MSU Track And Field Athletes Headed To NCAA Championships
? MSU quotes from pre-NCAA press conference (6/4/08)
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? A total of nine Mississippi State track and field athletes have been selected to compete in the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning June 11 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
To automatically qualify for the event, an individual must finish in the top five of their event at the regional meet, while the top three relay squads advance. Following the placement of declared automatic qualifiers, all other eligible athletes are placed into a pool from which additional competitors are selected as at-large bids.
MSU had a total of six automatic qualifiers from the Mideast Regional meet held last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark. Seniors Jamil Hubbard and Golden Coachman came away with individual event titles in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter runs, respectively. Freshman O’Neal Wilder, freshman Emmanuel Mayers, senior Chris Woods and Hubbard won the 4x400-meter relay in 3 minutes, 5.62 seconds.
Hubbard followed his SEC championship in the 400-meter dash by winning the regional title in 45.72. Wilder placed second in 46.20. Coachman edged Elkana Kosgei from LSU to win the meet title in 1:48.07. Woods took fourth in 1:48.54.
The men’s 4x100-meter relay team finished seventh at the regional meet but posted a season-best time of 39.42 at the SEC Championships. The time earned the squad an at-large bid. Kendall May took seventh in the 100-meter dash in a personal-best 10.24. His time also earned him an at-large bid to the championships.
Mayers stepped in to take the place of John Bailey at the regional meet and, along with Kyle Roberts, will be an alternate for the relay teams at the national meet. Bailey will attend the national meet and is expected to run his respective relay.
Marrissa Harris will compete in the heptathlon after posting a school-record and automatic qualifying 5,600 points at the SEC meet to win the league title.
Action for MState begins Wednesday, June 11 at 4:45 p.m. CT with the men’s 4x100-meter relay semifinals.