Kent State University
Virginia Challenge
Baidy Ba Breaks Men’s 1500m Record at Virginia Challenge
4/22/2023 9:31:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Sophomore Baidy Ba bested the men's 1,500-meter run record that had stood for 55 years as three members of the Kent State track and field team posted all-time top-10 times at the Virginia Challenge on Friday. The Golden Flashes also had student-athletes in action at Baylor's Michael Johnson Invitational and at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Classic.
Virginia Challenge
Baidy Ba ran a Kent State record 3:40.80 to finish ninth in the men's 1,500m invitational. Ba took just under five seconds off his previous personal-best and broke the record that Sam Bair set in 1968.
Leah Lisle placed seventh in the women's 10,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 35:40.21, which is the fourth fastest time in the Flashes' record book.
In the men's 10,000m, Shadrack Kipkosgei also recorded a PR and finished ninth. Kipkosgei's time of 30:05.53 puts him at No. 8 on Kent State's all-time performance list.
Nina Zraik added a season-best time of 17:50.95 to finish 14th in the women's 5,000-meter run.
Kristian Kneffler was the Flashes' lone field competitor in Charlottesville and matched his season-best height of 16'-4.75" to place seventh in the men's pole vault invitational.
Michael Johnson Invitational
Asa Hodrick clocked a season-best time of 20.95 seconds to finish 16th and pace the Flashes in the men's 200-meter dash. Dejon Manning (21.39) and Kyle Sommer (21.71) placed 42nd and 58th, respectively.
For the third week in a row, Korie Davis II set a new PR in the men's 400-meter hurdles. His time of 53.83 seconds was good for 11th place. Alexandria Verbancic ran the women's 400m hurdles and finished 15th in 1:02.58.
Jesse Owens Classic
Kent State had four top-15 finishes on the opening day in Columbus.
Briana Wright led the way in the women's hammer throw, placing 10th with a heave of 171'-6".
Amare Hall and Aaron Schmook both recorded 11th-place finishes. Hall leaped 22'-1.75" in the men's long jump and Schmook posted a throw of 175'-8" in the men's javelin throw.
Ethan Yost led the Flashes on the track with a time of 3:55.15 for 13th in the men's 1,500m.
Up Next for the Flashes
Kent State will conclude weekend competition on Saturday at the Jesse Owens Classic and Michael Johnson Invitational.
![Four Kent State track and field athletes pose together on the awards podium wearing light blue Under Armour uniforms and gold MAC Championship medals. Left to right: Chaz Sakala (bib 1196), Sean [last name partially visible] (bib 1157, holding a relay baton), Ryan Gross (bib 1167), and Jacob Stanley (bib 1192). The group smiles for the camera following their relay event at the MAC Outdoor Championships.](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fkentstatesports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F5%2F21%2FIMG_2657.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
