Bulldogs Chase National Titles at USATF, Athletics Canada Championships
July 24, 2019 | Track & Field
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
DES MOINES, Iowa/MONTREAL – Mississippi State's track and field program is back in the hunt for national championships this weekend as Bulldogs compete at both the USATF Outdoor Championships and the Athletics Canada Outdoor Championships on July 25-28.
Last year, State's current and former athletes combined for five national championships across NCAA and national governing body competitions in the indoor and outdoor season. The Bulldogs are already on their way again this year after Anderson Peters repeated as the NCAA men's javelin champion.
The U.S. championships will air live on the NBC family of networks. The meet can also be streamed online via NBC Sports Gold with a track and field pass, featuring both track and field event feeds. North of the border, the Canadian championships can be streamed live with a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.
"This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to compete against some of the nation's and world's best athletes," head coach Chris Woods said. "I'm excited to see how they perform under these circumstances."
Marco Arop returns to the Canadian championships a year after he defeated former Bulldog and Canadian outdoor national record holder Brandon McBride for the 800m crown. The 2019 campaign has seen Arop break the Canadian national indoor record and finish as the NCAA runner-up in the event for the second time. The duo also finished first and second at the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto.
Curtis Thompson will also look to defend his 2018 title when he throws the javelin in Des Moines. Former Bulldog Erica Bougard will be the No. 2 seed in the heptathlon a year after winning the U.S. indoor championship in the pentathlon. The duo will be joined by all but one American athlete that MSU sent to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Logan Boss is looking for a return to her school-record form ahead of representing the Red, White and Blue in the high jump at the Pan American Games in August. Boss enters with a mark of 1.83m (6-0.0) this season, but cleared 1.92m (6-3.5) indoors a year ago. She would need to clear 1.94m (6-4.25) in one of her two competitions to be eligible for the 2019 IAAF World Championships.
Three more MSU record holders will also be on display in Des Moines. Triple jumper Tiffany Flynn returns to the U.S. Championships for the first time since 2017 when she finished sixth. Sarah Blake also returns after a year off. She placed 16th in the javelin at the 2017 competition. Stephen Jones will make his first trip to the meet, running the steeplechase to close a breakout season that saw him break the school record in his first year running the event.
Also on the track, Dejon Devroe, a three-time All-American in his two seasons at MSU, and Rasheed Tatham, a four-time All-American, will run the 800m and 400m hurdles, respectively.
For more information on the Mississippi State track and field team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
*participation dependent upon qualification in first rounds
*participation dependent upon qualification in semifinals
*participation dependent upon qualification in semifinals
DES MOINES, Iowa/MONTREAL – Mississippi State's track and field program is back in the hunt for national championships this weekend as Bulldogs compete at both the USATF Outdoor Championships and the Athletics Canada Outdoor Championships on July 25-28.
Last year, State's current and former athletes combined for five national championships across NCAA and national governing body competitions in the indoor and outdoor season. The Bulldogs are already on their way again this year after Anderson Peters repeated as the NCAA men's javelin champion.
The U.S. championships will air live on the NBC family of networks. The meet can also be streamed online via NBC Sports Gold with a track and field pass, featuring both track and field event feeds. North of the border, the Canadian championships can be streamed live with a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.
"This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to compete against some of the nation's and world's best athletes," head coach Chris Woods said. "I'm excited to see how they perform under these circumstances."
Marco Arop returns to the Canadian championships a year after he defeated former Bulldog and Canadian outdoor national record holder Brandon McBride for the 800m crown. The 2019 campaign has seen Arop break the Canadian national indoor record and finish as the NCAA runner-up in the event for the second time. The duo also finished first and second at the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto.
