A Track & Field Season For The Books
June 16, 2026 | Track & Field
STARKVILLE – Another track and field season is in the books for Mississippi State.
A three-meet regular season, followed by the SEC Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships, set the foundation for a successful 2026 run for the Bulldogs.
"We are making big sig strides in the right direction, especially on the women's side," said head coach Chris Woods. "The team put in the work from the first day of practice last September and reaped the benefits of their commitment in June."
The Bulldogs made their mark both within the program and on the conference and national stages. There were 12 program records broken, five freshman records and 35 entries on the MSU all-time top-five lists in track and field events between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Roury McCloyen earned the first shot put Indoor All-American nod in program history at the NCAA Championships back in March. After securing Bronze at the SEC Championships, McCloyen earned Second Team honors at nationals to conclude the indoor season.
Across a six-meet regular outdoor season campaign across the SEC and southern region of the country, the Bulldogs worked hard with a clear goal: qualifying for the NCAA East First Round.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships, sophomore Marie Rougetet and senior Sacha Rifflart took home the SEC titles in the hammer and decathlon, respectively. Rougetet was the first hammer champion in program history, and the first title winner for State since 2018.
State sent a group of 23 individuals and three relays to compete in Lexington. Ife Adisa, while just missing the qualification window in the women's 800m, ran the Nigerian National 800m Record, becoming the fastest 800m in history from her home country.
Throughout the qualifying weekend, MSU had 10 individuals and three relays punch their tickets to nationals.
The Bulldogs had trained hard since September with eyes on the NCAA Championships in June. Sixteen athletes traveled to TrackTown USA with a point to prove, set to represent MSU on the largest stage in collegiate track and field.
"This year was another amazing one at state," said Rougetet. "I accomplished almost every goal set for the season and had so much fun representing Mississippi State!"
Rougetet added an NCAA Bronze Medal to her SEC gold in the hammer, the first podium finish in the event in program history. The men's 4x100m relay brought home the first All-American honor since 2009, after a fifth-place finish in the final. Khalil Antoine is the first All-American in the high jump in over a decade for MSU, rounding out the First Team honorees.
After four days of competition, 12 athletes returned to Starkville as All-Americans, half of them being First Team honorees.
"This was the first year since 2019 that both the men's and women's programs scored at the NCAA Championships," said Woods. "The momentum is there as we turn our sights to the 2027 season."
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A three-meet regular season, followed by the SEC Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships, set the foundation for a successful 2026 run for the Bulldogs.
"We are making big sig strides in the right direction, especially on the women's side," said head coach Chris Woods. "The team put in the work from the first day of practice last September and reaped the benefits of their commitment in June."
The Bulldogs made their mark both within the program and on the conference and national stages. There were 12 program records broken, five freshman records and 35 entries on the MSU all-time top-five lists in track and field events between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Roury McCloyen earned the first shot put Indoor All-American nod in program history at the NCAA Championships back in March. After securing Bronze at the SEC Championships, McCloyen earned Second Team honors at nationals to conclude the indoor season.
Across a six-meet regular outdoor season campaign across the SEC and southern region of the country, the Bulldogs worked hard with a clear goal: qualifying for the NCAA East First Round.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships, sophomore Marie Rougetet and senior Sacha Rifflart took home the SEC titles in the hammer and decathlon, respectively. Rougetet was the first hammer champion in program history, and the first title winner for State since 2018.
State sent a group of 23 individuals and three relays to compete in Lexington. Ife Adisa, while just missing the qualification window in the women's 800m, ran the Nigerian National 800m Record, becoming the fastest 800m in history from her home country.
Throughout the qualifying weekend, MSU had 10 individuals and three relays punch their tickets to nationals.
The Bulldogs had trained hard since September with eyes on the NCAA Championships in June. Sixteen athletes traveled to TrackTown USA with a point to prove, set to represent MSU on the largest stage in collegiate track and field.
"This year was another amazing one at state," said Rougetet. "I accomplished almost every goal set for the season and had so much fun representing Mississippi State!"
Rougetet added an NCAA Bronze Medal to her SEC gold in the hammer, the first podium finish in the event in program history. The men's 4x100m relay brought home the first All-American honor since 2009, after a fifth-place finish in the final. Khalil Antoine is the first All-American in the high jump in over a decade for MSU, rounding out the First Team honorees.
After four days of competition, 12 athletes returned to Starkville as All-Americans, half of them being First Team honorees.
"This was the first year since 2019 that both the men's and women's programs scored at the NCAA Championships," said Woods. "The momentum is there as we turn our sights to the 2027 season."
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Players Mentioned
Mid D
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & FieldThursday, May 30
Thursday, May 30
Friday, February 24
Thursday, March 31