By: Ball State Athletics
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State indoor track & field team will compete in its final tune-up before the 2014 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships Friday, when it hosts the Ball State Quadrangular starting at 5 p.m. in the Field Sports Building.
In addition to the Cardinals, other teams competing in the four-team scored meet are Miami, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. Scoring will be based on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale, with only two participants from each school able to score in an event.
Action in the meet begins with the field events, while running events are slated to start at 6:15 p.m. In addition to the action on the track, the Ball State track & field team will hold a special promotion for Dance Marathon, including an introduction of the program at 7:25 p.m.
Last season, the Cardinals placed fourth among the four teams at the meet, while Western Michigan captured its ninth consecutive title in Ball State's annual home meet. Prior to WMU's run of nine-straight wins, the Cardinals were the last team to capture the title during the 2003-04 season.
Junior Haley Austin (Avon, Ind./Avon) returns as the defending champion in the high jump, while junior Hannah Ciasto-Poor (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) turned in a runner-up finish in the pole vault a year ago.
Heading into the Ball State Quadrangular, the Cardinals have three active student-athletes automatically qualified for the league meet, starting with Austin in the long jump. Austin enters the meet ranked fourth in the MAC with a career-best leap of 5'-8.5” (1.74m) set at the Indiana Relays (Jan. 31-Feb. 1).
Redshirt sophomore Christina Crawford (Belleville, Mich./Romulus) enters the week ranked sixth in the conference in the long jump, with her career-best effort of 19'-2” (5.84m) also set at the Indiana Relays. Crawford is also ranked 17th in the league in the 60m dash after her career-best time of 7.77 in the prelims at the Hillsdale “Wide-Track” Classic (Feb. 7-8).
Rounding out Ball State's active MAC Indoor Championship automatic qualifiers is redshirt sophomore Marie Lumpkin (Losantville, Ind./Union) who ranks seventh in the league in the weight throw with a career-best toss of 59'-4.25” at the Indiana Relays.
Redshirt junior Rebecca Lomax (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) was qualified for the league indoor championships in the high jump, long jump and pentathlon. Unfortunately, she suffered a season-ending injury at the Hillsdale “Wide-Track” Classic.
In addition to the automatic qualifying marks, student-athletes ranked in the top 20 on the league's performance list in their respective event earn a slot in the MAC Championship meet, with a maximum of three student-athletes from the same school in any event.
Aside from the three automatic qualifiers, the Cardinals are poised to earn up to 11 more slots in the league meet based on current performances.
2013-14 Ball State Top Indoor Times/Marks
(all times/marks are career bests unless followed by (CB = )
High Jump - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 5'-6"/1.68m)
Haley Austin - 5'-8.5”/1.74m on 1/31/2014
Rebecca Lomax - 5'-7"/1.70m on 12/7/2013 (CB = 5'-8.75"/1.75m on 1/29/2011)
Mindy Marx - 5'-4.50”/1.64m on 2/7/2014
Pole Vault - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 12'-2"/3.71m)
Hannah Ciasto-Poor - 11'-5.75"/3.50m on two occasions (CB = 11'-7.75"/3.55m on 2/22/2013)
Elizabeth Eversole - 11'-1.75"/3.40m on 2/15/2014
Megan Dearlove - 10'-0"/3.05m on 1/18/2014
Rachael Walker – 10'-0"/3.05m on 1/18/2014
