A week ago, Ball State Track and Field had its home meet canceled due to health and safety protocols.
Several Cardinals used the break from the cancellation to their advantage by placing in multiple events in the Meyo Invitational hosted by Notre Dame Feb. 4-5.
“Having the week off proved to be beneficial to our group,” said head coach Adrian Wheatley. “They seemed rested, they seemed really focused on competing, so it was exciting to see them come out and compete.”
Freshman Moriah Johnson, graduate student Michelle Lehmann, freshman Jenna Oriani and sophomore Aaleiah Winford advanced to the finals of the 60-meter dash.
“For me, this weekend was about overcoming challenges,” Johnson said. “I haven’t been able to run the past two weeks, so I wanted to come out and show that I still have it. I’m proud that I was consistent and still ran in the same range that I have been.”
Senior hurdler Karlie Zumbro recorded a new lifetime personal best in the 600-meter race with a time of 1:34.70.
The first night was capped off by a 200-meter victory by senior sprinter MaQuila Norman, who ran a time of 24.38 seconds. Norman said she came into the event with a positive mindset.
Bryeana Byrdsong and MaQuila Norman run at the MAC Outdoor Championships, held May 9-11, 2019 at Ball State's Briner Sports Complex. Byrdsong and Norman qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships held in Jacksonville, Florida. Rohith Rao, DN
“I was very confident coming into tonight,” Norman said. “I feel like we’re too close to the MAC Championships not to be confident. I pushed any negativity out of the way and I was focused on running and finishing the 200 strong.”
Norman carried her momentum into the second day, when she placed ninth in the 400-meter final and was part of the 4x400 relay team to place sixth overall in the competition. The other members of the relay team included sophomore Alexis Thigpen, graduate student Payton Barlow and Zumbro.
Thigpen also took part in the 400-meter final, where she finished in 11th place.
“From a performance standpoint it was really good to see Q [Norman] and Lexi [Thigpen] continually improving on their seasons best,” Wheatley said.
Barlow chipped in another lifetime personal best when she ran the 400-meter final in 55.60 seconds.
Wheatley continues to see improvements in Ball State's chemistry and believes it contributes to the overall performance.
“Something that doesn’t show up in the box score is how the group is still continually fighting and supporting each other,” Wheatley said. “Teams that are going to be successful are teams that are dialed in to what their teammates are doing, supporting them and being selfless, not selfish."
The Cardinals return to action Feb. 12 in the Doug Raymond Qualifer in Kent, Ohio.
Contact Corbin Hubert with comments at cchubert@bsu.edu or on Twitter @corbin_hubert_
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