Tate, Phillips Turn In Top 10 Finishes at USA Track & Field Championships
DES MOINES, Iowa - Two weeks after earning All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oregon, Mississippi State freshman Tavaris Tate collected more hardware.
This time, it was at the USA Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium this past weekend, where the Starkville native posted a blistering personal-best time of 44.84 in the 400-meter dash to finish fourth in the senior division. It's the second-fastest time in school history, behind the mark of 44.75 set by Jamel Ashley in 2005.
Tate's previous best of 44.86, an MSU freshman record, came at the Alabama Relays. In Oregon, he ran 45.56 to finish fifth.
On the women's side, freshman Chloe Phillips of Flagstaff, Ariz., turned in a seventh-place finish in the junior division of the 1,500-meter run after crossing the finish line in 4:36.20.
Her personal best this season came at the War Eagle Invitational, where she ran 4:29.41.
"I've said all along we've got some of the fastest athletes in the country, and these times reflect that," MSU coach Al Schmidt said.