MSU Track & Field Blog - 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships
Welcome to our Track & Field Blog as Mississippi State competes in the 2010 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon!
Periodic updates will be posted below by Bulldog track & field media relations director Gregg Ellis.
Day 1
Tuesday, June 8
(5:00 a.m.) - OK. Here we are. It's nearly 5 a.m., and I'm sitting in the Memphis airport waiting for my flight to Portland (thru Minneapolis) for the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships that will be held at the University of Oregon in Eugene, beginning Wednesday and concluding on Saturday. And as I wait to board my flight, numerous things are going through my mind.
1. It's really, really early and I'm really, really tired (left Tupelo at 2:30).
2. Coffee is way underrated.
3. Mississippi State's track team is really, really good.
4. Why isn't the Starbucks across from my gate open? Seriously.
5. Freshman Tavaris Tate is really fast. So is Dwight Mullings, O'Neal Wilder, Kendall May, Justin Christian and Emanuel Mayers.
6. Can the Bulldogs win some individual titles?
7. Will anyone read this blog?
8. Is it going to rain in Oregon? OK. We know it will. Just how much will be the question.
9. Wendy Copeland and LaQuinta Aaron have meant so much to the Lady Bulldogs during their four years wearing Maroon & White. It would be nice to see them go out on a high note and return to Starkville with some well-deserved hardware.
10. Freshman Jody-Ann Muir is going to be fun to watch. She's pretty fast too.
11. How many future Olympians are on this team?
12. There's a lot of 18-wheelers on Highway 78 from Tupelo to Memphis.
13. The MSU coaching staff (Al Schmidt and assistants Steve Dudley, Bryan Fetzer, Houston Franks and April Thomas) deserves a ton of credit for getting this team in position to possibly score the most points in school history.
There. That's my Baker's Dozen. I hope you enjoy this new feature (many thanks to guru John Cade for setting this up) and will check throughout the next five days for updates and inside info.
Day 2
Wednesday, June 9
(9:00 a.m.) - It is June, right? While the calendar says it is, the weather here in Eugene begs to differ. Mid-50s, breezy and rainy. But don't fret. Assistant coach Steve Dudley told me last night that all spring he's been preparing for this type of weather by watering down the track. So hopefully, that foresight will pay off.
Well, today it all starts, and the support from the locals is unreal and visible everywhere. The folks here love their track, and tickets have all but sold out. And last night, we were treated to a fabulous reception at a winery south of here. Unreal food and an absolutely gorgeous place (King Estate Winery). No way I could accurately describe the scenery or do it justice. I should have taken a camera.
Anyway, while there, I met Gary Wilson, the man responsible for the construction of our new track surface, which should be completed in a couple of months. He informed me it's the top of the line and will even be better than what Oregon has. The Ducks' facility has just eight lanes. We'll have nine.
I know our coaches are excited about it, and they are very appreciative our administration is making this happen.
But, it's about the present. And the present is the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Senior LaQuinta Aaron starts it all off for us at 3 p.m. CT with the heptathlon (100m hurdles). The heptathlon schedule for today also features the long jump, shot put and 200 meters.
Then at 6 p.m., we start with the semifinals of the men's 4x100, followed by the women 15 minutes later.
Here's the rest of the schedule featuring MSU athletes:
7 p.m. Men's 400m - Tavaris Tate, Dwight Mullings, O'Neal Wilder
7:15 p.m. Women's 400m - Jody-Ann Muir, Crystal Wilson
7:45 p.m. Men's 100m - Kendall May
8:45 p.m. Men's 400m hurdles - Emanuel Mayers
(1:00 p.m.) - Just got back from a late breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes. All I can say is wow!! Will be going back. And now, I'm at historic Hayward Field for the start of the championships. Strangely enough, they have me set up in a tent behind the grandstands, where I can't see a thing. I didn't travel this far to miss out on live action, so, my task now is to navigate my way toward an appropriate place to see all the action unfold.
