Junior jumper and sprinter Charity Griffith shattered two of her personal bests and became the leading point-getter for Ball State Track and Field in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Indoor Championships Feb. 25-26.
“It was awesome to have my teammates along with me like [senior hurdler] Karlie [Zumbro} and [sophomore jumper] Janelle [Rogers] because we were all feeding off each other’s energy and support,” Griffith said.
Griffith set a new personal best in the pentathlon with a score of 4099 points after a first-place finish in high jump, 60-meter hurdles and long jump Feb. 25. Griffith earned a share of the MAC Most Valuable Performer award and head coach Adrian Wheatley said Griffith prepared and displayed her talent.
“Charity has been training in this direction all year long,” Wheatley said. ”For her to put it all together and for her to showcase her abilities at the MAC Championships was pretty special.”
The Cardinals finished sixth with 62 points. It's Ball State's second-highest finish in the conference meet since 2010.
In addition to Griffith, graduate student sprinters Payton Barlow and MaQuila Norman and sophomore sprinter Alexis Thigpen each qualified for the 400-meter finals. Sophomore sprinter Kayla Jones qualified for the 800-meter finals.
MaQuila Norman takes off from the starting block for the 400-meter finals May 9, 2019, at the MAC Outdoor Championships. Norman placed fourth in the event. Rohith Rao, DN
Norman placed fourth and qualified for the 200-meter dash final Feb. 26 and said mental toughness was important for her overcoming adversity.
“Despite everything I went through this year with concussions and shin splints and not being 100 percent healthy, I still think I did pretty decent,” Norman said. “I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank.”
To help kick-off events Feb. 26, freshman McKenna Cinotte placed sixth in the triple jump. Charity Griffith picked up where she left off by winning the individual high jump event.
Barlow and Thigpen placed fifth and sixth respectively in the 400-meter dash final, while Jones placed sixth in the 800-meter final.
Norman placed third in the 200-meter dash and helped anchor a second-place finish for the 4x400 relay team alongside Thigpen, Zumbro and Barlow.
“I’m proud of this team. I’m proud of these young ladies,” Wheatley said. “It was a beautiful experience to see them compete and we’re looking forward to the national championship here in a week and preparing the bulk of our group for the outdoor season."
Contact Corbin Hubert with comments at cchubert@bsu.edu or on Twitter @corbin_hubert_.
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