Mississippi State
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Inclement Weather Shortens MSU's Day On Track; Bulldogs Shine At Jesse Owens Classic
May 01, 2010 | Track & Field
OXFORD, Miss. - Severe weather may have forced a shortened day at the Mississippi Open Saturday at Ole Miss, but before the heavy rains hit, Mississippi State collected numerous Top 5 finishes and personal-best performances.
"It's unfortunate the weather didn't cooperate, but we went there looking to have a good day and we did," MSU coach Al Schmidt said. "We were ready to perform, and I thought it was a good tune-up for the SECs."
Favian Cowards recorded the highest finish with a personal best throw of 165-02 in the women's hammer to place third.
Also with personal-best outings were Haley Greenwell and Eileen Riley in the women's 5,000-meter run. Greenwell turned in a time of 18:20.62 to finish fourth, while Riley's run of 18:34.11 put her at seventh.
In the women's javelin, Allison Storey came in fifth at 134-11.
"Our girls did really great," Schmidt said. "I think it gave them the momentum they were looking for."
Rounding out the afternoon in Oxford was Nick Perkins'sfifth-place time of 15:43.36 in the men's 5,000-meter run.
BULLDOGS SHINE AT OHIO STATE
As impressive as Mississippi State was at Ole Miss, a select group of thinclads stood out even more at the prestigious Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State University Saturday.
MSU collected three medalist honors, with both the women's and men's 4x400 relays teams coming in first and freshman sensation Tavaris Tate adding to his already impressive resume with a winning time of 45.26 in the 400-meter dash.
"What a day," an elated Schmidt said. "I'm not sure you could have asked them to do much more than they did."
In the men's 4x4, the team of Tate, O'Neal Wilder, Emanuel Mayers and Dwight Mullings set a track record with a time of 3:05.70. The women reached new heights as well as the team of LaQuinta Aaron, Taneisha Baker, Crystal Wilson and Jody-Ann Muir set a school record at 3:37.24.
Muir also finished second in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line at 53.57, while Baker finished 8th at 24.68.
For the men, which are ranked 12th nationally, Mullings finished second in the 100-meter dash at 10:38, while Wilder came in third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.32
"What a great way to cap the regular season," Schmidt said. "This is the type of momentum we needed going into the SECs and on to the NCAAs."
The MSU track teams takes a week off before heading to Knoxville for the SEC Outdoor Championships May 13-16.