(1:15 p.m.) MSU is already off to a great start, as LaQuinta Aaron opened the heptathlon by winning her heat in the the 100m hurdles with a time of 13:67, her second-fastest time of the year. And lemme say, the wind is blowing mighty strong. Overall after one event, the senior from Tuscaloosa is second with 1,026 points, behind Oregon's Brianne Theisen at 1,066 points. UP next in the heptathlon is the high jump.
(1:45 p.m.) The good news is, I have now a seat in the press box with a view of everything, track and mountains included. Bad news is, there's two sets of 9,000 steps to get up here. More bad news is that I'm extremely out of shape. But the good news is, I'll be in great shape by the time I leave Sunday morning.
(4:25 p.m.) Disaster just struck MSU's heralded 4x100 team as a pulled hamstring slowed Kendall May on the backstretch. As a result, MSU won't advance to the finals after being clocked at 42.24 to finish 21st. Tough setback, and remember, the Bulldogs won this event at the SECs and came to Oregon ranked No. 5 nationally in this event. The injury also knocked May out of the 100m dash. Obviously, not the start the men were hoping for. Also, LaQuinta Aaron had a leap of 5-00.5 (matching her season-best) in the high jump and now stands tied for 19th in the heptathlon with 1,692 points. Note, she's 21 points ahead of where she was at this juncture at the SECs. Alabama's Chelsea Taylor is now first with 2,074 points.
(6:15 p.m.) The talented freshmen 400m dashers of Tavaris Tate and Jody-Ann Muir moved on to Friday night's finals after qualifying with times of 45.74 and 53.04, respectively, despite heavy rains that soaked the track surface. Unfortunately, they are the only two, as Dwight Mullings and O'Neal Wilder barely missed out on the men's side, along with Crystal Wilson on the women's front. In addition, LaQuinta Aaron climbed to a tie for 14th in the heptathlon after running 25.0 in the 200m and throwing 3-00.25 in the shot put. All that's left for MSU today is the 400m hurdles, which features Emanuel Mayers.
On the track now is the competitors for the 3,000-meter steeplechase. You have to wonder how in the world this event came about. It's painful just watching.
(8:55 p.m.) Mississippi State ended an up-and-down on a very high note with junior Emanuel Mayers qualifying for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.36, the sixth fastest of the day. It was good leaving Hayward Field with a positive feeling. It was also interesting talking with Coach Schmidt afterward. The 4x100 setback really had him down. I almost compare it to how Rick Stansbury was following the loss to Kentucky in the finals of the SEC Tournament. But at least for Schmidt there's another day. And that's tomorrow with the men's and women's 4x400 meter relays. Also, LaQuinta Aaron wraps up the heptathlon with her final three events.
Well, this concludes a long day at the track. Tomorrow morning, I'll have a "Look Back" as well as give a preview. Hope you enjoyed the day and that this blog is what you thought it would be.
Day 3
Thursday, June 10
(1 p.m.) - Looking out my hotel window, I actually see sunshine, something that's been very scarce this week in Eugene. But I know not to get too excited, because more rain is headed this way, along with temperatures in the upper 50s, lower 60s. Again I ask, it is June or February?
Oh well, enough of the weather. Let's talk track.
First off, I completely understand why Eugene is referred to as Track Town, USA. This place loves their track & field. MSU assistant coach Bryan Fetzer, who used to be at Cal and knows this place as well as anyone, explain a couple of weeks ago just how crazy the fans are here. I tried to grasp that during those conversations, but you can't truly understand the passion until you get here. And that undeniable passion featured nearly 10,000 fans in attendance Wednesday. Even more are expected the remainder of the week.
Here's just a little sampling of what you get . . .
The fans cheer for everyone. Not just the Oregon athletes. And if you win an event, you are expected to do a victory lap at historic Hayward Field. Everyone. Sprinters, as well as the long jumpers, discus folks and shot putters - you get the point. And if you don't provide that said victory lap, you get booed. Seriously.
