Jeff became an international level distance runner during his time at Central Michigan, where he graduated in 1983. In 1986, he passed away due to heart failure, which sparked the interest in creating this memorial meet in his honor.

The Jeff Drenth Memorial meet has been hosted annually as MSU’s season kick-off during the Friday before Labor Day at Central Michigan since 1986. Walt Drenth uses this meet to assess how the younger athletes will compete the rest of the season.

This memorial meet will give athletes “a sense of how we behave and get a better idea of what our expectations are,” Drenth said. “It’s learning to do things differently — they may have had different set-ups in high school.”

According to Drenth, the majority of teams that MSU will compete against the rest of the season will not travel to Central Michigan, giving the underclassmen athletes a chance to ease into college competition.

MSU’s Cross Country and Track and Field program was recently ranked eighth in the annual USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings. The combination of both sports in one program utilizes both sets and allows them to compete in various events.

“We have a balanced team, particularly on the women’s side, where we have good sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and distance runners. To be recognized like this, you have to score at the nationals in every national contest, whether it be indoor or outdoor,” Drenth said. “For people who are inclined to being part of a full track and field program, this will be intriguing.”

As far as Friday goes, the younger athletes will get a taste of what college running is like and will give the higher performing athletes a chance to rest before they travel to Oregon next week.

“Our objectives will always be the same — to be the best we can be,” Drenth said.