Mississippi State
NCAA Championships (O)
Three Bulldogs Advance On Opening Day Of NCAA Championships
June 11, 2008 | Track & Field
DES MOINES, Iowa - Three Mississippi State track and field athletes advanced in their respective events on the opening day of the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The event is being held at Drake Stadium on the Drake University campus in Des Moines, Iowa.
"It was an up and down day for us," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "We didn't advance in the 4x100-meter relay, but Kendall (May) qualified for the 100-meter dash finals. He just has to finish the race Friday to be an all-American."
Golden Coachman ran 1 minute, 49.98 seconds to advance to Thursday's 800-meter run semifinal. In the men's 400-meter dash first round, freshman O'Neal Wilder won his heat and posted the top qualifying time, crossing the line in 45.56, two-hundredths of a second shy of his personal best. Wilder advances to the 400 semifinals on Friday.
Kendall May ran 10.66 seconds to advance to the 100-meter dash semifinals. Later Wednesday evening in that semifinal, May ran 10.43 seconds to finish seventh and qualify for Friday's final.
Senior Jamil Hubbard narrowly missed qualifying for the final, finishing 17th in the 400-meter dash opening round, running 46.88. The men's 4x100-meter relay team of May, Wilder, Hubbard and John Bailey failed to qualify for the event finals after finishing 11th in 39.91. Senior Chris Woods saw his Mississippi State career come to an end, finishing 25th in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.97.
"We still have enough firepower to make the top 10, but we have to do damage with our remaining athletes," Schmidt added. "Finishing in the top 10 is our goal. We can't let the first day affect the next three days."
Coachman will take to the track for the Bulldogs tomorrow at 6:25 p.m. CT, while the men's 4x400-meter relay competes in the semifinal at 7:55 p.m. CT. The men's 400-meter dash semifinal is Friday at 8:25 p.m. CT with the men's 100-meter dash final following at 8:45 p.m. Lady Bulldog Marrissa Harris will also begin competition in the heptathlon on Friday.
Players Mentioned