Curtis Thompson will also look to defend his 2018 title when he throws the javelin in Des Moines. Former Bulldog Erica Bougard will be the No. 2 seed in the heptathlon a year after winning the U.S. indoor championship in the pentathlon. The duo will be joined by all but one American athlete that MSU sent to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Logan Boss is looking for a return to her school-record form ahead of representing the Red, White and Blue in the high jump at the Pan American Games in August. Boss enters with a mark of 1.83m (6-0.0) this season, but cleared 1.92m (6-3.5) indoors a year ago. She would need to clear 1.94m (6-4.25) in one of her two competitions to be eligible for the 2019 IAAF World Championships.
Three more MSU record holders will also be on display in Des Moines. Triple jumper Tiffany Flynn returns to the U.S. Championships for the first time since 2017 when she finished sixth. Sarah Blake also returns after a year off. She placed 16th in the javelin at the 2017 competition. Stephen Jones will make his first trip to the meet, running the steeplechase to close a breakout season that saw him break the school record in his first year running the event.
Also on the track, Dejon Devroe, a three-time All-American in his two seasons at MSU, and Rasheed Tatham, a four-time All-American, will run the 800m and 400m hurdles, respectively.
For more information on the Mississippi State track and field team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Meet/Broadcast Schedule (all times CT)
Thursday, July 25
| Time | Event | Athletes | Watch | IAAF Standard |
| 5:57 p.m. | US-M 400m Hurdles (First) | Rasheed Tatham | NBC Sports Gold | 49.30 |
| 6 p.m. | US-W Javelin (Final) | Sarah Blake | NBC Sports Gold | 61.50m |
| 6:30 p.m. | US-W Triple Jump (Final) | Tiffany Flynn | NBC Sports Gold | 14.20m |
| 6:47 p.m. | US-M 800m (First) | Dejon Devroe | NBC Sports Gold | 1:45.80 |
| 8:21 p.m. | US-M Steeplechase (First) | Stephen Jones | NBC Sports Gold | 8:29.00 |
Friday, July 26
| Time | Event | Athletes | Watch | IAAF Standard |
| 6:30 p.m. | AC-M 800m (Semis) | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
RunnerSpace.com | 1:45.80 |
| 6:32 p.m. | US-M 800m* (Semis) | Dejon Devroe | NBCSN | 1:45.80 |
| 7:28 p.m. | US-M 400m Hurdles* (Semis) | Rasheed Tatham | NBCSN | 49.30 |
Saturday, July 27
| Time | Event | Athletes | Watch | IAAF Standard |
| 11:30 a.m. | US-Heptathlon 100m Hurdles | Erica Bougard | N/A | 6,300 pts |
| 12:20 p.m. | US-Heptathlon High Jump | Erica Bougard | N/A | 6,300 pts |
| 2:15 p.m. | US-Heptathlon Shot Put | Erica Bougard | NBC Sports Gold | 6,300 pts |
| 2:20 p.m. | US-M Javelin (Final) | Curtis Thompson | NBC Sports Gold | 83.00m |
| 2:40 p.m. | US-W High Jump (Final) | Logan Boss | NBC Sports Gold | 1.94m |
| 3:19 p.m. | US-Heptathlon 200m | Erica Bougard | NBC Sports Gold | 6,300 pts |
| 3:54 p.m. | US-M Steeplechase* (Final) | Stephen Jones | NBC | 8:29.00 |
| 4:25 p.m. | US-M 400m Hurdles* (Final) | Rasheed Tatham | NBC | 49.30 |
| 6:20 p.m. | AC-M 800m* (Final) | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
RunnerSpace.com | 1:45.80 |
Sunday, July 28
| Time | Event | Athletes | Watch | IAAF Standard |
| 2:30 p.m. | US-Heptathlon Long Jump | Erica Bougard | N/A | 6,300 pts |
| 4:05 p.m. | US-Heptathlon Javelin | Erica Bougard | NBC Sports Gold | 6,300 pts |
| 5:42 p.m. | US-Heptathlon 800m | Erica Bougard | NBC Sports Gold | 6,300 pts |
| 6:02 p.m. | US-M 800m* (Final) | Dejon Devroe | NBCSN | 1:45.80 |
Players Mentioned
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