MAC Indoor Championships Begin Friday for Track & Field

MUNCIE, Ind. - - It's championship week for the Ball State track & field program which travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., for the 2017 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships held Friday and Saturday at Eastern Michigan's Bowen Field House.

The two-day event, which features athletes from all 12 MAC women's teams and all five MAC men's programs, begins at 10 a.m. Friday with action in the women's pentathlon. Field events for the women also start at 10 a.m. Friday with the shot put, while women's action on the track begins at 2 p.m. with the 60m hurdles. The top eight performers from each event will score based on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.

In the fifth season of automatic qualifying standards, the Cardinals will send 12 student-athletes and a pair of relays to Ypsilanti for the meet. Under the current format, each event is capped at 20 participants. If 20 student-athletes did not earn automatic marks in an event, entrants are selected going down the conference's performance list.

This season, four Cardinals achieved MAC automatic qualifying marks for the indoor championships, led by sophomore Peyton Stewart (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who enters as the second seed in the 60m dash with a career-fast time of 7.52 set at the Chipotle Marshall Invitational (Feb. 10). The effort is the fastest for a Ball State sprinter in the event since Amber Williams won the 60m dash at the 2009 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 7.44.

In her first appearance at the MAC Indoor Championships last season, Stewart placed fourth in the 60m dash with a then-career best time of 7.56.

Next on the list is sophomore Regan Lewis (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield-Central) who enters the meet as the third seed in the high jump with a mark of 1.76m set at both the Kentucky Invitational (Jan. 14) and the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 21). While Lewis placed 10th in the event at last season's MAC Indoor Championships, she tallied a third-place effort at the MAC Outdoor Championships to become the first medalist for Ball State at the MAC Outdoor Championships since Thekla Lorenz won the heptathlon in 2012.

Lewis is looking to become the first Ball State student-athlete to capture the MAC Championship in the indoor high jump. The Cardinals have won the event three times at the outdoor championships, most recently Rebecca Lomax in 2011.

Ball State is poised to have a pair of scorers in the 60m hurdles as sophomore Jazmin Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/North College Hill) and freshman Jasmine Harris (Moreland Hills, Ohio/Orange) enter the meet tied as the third seed after turning in identical times of 8.53 at the Akron Invitational (Feb. 3) and the Gladstein Invitational, respectively.

Smith placed 11th in the 60m hurdles at last season's MAC Championships with a time of 8.78. The last time Ball State scored in the 60m hurdles at the MAC Indoor Championships was in 2011 when Ra'Jae Marable placed sixth at 8.66. In addition, the last time the Cardinals had a pair of student-athletes score in the event was 2010 when Katie Johnson placed second (8.50) and Marable came in eighth (8.95).

In addition to her spot in the 60m hurdles, Harris enters the 2017 MAC Indoor Championships the 12th seed in the 200m dash (24.86) and the 13th seed in the 60m dash (7.67). She is the first Ball State student-athlete to qualify for three events at the MAC Indoor Championships since 2015 when Christina Crawford (Long Jump, 60m Dash, 200m Dash) and Lomax (Pentathlon, High Jump, Long Jump) accomplished the task.

Freshman sprinter Bryeana Byrdsong (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) is also poised to score for the Cardinals, entering the meet as the seventh seed in the 200m dash (24.67) and as the 11th seed in the 60m dash (7.66).

Junior Anna-Kay West (Manchester, Jamaica/Manchester) is set to make her third consecutive appearance in the 60m hurdles at the MAC Indoor Championships, entering the event as the 16th seed at 8.87. She placed 17th in the event last season, after a 20th-place finish her freshman year.

Junior Adrienne Mayfield (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) will be making her second-straight appearance in the weight throw, entering at the 19th seed at 15.78m. Last season, she placed 19th at the meet with a toss of 9.95m.

In addition to Byrdsong and Harris, the Cardinals have five more freshman making their MAC Championship debuts this weekend in Amber Jones (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) in the 200m dash (20th / 25.27), Peyton Kneadler (Monticello, Ind./Twin Lakes) in the mile run (18th / 5.03.72), Brooke Talhelm (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) in the mile run (17th / 5:02.89), Emily Tromp (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) in the 800m run (17th / 2:15.25) and Kelsey Walters (Troy, Ohio/Troy) in the shot put (17th / 13.28m).

