Bulldogs Complete Opening Day of SEC Indoor Championships

Bulldogs Complete Opening Day of SEC Indoor Championships

February 24, 2024 | Track & Field

By: Christina Shadid, Communications Fellow

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Mississippi State track and field team closed out the first day of post season competition with 21 new personal records, three all-time top five Bulldog performances and two spots in the finals, at the SEC Indoor Championships on Friday. Rosealee Cooper and Tyrese Reid each earned a spot in their final events on Saturday.

Cooper will return to the finals of the 60m hurdles for the fourth consecutive year after finishing sixth in the prelims with a time of 8.21. Cooper's season best time of 8.13 currently ranks 12^th on the NCAA Championships qualifying list. In 2023 she placed sixth at the SEC Championships, a post season career best finish improving from two seventh place finishes in 2022 and 2021.

Reid qualified for the finals by winning his heat and finishing eighth overall in the preliminary round. Reid, who earned his name in the all-time top five performance list at State earlier this year, is making his third trip to the SEC Indoor Championships finals. In 2023, he placed seventh in the 800m and in 2022 placed eighth in the distance medley relay.

Also highlighting the Bulldogs' success are multis senior Kennedy Jackson and sophomore Lewis Barber. Jackson earned a personal record in the pentathlon with 3844 points and achieved a new personal best in four out of the five pentathlon events. Barber completed the first day of heptathlon with three consecutive personal records.

Thrower Tafada Wright moved up from third to fourth on the weight throw all-time top five performance list with a personal record distance of 18.97m (62' 3"). Wright improved her first throw by nearly eight feet and beat her personal record by over two feet.

The Bulldogs will continue Saturday, Feb. 24, with the men's heptathlon: 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m at noon, followed by field event at 1:30 p.m. CT and running events at 4 p.m. CT. Reid's 800m final is set to start at 5:15 p.m. CT, while Cooper's 60m hurdles final is set to begin at 5:22 p.m. CT.

Live Stream
The SEC Indoor Championships will be streamed Saturday on SEC Network+, with two streams. Saturday's first stream will start at 2 p.m. CT with the final stream beginning at 4 p.m. CT.
Saturday Video – 2 p.m. CT
Saturday Video – 4 p.m. CT

Qualifying for Championships
February 25 is the last date a qualifying performance may be achieved, except for conference championships. February 26 will mark the last date a qualifying performance may be achieved from conference championships. The final list of NCAA participants will be available on February 27. On March 6, the final championships start lists will be posted on the NCAA website. The top 16 marks in each event will qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston.

SEC Indoor Championships – February 23-24
Meet Schedule | Live Results | Event Website 

Friday, Feb. 23
Results

Throwing Events

Event	Place	Bulldogs / Notes
Weighted Throw (W) – Finals	9^th 14^th	Tafada Wright – 18.97m (62' 3") / Ranked 3^rd in all-time top five performances at State Megan Womack – 16.30m (53' 5.75") / PR
Weighted Throw (M) – Finals	16^th	Roury McCloyen – 17.06m (55' 11.75")

Field Events

Event	Place	Bulldogs / Notes
Pole Vault (M) – Final	16^th	Aaron Fortenberry – 4.95m (16' 2.75") / PR … ranked 4^th in all-time top five performances at State
Long Jump (W) – Finals	12^th	Kennedy Jackson – 5.92m (19' 5.25") / SB
Long Jump (M) – Finals	9^th 11^th	Kennedy Stringfellow – 7.57m (24' 10") / tied PR Jordan Barrow – 6.92m (22' 8.5") / PR

Running Events

Event	Place	Bulldogs / Notes
Mile (W) – Prelims	12th	Hayley Ogle – 4:47.76/ PR
60m (W) – Prelims	26^th	Kyndall Sessom – 7.48 / PR … tied for 5^th in all-time top five performances at State
60m (M) – Prelims	21^st 22^nd 25^th 29^th	Jordan Ware – 6.79 Danarrion Ard – 6.80 Jordan Barrow – 6.85 / PR Mike Wright – 7.14
400m (W) – Prelims	25^th 28^th 31^st	Kethlin Campbell – 54.93 / SB Michaela McCall – 55.32 Chanice Spicer – 56.32
400m (M) – Prelims	18^th 32^nd 29^th	Sema'J Daniels – 46.95 / PR Keldrick Turner – 47.67 Christion Barker – 47.86
800m (W) – Prelims	15^th 23^rd	Mallory Streetman – 2:09.30 Anje Nel – 2:14.51
800m (M) – Prelims	7th 8^th 11^th DNS	Daniel Joyce – 1:50.04 Tyrese Reid – 1:50.30Q / Qualified for Finals Omari Hammond – 1:51.67 / PR Sam Navarro
60m Hurdles (W) – Prelims	6^th 18^th	Rosealee Cooper – 8.21Q / Qualified for Finals Jessicka Woods – 8.43/ PR
5,000m (W) – Finals	17^th	Madison Jones – 17:06.36 / PR
200m (W) – Prelims	24^th	Jaitlyn Ware – 24.00
200m (M) – Prelims	12^th 18^th DQ	Jordan Ware – 21.02 Mike Wright – 22.18 // PR Sema'J Daniels
Distance Medley Relay (W) – Finals	9^th	A: M. Mcall, H. Ogle, A. Nel, M. Streetman – 11:29.91
Distance Medley Relay (M) – Finals	DNS	A: D. Joyce, T. Reid, S. Navarro, S. Daniels

Men's Heptathlon

Event	Place	Bulldog/Notes
60m	8^th 9^th DNF	Lewis Barber – 7.24 / PR … 799 points earned. Sam Fisher – 7.30 / 779 points earned Peyton Bair
Long Jump	2^nd 10^th DNS	Lewis Barber – 7.14m (23' 5.25") / PR … 847 points earned Sam Fisher - 6.40m (21') / PR … 675 points earned Peyton Bair
Shot Put	8^th 11^th DNS	Sam Fisher – 12.58m (41' 3.25") / 642 points earned Lewis Barber – 11.64m (38' 2.25") / PR … 585 points earned / 3^rd consecutive PR in the hept events today. Peyton Bair
High Jump	7^th 10^th DNS	Lewis Barber – 1.83 (6') / SB … 653 points earned Sam Fisher – 1.80m (5' 10.75") / 627 points earned Peyton Bair
Day 1 Standings	9^th 10^th DNF	Lewis Barber / 2884 points earned Sam Fisher / 2723 points earned Peyton Bair

Women's Pentathlon

Event	Place	Bulldogs / Notes
60m Hurdles	3^rd	Kennedy Jackson – 8.57/ PR … 1002 points earned
High Jump	5^th	Kennedy Jackson – 1.65m (5' 5") / PR … 795 points earned
Shot Put	8^th	Kennedy Jackson – 10.57m (34' 8.25") / PR … 567 points earned … 3^rd consecutive PR in Pent events today.
Long Jump	5^th	Kennedy Jackson – 5.70m (18' 8.5") / … 759 points earned
800m	7^th	Kennedy Jackson – 2:27.81 / PR ... 715 points earned
Final	6^th	Kennedy Jackson – 3844 points earned / Personal Best