Mississippi State
NCAA Championships (O)
Harris Garners All-American Honors After Placing 4th In High Jump
June 10, 2011 | Track & Field
Despite more weather issues that led to additional delays at Drake Stadium, freshman James Harris looked like a seasoned veteran in the high jump, as the Lanett, Ala., native finished fourth overall with a jump of 7-2 ½ to earn All-American accolades.
But he wasn't alone in his celebration, as fellow freshman Marcus Jackson of Carrollton, Miss., jumped 6-10 ¾ to finish 16th en route to garnering second-team All-American honors. Kansas State's Erik Kynard won at 7-6.
"James did a really good job stepping up," said an elated Steve Dudley, who is in his first season as head coach. "He's got so much confidence in himself and everybody in the world that nothing bothers him. He's out there jumping and when he's done, he's cheering for everyone to do well, because that is what motivates him. He's an unbelievable kid. You never have to worry about him not giving everything he's got. He's just a workhorse for us."
The Bulldogs' celebration actually began earlier in the day when the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Harris, O'Neal Wilder, Daundre Barnaby and Tavaris Tate posted the fasted time in the prelims at 3:03.39. MSU entered the final leg in second place in its heat behind Florida, but Tate rallied and overtook the lead before the third turn, while holding off Baylor down the stretch.
The event was originally scheduled for Thursday night, but heavy rains forced this event to be postponed until Friday morning. Saturday's highly-anticipated 4x400 finals are slated for a 1:50 p.m. start, and it will be televised nationally on CBS.
"Obviously, four weeks ago at the Penn Relays we didn't make the finals and everybody thought the guys were down and out," Dudley said. "But we are starting to catch fire when we are supposed to catch fire. These guys don't want to go home unhappy. They've had a lot of adverse things happened, but they've made adjustments and stayed focused. And teams that can stay the most focused during adverse times and make adjustments under pressure will do well. And that's what we showed.
