MOREHEAD, Ky. – In its final meet before the Ohio Valley Conference Championships in two weeks, the Morehead State track and field teams will head to the Rick Erdmann Twilight Invitational on Saturday at Eastern Kentucky University's Tom Samuels Track looking to fine tune their lineups.
Coach
Clay Dixon is sending 33 individuals to participate in 16 competitions at the event that this year will be just one day instead of two. It will be the final meet for several Eagles and the last chance to make an impression on Dixon as he formulates his roster for the OVCs.
"(It) should be a great day for racing. This will be a majority of the team's final race, so we have been tapering the workouts a bit the past week," Dixon said. "Weather is looking good for all events as well."
It will be the second straight year the Eagles will have competed at the meet and the second time this spring MSU will participate at EKU, having previously entered the Eastern Kentucky Springtime Invitational on March 22nd. The Blue and Gold also competed at the Rick Erdmann Twilight Invitational in 2021.
Eleven teams are expected on Saturday. In addition to MSU and host EKU, Ashbury (Ky.), Berea (Ky.), the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), Evansville, Georgetown (Ky.), Hagerstown C.C. (Md.), Kentucky, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Union (Ky.) are all entered. The meet is not expected to be scored.
The first events begin at 1 p.m., but the Eagles will not start until 3 p.m. with the women's long jump and the men's steeplechase.
Freshman
Ginger Hayden will compete in the long jump. When it is over, the triple jump will start. She is entered in that event as well.
Fifth-year
Jarrett Forrest and senior
Peyton Fairchild will both toe the starting line in the steeplechase. The women's event will follow at 3:15 p.m., with sophomore
Abby Taylor representing the Blue and Gold.
The women's 1,500-meter run will be the Eagles' next event at 3:45 p.m. Juniors
Cloe Copas and
Lucy Singleton, and sophomores
Kaylyn Holman and
Casey Skaggs will start for MSU.
Last year, Singleton won the event in a 63-person field with a time of 4:47.25. Singleton also finished third in the 64-entrant 800-meter run in 2:16.93.
The men's 400-meter dash will follow at 4:20 p.m. (men) and 4:30 p.m. (women). Redshirt junior
Micah Gray and freshman
Cheyenne Stark are MSU's entries.
Freshmen
Derril Carr and
Cade Sullivan will run the 100-meter dash. The first race will begin at 5 p.m.
The first of three heats of the men's 800m will start at 5:30 p.m. Senior
Toby Cook; plus freshmen
Brady Baker,
Armando Montes and
Garrett West; along with junior
Sam Lucas will represent MSU. Singleton will return to once again do a double. She will be joined by freshmen
Lani Baskett and
Emily Spradlin, sophomores
Natalie Curry and
Hope Harris, and senior
Jennifer Ramirez. Their race is expected to begin at 5:45 p.m.
Carr, Sullivan and Stark will all compete in a second event, the 200-meter dash. The men's race is at 6:40 p.m., with the women at 6:50 p.m.
Freshman
Taylor Allen, junior
Megan Bush and senior
Laikin Tarlton will represent the Eagles in the women's 5,000-meter run. Their race is expected to begin at 7 p.m. Seniors
Justin Bland,
Alex Murray and
Kyler Stewart; fifth year
Kyle Embry; redshirt junior
Jacob Vogelpohl; and freshmen
Noah Bunting,
Keghan Thompson and
Aidan Whitsell will be in the men's event at 7:30 p.m.
This week only the men will be entered in the 4x400-meter relay. That group will consist of Montes, Carr, Gray and Cook; with West and Lucas as alternates.
EKU will host its senior ceremony at 8 p.m., before the meet concludes with five invitational races, two each in the 800m and 1,500m, and a men's 5,000m.
Last year, Tarlton took fifth in the open 5,000-meter run in 18:14.01 with
Garrett Watts placing 15th in the invitational 5,000m in 14:58.24. In the invitational 800m, Cook finished 15th in 1:56.51, with
Wes Grogan in 18th in 1:57.79.
Live results are available at the link: https://live.timingking.com/meet-list
The OVC Championships will be held from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11 at Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill.
