PREVIEW: MSU Track and Field to compete at Jack Shaw Invitational and Ashland Alumni Open

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MSU track and field runner Shakira Dancy competes at the 2022 Raleigh Relays/ Photo Credit: MSU Athletic Communications

Jake Lyskawa, Track and Field Beat Reporter

EAST LANSING—The Michigan State track and field team is set to compete at two different meets this weekend, with only a handful of athletes traveling to both the Ashland Alumni Open in Ashland, Ohio, as well as the Jack Shaw Invitational, hosted by Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.

Throwers Quiara Wheeler, Valadian Pallett, Joshua DeVries and Dylan Terryberry are all set to compete in Ashland on Friday and Saturday, while sprinter Jaiden Paris and decathletes Heath Baldwin and Ryan Talbot headline a group that travels to Kalamazoo on Saturday.

Wheeler, a graduate transfer from Central Michigan University, is coming off a personal best in the discus throw at the Indiana Invitational, where she threw 51.34m to place fifth. Wheeler took third in the hammer throw that day, with a best attempt of 58.67m.

Pallett took home a PR in Bloomington last weekend, but in the shot put event. Her 13.76m toss was good for 13th place, and she finished out the day with a 40.70m throw in the discus to take 23rd. 

Pallett’s PR at the Indiana Invite was one of four that she’s obtained this outdoor season, all in different events. Aside from the shot put, Pallett has hit personal best marks in the hammer throw, discus throw and javelin throw already this season. That consistent improvement as a freshman is something throws coach Zac Ball can be proud of, and Pallett will look to continue to improve this weekend. 

DeVries also competed in Bloomington, taking ninth place in the hammer throw with a best attempt of 58.41m. The throw was less than a meter shy of his PR of 59.35m, which the sophomore set at the Spartan Invitational earlier this month. 

Terryberry, also a freshman, is both a thrower and jumper. He competed in the long jump and javelin throw last weekend, taking 16th in the former and 10th in the latter. 

Paris had one of the more eventful weekends in Bloomington of anyone on the team, as she broke the school record in the 100m hurdles, running a time of 13.35 seconds to take first in the finals. The junior added another top finish to her name that day, as her 4x100m team also took first. 

Baldwin and Talbot will be busy this Saturday, competing in multiple running and field events. Talbot collected a PR in the discus last weekend, throwing for 47.91m to take 14th in the event. Baldwin’s best finish came in the 110m hurdles, where he took second with a 14.43 second time. The season highlight for both athletes came in Arizona earlier this month, as the sophomore Talbot took first place in his collegiate decathlon debut, while the junior Baldwin finished closely behind him in second. 

In the latest rankings, Talbot places 12th nationally in the decathlon, while Baldwin sits at 15th overall. 

The Ashland Alumni Open will start at 10:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday, while the field events in Kalamazoo start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The running events will follow shortly after at 1:00 p.m.