The Cardinals traveled to Eastern Michigan to compete at the Bob Parks Memorial Invitational, the site of the 2024 Indoor Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship.
“I think it's a good opportunity to come up and preview the championship venue that the MAC Championship will be held here in a couple of weeks,” Ball State head coach Adrian Wheatley said. “It was good for us to come up here and get a dress rehearsal for the big show.”
The Cardinals had an impressive showing at the meet with multiple athletes having career days. But the highlight of the meet came in the 300 meter dash when junior Jenna Oriani set a school record by running a 39.48.
“It was good., I've been working towards it for a while now,” Oriani said. “Hard work pays off and our goal is to win the MAC back-to-back. We still have a lot more work to do.”
Also in the 300 meter dash were two sophomores Alana Springer, placing second with a run of 40.87, and Allison Valladay, placing fifth with a run of 42.08. In the mile race, junior Sarah Mahnensmith placed third with a time of 5:00.56. Freshman Malina Miller finished in second in the high jump with a mark of 1.65.
Senior Jenelle Rogers placed second in long jump with a mark of 5.61. Rogers also finished first in the 60 meter hurdles, setting a new personal record time of 8.52. Freshman Lauren Graham placed fourth in the race with a time of 8.85.
In the 400 meter dash, junior Emma Potter placed third with a run of 57.58 and freshman Paige Kirkz placed sixth with a time of 1:00.6. Kirkz also ran in the 200 meter dash where she placed eighth with a time of 26.31.
Junior Carly Spletzer came in second place in the 3000 meter dash with a new personal record time of 10:02.6. Senior Shelby Christman placed fifth in the race with a time of 10:33.6.
In the 4x400 meter relay, sophomore Lelia Williams-Molitor, Valladay, Oriani, and Kirkz led their team to a second place finish running a combined time of 3:56.15.
This meet was a big step in the right direction for the team as they look to continue to build on their success moving forward.
“There are a lot of things that really showed that we are trending in the right direction,” Wheatley said. “And that's part of what we're supposed to do. The ladies competed hard, and I thought they were focused on what they needed to do.
“We always have work to do. But that's why we play the sport.”
The Cardinals Travel to Indianapolis on January 26th and 27th, at 10:00 am, to compete in the IUPUI’s Jaguar Invitational.
Contact Amadou Diallo with comments on X @Amadou_Diallo23 or via email at diallo.s.amadou23@gmail.com
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