MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Morehead State men's and women's track and field team will make its first appearance of the indoor season when it travels on I64 across the state line and to Huntington, W.Va., and Marshall University for the Marshall Opener on Friday.
The competition will begin at 5 p.m., with the high jump, long jump and weight throw. All of the events will take place at the Jeff Small Track in the Chris Cline Indoor Athletics Complex. The women's 60-meter hurdles will start at 7 p.m. to open races on the track.
Besides host Marshall and Morehead State, Charleston (W.Va.) and Glenville State also have individuals entered in the meet, but the Eagles are participating in the fewest events of the group and have only one entrant in one field competition.
It will be the fifth time in the last six seasons that MSU is beginning its campaign with the Marshall Opener and the second straight year the Blue and Gold will enter both men and women. According to available information, they are the only December meets in which the Eagles have ever competed.
"This is just about getting them used to competition again and seeing where they are at after the fall conditioning," MSU coach
Clay Dixon said. "With it being such a young group, it's also about learning the routine we set up for meet days. We are all excited to get going!"
The meet has been scored in the past but is not expected to be on Friday. MSU's women placed second in both 2022 and 2023, and third in 2019. Last December, the Eagles had entrants in the women's long jump and men's 300-meter dash.
In the former event, sophomore
Ginger Hayden claimed fifth in a field of 12 after recording a leap of 5.08 meters (16'08.00").
Hayden is the lone Eagle making a repeat appearance at the Marshall Opener.
MSU's first race will be the women's 60-meter dash at 7:20 p.m. Freshman
Aa'Nya Freeland will be the Eagles' lone representative. Then at 7:25 p.m., sophomores
Derril Carr and
Cade Sullivan, and freshman
Mark Whitener, will compete in the men's race.
The women's 400-meter dash will begin at 7:45 p.m., and include sophomore
Cheyenne Stark; along with freshmen
Brooklyn Boyce,
Olivia Miles,
Aaliyah Rodgers and
Mia Underwood. At 7:50 p.m., freshman
Tate Glass will represent the MSU men in the event.
The starting gun for the women's 300m will go off at 8:10 p.m. The only Eagle in the race will be Freeland. In the men's competition at 8:15 p.m., Carr, Sullivan and Whitener will toe the line.
The final two events of the night will be the 4x400-meter relays. The women's race will begin at 9:10 p.m., followed by the men at 9:15 p.m. It will be the first time since 2019, MSU will run a relay at the Marshall Opener.
The Eagle women's foursome will include Boyce, Freeland, Miles and Rodgers. The men's quartet will be Carr, Glass, Sullivan and Whitener.
Results will be available at the link:
https://kvtfoa.net/2024-Track-Field/.
Morehead State will return to Marshall on Saturday, Jan. 11, for its next meet, the Marshall Alumni Classic.
