MOREHEAD, Ky. – For the third straight year, the Morehead State track and field team will travel to Bellarmine University for the Jim Vargo Invitational. This season's meet will take place on Friday at the Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville.
Competition will begin after Bellarmine holds its Senior Day festivities at 11:15 a.m. Field events are slated to start at noon, with the first race scheduled for 12:30 p.m. All events will be finals.
Last year, both MSU teams were 11th, although Friday's meet is not expected to be scored.
Nineteen schools are expected to join the Eagles and the host Knights, including: Berea (Ky.), Butler, Campbellsville (Ky.), Cedarville (Ohio), Evansville, Georgetown (Ky.), Illinois-Springfield, Indianapolis, IUPUI, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Pikeville (Ky.), Southern Indiana, Spalding (Ky.), Transylvania (Ky.), Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.), Vincennes (Ind.) and Wright State.
Like the last two years, temperatures are expected to be cold, with overcast skies and the potential for rain. Two years ago, there were three lightning delays.
Still, Morehead State has performed well at the meet. Last March, the Eagles had four top-eight finishes. In 2022, the sprinters stood out with approximately 33 percent of MSU's entries logging "pr's".
"Competition is looking good for all our athletes. If the weather holds up (stays in the 50s and not very windy), then we should see some decent marks for most events," head coach
Clay Dixon said. "We got a handful of guys doing their first 5K this season, and we have Jacob and Kyler taking on the 10K. So, it will be fun watching everyone compete in those longer events."
Fifteen women and 20 men are expected to participate for the Blue and Gold. The Eagles are entered in 17 events (eight women's, nine men's) with a total of 41 possible entries.
Fourteen total Eagles will be making their third appearance at the meet, with 20 also competing last year.
The day will begin with freshman
Ginger Hayden in the long jump at noon. Two weeks ago, she set her "pr" of 5.15m (16'10.75").
The Eagles' first race on the track will be the women's 1,500-meter run at 12:55 p.m. Freshman
Lani Baskett, junior
Cloe Copas, sophomore
Kaylyn Holman, junior
Lucy Singleton and sophomore
Casey Skaggs will represent MSU. Singleton sat out the last meet, the EKU Springtime Invitational, with an injury. In 2023, she finished sixth at the Jim Vargo Invite in 4:44.86.
The men's race will follow at 1:30 p.m., and feature junior
Sam Lucas and freshman
Garrett West.
The steeplechase gun will go off at 2:05 p.m. for sophomore
Abby Taylor's race, with fifth-year runner
Jarrett Forrest and senior
Peyton Fairchild beginning their competition in the event at 2:25 p.m.
At 2:40 p.m., the women's 400-meter dash will include
Cheyenne Stark at 2:40 p.m., with redshirt junior
Micah Gray running the event at 2:55 p.m.
The first of the sprints, the men's 100-meter dash, will begin at 3:30 p.m. Freshmen
Derril Carr and
Cade Sullivan are entered.
The Eagles will have a large contingent in the 800-meter run. Sophomore
Natalie Curry, sophomore
Hope Harris, senior
Jennifer Ramirez, freshman
Emily Spradlin and possibly Singleton will make up part of the field. The men's race will include freshmen
Brady Baker and
Asher Jack, and seniors
Austin Montgomery and
Toby Cook. The women's event is at 3:45 p.m., with the men to follow at 4:05 p.m.
Stark (4:55 p.m.), and Carr and Sullivan (5:15 p.m.) will return for their second race of the day, the 200-mneter dash.
The two longest distance events round out the Eagles' individual events. The 5,000-meter run will go off at 5:30 p.m. (women) and 6:15 p.m. (men). Freshman
Taylor Allen, junior
Megan Bush and senior
Laikin Tarlton will represent MSU in the first race. Fifth-year
Kyle Embry; seniors
Justin Bland and
Alex Murray; and freshmen
Noah Bunting,
Armando Montes,
Keghan Thompson and
Aidan Whitsell are the Eagle men's entries.
Embry placed seventh in the race last year in 15:27.55.
The 4x400-meter relay breaks up the final two individual events at 7:15 p.m. Morehead State will enter the foursome of Sullivan, Gray, Carr and Lucas. It will be the second straight meet the Eagles will enter a 4x400m relay, but this week it will be a different quartet of runners.
The women's 10,000-meter run could include Tarlton, if she does not compete in the 5,000m. It starts at 7:30 p.m. The men's contest will be at 8:15 p.m., and feature senior
Kyler Stewart and redshirt junior
Jacob Vogelpohl.
Morehead State's next competition will be the Northern Kentucky Invitational on Friday, April 12.
