EAST LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Senior Lauren Freeland punched her ticket to the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in the 1,500 meter run after her performance in Florida. At the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla., she ran a personal best 4:14.09 for seventh place in her heat for the final time-qualifying spot.

This will be her first national meet in Austin, Texas, and is the first Spartan since 2021 to qualify after Sarah Anderson did it.

Overall, six MSU student-athletes will be competing at the national meet. Freeland and Opal Jackson (shot put) will make their first appearance at the meet. Ryan Talbot (decathlon), Heath Baldwin (decathlon), Trevor Stephenson (pole vault), and John Petruno (1,500 meter) return to the championship meet.