MSU track and field head coach Walt Drenth said he was proud of his team’s effort as the Big Ten indoor track and field championships. The men’s team came in ninth place with 39 points, and the women’s team tied for fifth with 65 points.
Sophomore Tim Ehrhardt won the men’s pole vault event Friday and Saturday, and he placed second overall in the heptathlon with 5,741 points.
Drenth was happy with the 4x400 meter relays for both teams. The women’s team placed seventh, receiving two points in the relay, and the men’s placed fifth, receiving four points.
Freshmen Montae Nicholson tied for fifth in the men’s long jump, scoring three points. Drenth said Nicholson has talent and is a real addition to have on the team.
Sophomore Leah O’ Connor, senior and sophomore Rachele Schulist were the stars of the girl’s team over the weekend, Dreneth said.
“Leah O’Connor was fantastic,” Drenth said. O’Connor defended her 2014 Big Ten championship title in the mile run with a record time of 4:32.29, which broke her previous MSU school record.
Franklin won a Big Ten title for her mark of 13.31 meters in the women’s triple jump.
Franklin and O’Connor were part of the winning team for the women’s distance medley relay. Both women earned their two Big Ten titles in a row at what was their final Big Ten indoor track and field championships.
Schulist won the gold for the women’s 3,000 meter run with a time of 9:01.25, breaking the record she previously set. .
Drenth said the team needs to work on their leadership, but he believes that will improve going into the outdoor track and field season starting soon.
“We’ll be a lot better team outdoors,” Drenth said, adding that spring break will be an important time to determine the competitiveness of the team during the outdoor season.