For more information on the 2017 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, including a complete schedule, live results and final results, fans can visit MAC Championship Central at http://www.mac-sports.com/tournaments/?id=62.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country and track & field, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateTFXC and @CoachE_BSU.

Ball State Entries in the 2017 MAC Indoor Championships

Events on Friday, Feb. 24
Shot Put - 10 a.m.
17 - Kelsey Walters - 13.28m

60m Hurdles - 2 p.m.
3 - Jazmin Smith - 8.53
4 - Jasmine Harris - 8.53
16 - Anna-Kay West - 8.87

60m Dash - 3:05 p.m.
2 - Peyton Stewart - 7.52
11 - Bryeana Byrdsong - 7.66
13 - Jasmine Harris - 7.67

800m Run - 3:30 p.m.
17 - Emily Tromp - 2:15.25

200m Dash - 4:05 p.m.
7 - Bryeana Byrdsong - 24.67
12 - Jasmine Harris - 24.86
20 - Amber Jones - 25.27

Distance Medley Relay - 5:25 p.m.
9 - Peyton Kneadler, Gabby Sims, Hannah Cummings, Brooke Talhelm - 12:16.66

Events on Saturday, Feb. 25
Weight Throw - 11:45 a.m.
19 - Adrienne Mayfield - 15.78m

Mile Run - 1:30 p.m.
17 - Brooke Talhelm - 5:02.89
18 - Peyton Kneadler - 5:03.72

High Jump - 1:30 p.m.
3 - Regan Lewis - 1.76m

4x400m Relay - 4:30 p.m.
8 - Amber Jones, Olivia Ashba, Peyton Kneadler, Gabby Sims - 3:49.74

Ball State Individual Entries
Bryeana Byrdsong        60m Dash - 11th at 7.66 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 3:05 p.m.
                                        200m Dash - 7th at 24.67 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 4:05 p.m.

Jasmine Harris              60m Hurdles - 4th at 8.53 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 2 p.m.
                                        60m Dash - 13th at 7.67 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 3:05 p.m.
                                        200m Dash - 12th at 24.86 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 4:05 p.m.

Amber Jones                200m Dash - 20th at 25.27 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 4:05 p.m.

Peyton Kneadler          Mile Run - 18th at 5:03.72 - Saturday, Feb. 25 - 1:30 p.m.

Regan Lewis                  High Jump - 3rd at 1.76m - Saturday, Feb. 25 - 1:30 p.m.

Adrienne Mayfield      Weight Throw - 19th at 15.78m - Saturday, Feb. 25 - 11:45 a.m.

Jazmin Smith                60m Hurdles - 3rd at 8.53 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 2 p.m.

Peyton Stewart           60m Dash - 2nd at 7.52 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 3:05 p.m.

Brooke Talhelm            Mile Run - 17th at 5:02.89 - Saturday, Feb. 25 - 1:30 p.m.

Emily Tromp                 800m Run - 17th at 2:15.25 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 3:30 p.m.

Kelsey Walters             Shot Put 17th at 13.28m - Friday, Feb. 24 - 10 a.m.

Anna-Kay West            60m Hurdles - 16th at 8.87 - Friday, Feb. 24 - 2 p.m.

Relays
Distance Medley Relay - Friday, Feb. 24 - 5:25 p.m.
9 - Peyton Kneadler, Gabby Sims, Hannah Cummings, Brooke Talhelm - 12:16.66

4x400m Relay - Saturday, Feb. 25 - 4:30 p.m.
8 - Amber Jones, Olivia Ashba, Peyton Kneadler, Gabby Sims - 3:49.74

- BallStateSports.com -

MAC Indoor Championships Begin Friday for Track & Field

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Olivia Ashba

Bryeana Byrdsong

Christina Crawford

Hannah Cummings

Jasmine Harris

Amber Jones

Peyton Kneadler

Regan Lewis

Adrienne Mayfield

Gabby Sims

Jazmin Smith

Peyton Stewart

Brooke Talhelm

Emily Tromp

Kelsey Walters

Anna-Kay West