On February 4, sophomore Baidy Ba broke Kent State’s men’s indoor track and field team’s record with a 3:59.47 mile time.

Friday at the Virginia Challenge, Ba broke another school record with the fastest men’s 1500 meter time, placing ninth in the event.

Ba’s time of 3:40.80 broke a record that stood for 55 years.

“He’s been chasing that mark all year,” coach Nathan Fanger said. “It’s kind of nice to have him feel confident in that mark and move him up pretty solidly in the regionals.”

The previous mark was held by Kent State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Sam Bair who graduated in 1969.

The team was split between three meets for the second straight week. Most of the team attended the Jesse Owens Classic hosted by Ohio State, while some competed at the Michael Johnson Invitational at Baylor University and the Virginia Challenge hosted by the University of Virginia.

Another performance for the record books came Saturday at the Michael Johnson Invitational where the men’s 4×100 meter relay team finished with a 3:08.43 – good for second best in program history.

A part of the relay team was graduate student Korie Davis II who set a personal record for the third-straight week with a 53.83 on the men’s 400 meter hurdles.

This went along with a season-best for graduate student Asa Hodrick who finished with a 20.95 in the men’s 200 meter dash.

Despite no first place finishes at the Virginia Challenge, multiple Flashes broke their personal records.

Sophomore Sydney Gallagher had a personal record of 11:12.24 in the women’s steeple to place sixth in the event.

Redshirt junior Shadrack Kipkosgei added a personal record in the men’s 10,000 meter run with a personal record of 30:05.53.

Graduate student Leah Lisle ran in the women’s 10,000 meter run and finished with a 35:40.21, the fourth fastest in program history for the event.

At the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, no Flashes achieved a personal record or added to the program’s history books.

“I don’t think anybody fell on their face, but I don’t think we did awesome either,” Fanger said. “It was the middle of the road for us.”

Junior Ethan Yost placed fifth to lead the team in the men’s 800 meter run, recording a 1:52.01.

Redshirt junior Nolan Landis placed seventh in the men’s discus with a throw of 52.94 meters.

Redshirt sophomore Aliesha Shaw threw for a distance of 14.89 meters in the women’s shot put to place fifth in the event.

Looking ahead, the Flashes will travel to Louisville, Kentucky for the Clark Wood Invitational hosted by the University of Louisville.

The meet is scheduled for Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29.

Michael Neenan is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].