Becca Carpenter - 9'-6.25"/2.90m on 1/11/2014
Long Jump - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 18'-10.25"/5.75m)
Christina Crawford – 19'- 2”/ 5.84m on 1/31/2014
Rebecca Lomax – 19'- 2”/ 5.84m on 1/24/2014
Makelle Skelton - 18'-3.75"/5.58m on 1/18/2014
Lexi Kavanaugh - 16'-4.25"/4.98m on 1/18/2014
Gabrielle Perryman - 16'-3.25"/4.96m on 1/18/2014
Triple Jump - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 38'-6.25"/11.74m)
Gabrielle Perryman – 34'- 4.25”/ 10.47m on 2/15/2014
Shot Put - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 47'-3.75"/14.42m)
Michaela Hull - 43'-7.75"/13.30m on 2/7/2014 (CB = 45'-2.25”/13.77m on 2/15/2013)
Rebecca Lomax – 41'- 1.5"/12.53m on 1/24/2014
Weight Throw - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 56'-8"/17.72m)
Marie Lumpkin – 59'-4.25"/18.09m on 1/31/2014
Erin Walker - 52'-3.25"/15.93m on 1/18/2014 (CB = 54'-1"/16.48m on 2/15/2013)
Jorden Traver – 48'-1.75”/14.67m on 1/18/2014 (CB = 49'-5"/15.06m on 2/15/2013)
Michaela Hull - 42'-4.75"/12.92m on 1/18/2014
Indoor Pentathlon
Rebecca Lomax -3725 on 1/24/2014
60m Dash - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 7.66)
Christina Crawford - 7.77 on 2/7/2014
Rebecca Lomax - 7.86 on 1/11/2014
Lexi Kavanaugh - 8.13 on 12/7/2013
Zenée Gadson - 8.23 on 12/7/2013 (CB = 8.01 on 2/15/2013)
200m Dash - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 24.78)
Hannah Lange – 25.86 on 2/7/2014
Rebecca Lomax – 26.09 on 1/18/2014
Olivia Ashba - 26.51 on 2/7/2014
Christina Crawford - 26.59 on 12/7/2013
Ariel Hune - 27.06 on 2/7/2014
Lexi Kavanaugh - 27.16 on 12/7/2013
Makelle Skelton – 27.16 on 1/18/2014
Natalia Boykin – 28.36 on 1/18/2014
Becca Kropf – 28.53 on 1/18/2014
Kassidy Swenson – 28.62 on 1/18/2014
Marie Lumpkin – 28.85 on 1/18/2014
Haley Austin – 29.08 on 1/18/2014
400m Dash - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 56.61)
Hannah Lange – 57.74 on 2/7/2014
Makelle Skelton - 1:00.27 on 2/7/2014
Ariel Hune - 1:00.76 on 1/31/2014
Olivia Ashba - 1:01.41 on 12/7/2013
Becca Kropf – 1:02.80 on 1/18/2014
Gabrielle Perryman - 1:04.47 on 1/18/2014
Natalia Boykin – 1:05.52 on 1/11/2014
Kassidy Swenson – 1:05.68 on 1/11/2014
800m Run - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 2:13.37)
Danielle Dahl - 2:16.17 on 2/7/2014
Madelyn Webster – 2:23.46 on 2/7/2014
Becca Kropf -2:24.16 on 2/7/2014
Jordan Timmons – 2:26.16 on 2/7/2014
Esther Tirado – 2:27.24 on 2/7/2014
Rebecca Lomax – 2:36.14 on 1/24/2014
Jordan Jenkins – 2:40.02 on 1/18/2014
Ashley Schmidgall – 2:53.77 on 1/18/2014
Mile Run - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 4:57.92)
Madelyn Webster - 5:16.76 on 2/7/2014
Esther Tirado - 5:23.44 on 2/7/2014
Jordan Timmons – 5:25.43 on 2/7/2014
3000m Run - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 9:57.02)
Courtney Edon - 10:25.31 on 1/24/2014 (CB = 10:02.01 on 2/8/2013)
Caitlynn Edon – 10:44.06 on 2/7/2014 (CB = 10:23.38 on 1/18/2013)
Ericka Rinehart - 11:08.25 on 1/18/2014
Katelyn DeVries - 11:30.08 on 1/11/2014 (CB = 10:23.48 on 2/8/2013)
5000m Run - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 17:33.47)
Courtney Edon - 18:06.60 on 2/7/2014
Caitlynn Edon - 19:01.39 on 1/11/2014
Katelyn DeVries - 19:10.05 on 2/7/2014 (CB = 17:30.74 on 1/18/2013)
Ericka Rinehart - 19:20.66 on 2/7/2014
60m Hurdles - (MAC Indoor Championship Qualifying Standard: 8.72)
Olivia Ashba - 9.18 on 12/7/2013
Rebecca Lomax – 9.35 on 1/18/2014
Kassidy Swenson – 9:39 on 1/24/2014
Makelle Skelton - 9.54 on 1/18/2014
Natalia Boykin – 9:94 on 1/18/2014
4x400m Relay
Olivia Ashba, Ariel Hune, Makelle Skelton, Hannah Lange – 3:58.14 on 2/7/2014