State Scores Two in Steeplechase, Men in Third

Friday, May 10

Fayetteville, Ark.

All Day

Mississippi State

SEC Championships (O)

State Scores Two in Steeplechase, Men in Third

May 10, 2019 | Track & Field

Day 2 Results (PDF)Day 2 Photo Gallery

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A strong push over the final hurdle propelled Mississippi State's Stephen Jones to a runner-up finish in the 3000m steeplechase at the SEC Championships on Friday night.

Jones ran down Kentucky's Matthew Thomas to take the silver medal by 0.16 seconds, crossing the line in 8:53.32. That was just 0.09 seconds shy of his personal best. He added eight points to the Bulldogs' total.

Sylvia Russell capped the evening with a fifth-place finish in the final race of the night. Russell scored four points in the 3000m steeplechase, running an MSU-career-best 10:26.27 to rank fifth in school history.

"We finished day two on such a high note, with the steeplechases and the way Steve and Sylvia performed," interim head coach Chris Woods said. "It's important to carry that momentum into Saturday."

MSU collected five points in the heptathlon with Zaria Tillman and Asia Poe finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Tillman posted a personal-best 5,209 points, improving her No. 5 mark in school history. Poe recorded highest total by a Bulldog freshman since Erica Bougard set the MSU freshman record in 2012.

"We put together just about the two best days that we could put together," Woods continued. "Now we must finish the weekend on a strong note. We've put ourselves in position to hit our team goals. Tomorrow, we must take advantage of that position that we worked hard to gain and exceed our team goals."

State advanced one athlete to tomorrow's 100m finals on the men's side. Lester Miller placed seventh with a run of 10.36. Mia Meydrich nearly qualified for the womens' 1500m final but came 0.46 seconds shy, running 4:26.93.

With eight events scored through two days of competition, the Bulldog men are tied with Arkansas for third with 32 points. State's women are tenth with 14 points.

For more information on the Mississippi State track and field team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Women's Results

100m (Prelims): Kiara Parker, Arkansas, 11.24
MSU: 28. Faith Gilbert, 12.03

400m (Prelims): Chloe Abbott, Kentucky, 51.80 (Q)
MSU: 30. Shayla Felder, 57.40

1500m (Prelims): Lauren Gregory, Arkansas, 4:18.79 (Q)
MSU: 10. Mia Meydrich, 4:26.93

3000m Steeplechase: Devin Clark, Arkansas, 9:55.86
MSU: 5. Sylvia Russell, 10:26.27

Pole Vault: Kristen Denk, Vanderbilt, 4.36m (14-3.5)
MSU: T14. Peyton Mickelson, 3.86m (12-8.0); Emma Hunt, NH

Shot Put: Portious Warren, Alabama, 17.36m (56-11.5)
MSU: 12. Alicia Viveros, 14.82m (48-7.5)

Heptathlon: Amanda Froeynes, Florida, 5,801 pts
MSU: 6. Zaria Tillman, 5,209 pts; 7. Asia Poe, 5,104 pts

Heptathlon 800m: Amanda Froeynes, Florida, 2:11.97 (936 pts)
MSU: 5. Asia Poe, 2:24.34 (766 pts); 6. Zaria Tillman, 2:25.08 (756 pts)

Heptathlon Long Jump: Tyra Gittens, Texas A&M, 6.26m^w (20-6.5, 930 pts)
MSU: 2. Asia Poe, 6.13m (20-1.5, 890 pts); 9. Zaria Tillman, 5.49m^w (18-0.25, 697 pts)

Heptathlon Javelin: Amanda Froeynes, Florida, 43.13m (141-6, 727 pts)
MSU: 5. Zaria Tillman, 32.55m (106-9, 525 pts); 10. Asia Poe, 22.93m (75-2, 344 pts)

Men's Results

100m (Prelims): Hakim Sani Brown, Florida, 10.10 (Q)
MSU: 7. Lester Miller, 10.36 (q); 15. Karson Kowalchuk, 10.51; 23. Lawrence Crawford, 10.67; 26. Okheme Moore, 10.79

400m (Prelims): Quincy Hall, South Carolina, 45.40 (Q)
MSU: 20. Brian Evans, 47.69

1500m (Prelims): Derek Gutierrez, Ole Miss, 3:45.29 (Q)
MSU: 19. Giacomo DeLuca, 3:55.93; 24. Quintin Reiser, 3:59.27

3000m Steeplechase: Alex Crigger, Tennessee, 8:47.85
MSU: 2. Stephen Jones, 8:53.32; 16. Caden Foos, 9:32.31; 18. Lake Spradling, 9:40.82; 19. Eryk Yunk, 9:45.10

High Jump: JuVaughn Harrison, LSU, 2.24m (7-4.25)
MSU: 10. Reggie Miller, 2.12m (6-11.5)

Long Jump: Ja'Mari Ward, Missouri, 8.10m (26-7.0)
MSU: 19. Gralyn Jones, 6.97m (22-10.5)