Women?s Track & Field Ranked No. 11 In Preseason Rankings
March 23, 2016 | Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the 2016 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Outdoor preseason rankings, the Mississippi State women's team landed at No. 11.
“We have a strong women's team that I think will do great things,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “We saw a historical season for the women's team last season, and we expect even bigger things this year.”
Last season, MSU had a program high finish at the outdoor NCAA Championships after scoring 15 points to place 18th.
The women's team returns 19 individuals from last year's roster, seven of which participated in the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rhianwedd Price, the 2015 NCAA champion in the 1500m run, returns for her junior season with the Bulldogs.
Seven time first-team All-American Erica Bougard laces up for her final season with the Bulldogs. After being crowned the 2015 SEC champion in the heptathlon, the Byhalia, Miss., native finished fourth in the event at nationals.
Another key returner for the Maroon and White is Marta Freitas, who also participated in the 1500m run last season at the NCAA Championships. Most recently, Freitas was crowned the 2016 SEC Indoor Track & Field champion in the mile run.
Making her second-straight NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance last year, senior Cornelia Griesche is another leader for the Bulldogs. Griesche holds the MSU record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:58.06.
Ste'yce McNeil, Shayla Luckett and Kimari Martin all return for their season with MSU. All three were part of the 4x400m relay team that finished 11th at the NCAA Championships last season.
After capturing the freshman record in the high jump last season, Logan Boss looks to improve her personal-best of 5-08.75. Tiffany Flynn etched her name in the record book during her freshman campaign after a leap of 41-04.25 in the triple jump, the fourth-best in program history. Both Boss and Flynn participated in the NCAA East Preliminaries, falling just short of qualifying for nationals.
Newcomers to the squad include distance runners Shannon Fair and Antonia Hehr, who both made their outdoor debut last weekend at the Alabama Relays. During the indoor season Hehr captured the freshman record in the 3000m run with a time of 9:40.50.
Also looking to make an impact are freshmen Alon Lewis and Zaria Tillman, both of whom showcased their talents at the SEC Indoor Championships. Tillman took on the pentathlon and the 60m hurdles, while Lewis competed in the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay.
So far this season the women's team has competed at the Alabama Relays, where Bougard brought home first place in the high jump, as did the women's distance medley relay, comprised of Marta Freitas, Kaelin Kersh, Ffion Price and Antonia Hehr.
The SEC leads the nation with eight teams ranked in the Top 25. In the No. 1 spot is SEC foe LSU.
Up next for the women's team is the Florida State Relays on March 25-26.
For more information on the MSU track and field teams visit HailState.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@HailStateTF).
Women's Track & Field Top 25
1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Arkansas
4. Southern California
5. Texas A&M
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. Kansas State
9. Kentucky
10. Florida
11. Mississippi State
12. Oklahoma
13. Stanford
14. Florida State
15. Notre Dame
16. Ohio State
17. New Mexico
18. Virginia Tech
19. Baylor
20. Michigan State
21. Miami (Fla.)
22. Michigan
23. Alabama
24. Oklahoma State
25. Wisconsin
