Going against athletes from schools such as Central Michigan, Saginaw Valley State and Aquinas, Michigan State’s track and field team got a good look at their team in an outdoor setting after a strong indoor season this winter. The Spartans won 11 events between heats and field events.

“It felt great to host this weekend,” Michigan State Director of Track and Field Lisa Breznau said in an email. “ It really takes a lot of people to put this meet on, not just our staff coming together and helping one another out, but everyone from facilities, sports medicine and sports information, all the components. Everything has to come together for these two days, and they're long days because you get all types of weather. We're really grateful for that, as it's all for our student-athletes, for them to be able to compete at home, especially for some of our younger athletes to get a chance to compete this year.” 

The day started with a senior day celebration for the team’s seniors that have been with the program through a canceled season because of the pandemic and a head coaching change. Despite the rollercoaster recently, MSU has continued its success on the track and Saturday was a celebration of the athletes that have kept the program competitive. 

After a long three-year wait for the moment to be competing at home again, Michigan State seized the opportunity.

The Spartans walked away with back-to-back victories in the men’s and women’s 4x100 to kick the running events off. The anchor of the women’s relay, senior Shakira Dancy, recovered from a fumbled baton exchange to win in a photo finish with a time of 46.22 while the men won comfortably with a time of 41.77.

MSU followed up the sprints with a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 1500m race in the next event. Graduate student All-American Morgan Beadlescomb, who is coming off a second-place finish in the indoor NCAA championships, school record holder senior John Petruno and sophomore Andrew Nolan were the top three finishers with times all in the 3:40’s. Beadlescomb and Petruno were neck-and-neck the whole race before Beadlescomb pulled away in the final 100 meters to win with a time of 3:42.81. 

Breznau said the success of Petruno and Beadlescomb individually can set a precedent within the team about how to approach their time at MSU.

“I think it's important for everyone to realize that those moments of John Petruno and Morgan having the type of success that they've had actually started at our home meet in April when they were both freshmen,” Breznau said.

MSU had the two top finishers, sophomores Eleanor Kendell and Madelynn Bean, in the women’s 1500 to add to their early dominance in the meet. 

In the hurdles, Michigan State had the top finisher for both genders. Junior Heath Baldwin won the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 14.92 and sophomore Kaia Scheffler won the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 14.13.

Michigan State also found wins across the board in other running events. Freshman Noah Sage won the men’s 200m, freshman Terrence Muex won the men’s 400m, junior Jalen Smith won the men’s 800m and junior Jaiden Paris won the women’s 200m.

Sophomore Elizabeth Knoll and junior Olivia Lopez were the Spartans’ two victors in the field events in the high jump and long jump. Freshman Valadian Pallett (women’s discus), sophomore Avery Budz (women’s high jump), Knoll (women’s high jump), and sophomore Tylor Leedom (men’s high jump) all set PR’s this weekend in field events. 

Michigan State will look to carry the momentum built this weekend to their next meet on April 7-8 at the University of Arizona.

“I think both the men’s and women’s programs are in a great spot so far this outdoor season,” Breznau said in an email. “We’ve had a lot of season-bests and all-time PRs, but more than anything I think they're just learning to let go and compete and not care too much about the outcome in the moment. They're also doing a great job of focusing on what they have control over. You get things like delays out at Raleigh and inclement weather here, and we just remind them ‘Hey, just like during last year, you have to have a flexible mind’ and just reminding them of everything they've already overcome. So, I think, like I said, both programs are in a fantastic place and ready to keep rolling.”