Redshirt-sophomore Justine Kiprotich competes in the men's 1,500-meter run. Kiprotich placed first at the NCAA East Preliminary Round at Lexington, Kentucky with a time of 3:46.51. Photo courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications and Bryan Woolston.
Amid lighting and rain in Lexington, Kentucky, six Spartan track and field athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon from June 7-10 at Historic Hayward Field. Three Spartans from both the men's and women's teams will attend as they continue their season.
Representing the Spartans from the women’s team will be junior Katelyn Daniels throwing discus, senior Hannah Sailar participating in pole vault and junior Jade Madison throwing javelin.
Daniels will be making her third straight appearance at the NCAA Championships for discus. Additionally, she missed competing in the shot put by one spot.
Representing the men’s team will be junior Tim Ehrhardt participating in the decathlon, junior Noah Gary in the pole vault and sophomore Justine Kiprotich running the men's 1,500-meter.
Kiprotich was the Big Ten champion in the 1,500 meter. He posted the fastest time in the second heat at the East Prelims and had the best overall time, clocking in at 3:46.51.
“Our expectations is to have people competing at Nationals every year, so it is a great number," Director of Track and Field Walt Drenth said to MSU Athletic Communications. "We had a couple of near misses, so obviously it would have been great to have eight. The whole weekend the kids engaged in the competition."
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