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ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University track & field teams traveled to compete at the Big Meet for day one on Friday, hosted by Grand Valley State University. The Cardinals posted five different NCAA Division II Provisional marks in the meet on Friday.

On the women's side, Taylor Stepanski finished in fifth place in the women's mile race with a time of 4:50.24. The time was a provisional qualifying mark and was less than a second from an automatic qualifying time. The time also marks a new school record, which she set herself at last year's Big Meet (4:52.36), and is the seventh best time in the nation so far this year. 

The 4 x 400 meter relay team also added a provisional qualifying time, crossing the line with a mark of 3:49.43. The team consisted of Ola Hendler, DeAnna Stickler-Gatson, Ce'Aira Richardson and Kimberly Balls. The relay team broke indoor record set earlier this year at the Kent State Golden Flashes Gala, which was 3:49.62. The time is the 10th best nationally so far for 2016.

Emerald Joiner posted the third provisional qualifier for SVSU, as she finished sixth in the shot put with a distance of 14.32 meters (46'11.75"). The distance ranks 11th in the nation for the indoor season. The distance was a personal indoor best for her as well. 

Robert Atwater finished third in the high jump for an NCAA provisional qualifying mark, crossing the bar at a height of 2.10 meters (6'10.75"). It was just shy of his seventh-best height of 2.11 meters he jumped at the SVSU Holiday Classic. 

Robert Tarpley added another for Saginaw Valley, finishing fourth with a distance of 14.75 meters (48'4.75") in the triple jump. He ranks 15th in the nation with his distance of 14.82 meters he jumped earlier this season at the Kent State Golden Flashes Gala. 

The Big Meet gets back underway on Saturday morning, with events beginning at 9:00 a.m. with the men's long jump. 

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