ALLENDALE, Mich. – Automatic qualifying marks, NCAA provisionals and school records. This weekend's track & field action had it all as the UIndy Greyhounds posted a number of significant marks at the annual Grand Valley State "Big Meet."
 
Ben Nagel had perhaps the most memorable meet for UIndy. Not only did he break a near-30-year-old individual school record on Friday but he also helped the Hounds' distance medley relay team snap another program mark.
 
A native of nearby Mooresville, Ind., Nagel won his section in the men's 800 meter with a time of 1:53.07, besting one of the oldest UIndy records in the book*.  A day later, he was joined by teammates Alexander Brown-Baez, Devon Whitaker and Jacob Stamm, as the DMR quartet combined for a provisional time of 10:00.01, shattering the previous school mark* by more than 15 seconds.
 
FUN FACT: Whitaker was participating in his first collegiate track meet.
 
UIndy also notched a pair of NCAA automatic-qualifying marks on Friday, as Lauren Bailey and Berenice Cleyet-Merle both punched their tickets to the upcoming Division II Indoor Championships. Bailey posted a 16:27.30 in the 5K, while Cleyet-Merle made her season debut with a time 2:07.36 in the 800. Both times are good for fastest in DII this season in their respective event.
 
Junior Brittney Clark upped her provisional mark in the pole vault, clearing 3.87 meters to take fifth place, and Zoe Pentecost topped all DII student-athletes in the weight throw with a PR of 17.69 meters.
 
Sam DeWitt and Ndubisi Eze placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, while Brady Walden took runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 7.02 meters on his final attempt.
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds return home to the Athletics and Recreation Center – aka the ARC – to host the UIndy Classic on Feb. 19-20. Return to the Home Meet Info page in the coming days for more details.
 
_{* The previous men's 800 record was 1:54.90, set by Dean Rich in 1982.}
^{** The previous men's DMR record was 10:15.33, set by Mark Martinez, Jermel Kindred, Ian O'Boyle, Michael Landy in 2011.}