The Ball State women's track team celebrated its Senior Day on Saturday by hosting its first outdoor meet at home in 9 years.
The team defeated Bowling Green in the meet 121-36, taking first place in 17 of 19 scored events held over the weekend.
Coach Randy Heisler said if he had things his way, Ball State would host multiple outdoor meets in years to come.
"I would love to hold at least two meets outdoors every year," Heisler said. "I am so pleased with the support we got. It takes a lot of work to host a track meet; it doesn't just happen over night."
Even though it was Senior Day, the seniors weren't the only top performers.
Junior thrower Lywanna Melvin placed first in the hammer throw. She said it was a pleasure to perform in front of her peers.
"I was extremely excited to be at home for once and have friends and family be able to come and see me here at Ball State," Melvin said. "I was happy that the other teams at Ball State came out to support and helped with the track meet."
Senior sprinter Janae Taylor took first place in the 100- and 200-meter dash. She said she hopes home meets are more common for the Ball State track team in the future.
"I think home meets are the best thing for this team," Taylor said. "Not only did we come out and win today but everyone ran a good time."
The hope for more future home meets goes further than just the members of the team.
Heisler has been Ball State's coach for indoor and outdoor track for the past five seasons. He said he believes the home environment helped the team perform better than they have all season.
"Our girls had numerous season bests on a day that wasn't that nice," Heisler said. "I think a lot of that had to do with us being at home. I think they brought their 'A-game' and ran well and competed."
On Saturday, the team travels to Bloomington, Ind., for the Polytan Invitational. The team has three other meets before May 10, when it travels to Mt. Pleasant, Mich., for the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships.
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