STARKVILLE, Miss. – After finishing fourth in the inaugural SEC Relays with 84 team points, MSU's men catapulted all the way to No. 22 in this week's USTFCCCA team rankings.
This is the first appearance in the top 25 for the Bulldog men since ending last season with a program-best 9th place finish.
The Bulldogs were boosted by the stellar performance of Lawrence Crawford, who posted the second best 100m dash time in the nation this season at 9.97 seconds.
MSU's shuttle relay group, which captured one of five Bulldog victories at the SEC Relays, owns the third best time nationally at 57.43. That squad consisted of Willie Reed, Herbert Wise, JaQuarius Wilson and Ro'Derick Spears
Stephan James also owns a top-50 national time, after he posted a 400m dash mark of 46.07 at the Florida Relays early last month. Sophomore Rasheed Tatham also grabbed a top 50 time at the Florida Relays, running 51.41 in the 400m hurdle. He currently stands 38th nationally. Senior Willie Reed has the 15th best long jump in the country, measuring 7.76m.
The Bulldogs also have the top javelin duo in the nation, with Nicolas Quijera and Curtis Thompson each ranking fifth and sixth nationally. Quijera won the inaugural SEC Relays javelin competition with a mark of 73.36m
Quijera owns the fifth best javelin mark in the NCAA
The men own top 20 times in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400m relays, as well as the 22nd best mark in the sprint medley relay.
"It is great to see the men back in the top 25," MSU coach Steve Dudley said. "We are at the point of the season where our focus has to be on what is in front of us. We have a tremendous opportunity because of the league we compete in, and we are excited for the challenge that that gives us."
MSU will have the weekend off while they prepare for SEC Championships in Columbia, S.C. May 11-13.
For more information on the MSU track and field team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
Week 5 – Top 25
Texas A&M
Florida
Texas Tech
Georgia
Alabama
LSU
Arkansas
USC
Texas
Virginia
Colorado State
Oregon
Ole Miss
Baylor
Nebraska
Kansas
Penn State
UCLA
South Carolina
Auburn
Kentucky
Mississippi State
Tennessee
Oklahoma State
Houston
MSU Marks in the top 50 nationally Lawrence Crawford – 100m Dash – 2nd
Shuttle Hurdle Relay – 3rd Nicolas Quijera – Javelin – 5th Curtis Thompson – Javelin – 6th
4x200m Relay – 12th
4x400m Relay – 12th Willie-Lionel Reed – Long Jump – 15th
4x100m Relay – 18th
Sprint Medley Relay – 22nd
Distance Medley Relay – 30th Stephan James – 400m Dash – 30th Rasheed Tatham – 400mH – 38th
