters. Kennedy had a throw of 15.27 meters, Lane posted a mark of 13.49 meters and Sackett earned a distance of 11.60 meters.
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