Also, there are basically three teams in the hunt for the overall men's title - Oregon, Texas A&M and Florida. In the triple jump yesterday, the guy from Florida was impressive. He won the event and set a few records along the way. Now, you might think the Oregon fans would not have been so happy, because that would have meant Florida getting points to help their cause. However, that wasn't the case. The fans like to see records broken, as well as outstanding performances, and when that happens they show their appreciation with applause. Even the Florida kid said he was shocked to get that type of reception. But, that's how it is here, and you have to appreciate that type of passion.
As for Mississippi State, yesterday was up and down. It started out strong with LaQuinta Aaron in the heptathlon and ended on a high note with Emanuel Mayers qualifying for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. In the middle, MSU freshmen Tavaris Tate and Jody-Ann Muir put on a show in the 400-meter dash en route to advancing to Friday's finals.
However, there's a "but" and that "but" is the 4x100 meter relay team, which came here with high, high expectations after winning the SEC crown and doing excellent at the regionals two weeks ago in Greensboro to earn its No. 5 national ranking.
BUT, injury struck Kendall May on the backstretch in the form of a hamstring pull with the Bulldogs in the lead, and the end result was this talented foursome not advancing. I felt the disappointment in the press box and found myself stunned and speechless, which trust me is a rarity. But as bad as I felt, it paled in comparison as to what the players and coaching staff were experiencing.
Talking with long-time coach Al Schmidt afterwards, it was very evident he was disappointed. His facial expressions and demeanor said it all. He really hurt for Kendall and talked about how fortunate the team had been all year when it comes to injuries, only to see the luck change on the sport's biggest stage.
We talked about Texas losing Colt McCoy in the BCS title game and how he's feeling the same way. But he also said you have to move on and not let it affect your entire weekend. Hard to do, I'm sure.
But then we started talking about today, and the smile on his face returned. After all, it's 4x400 day, and the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs have been so strong in this event all year. Hopefully, the injuries have come and gone and this will be the day everyone expected. I certainly hope so, because I don't think this staff, which has put in so much for this season, can bare another setback like the one that happened yesterday in the 4x100. Trust me when I say they really took it hard.
As for today, Mississippi State will be featured in just three events - the two 4x400 relays and LaQuinta Aaron wrapping up the heptathlon in what will hopefully result in her scoring some points. She's currently tied for 14th and gets underway today at 3:45 CT with the long jump, followed by the javelin at 5 p.m. and concluding with the 800m run at 7:15 p.m. The men's 4x400 team of O'Neal Wilder, Dwight Mullings, Emanuel Mayers and Tavaris Tate will compete at 8:45 p.m., followed by the women foursome of Crystal Wilson, Jody-Ann Muir, Keisha Wallace and Taneisha Baker at 9:05 p.m.
(6:20 p.m.) - Oh, what a difference a day makes. After departing Oregon's Hayward Field less that satisfied on Wednesday, the MSU track team is all smiles after LaQuinta Aaron finished 7th overall in the heptathlon to earn the Lady Bulldogs 2 points. The senior from Tuscaloosa entered the day in 14th place, but after solid performances in the long jump, javelin and 800-meter run, she climbed all the way to No. 7 en route to earning All-American honors.
"This is what I came here to do," said Aaron, smiling and clutching her trophy as if to never let go it. "It's a great feeling."
It was good to see Al Schmidt smiling too. The injury to Kendall May in the 4x100 really got to him yesterday, and he was still talking about it today. But after Aaron placed, he was just as happy as she was.
(7:20 p.m.) - The good fortunes continued for MSU, as the Bulldogs advance to Saturday's finals of the 4x400 after winning their heat with a time of 3:04.70, the third-fastest time overall behind Florida and Southern California. Just how dominant was the MSU team of O'Neal Wilder, Dwight Mullings, Emanuel Mayers and Tavaris Tate in its heat? Very much so as they won by nearly two seconds. The record is likely to be broken on Saturday. The favorites are Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Southern Cal. Can't wait. Oh, and it'll be live on CBS at 1:50 p.m. Don't miss it. Better yet, don't blink.
Day 4
Friday, June 11
(8:30 a.m.) - Today is light day for Mississippi State in terms of events. But it's huge in terms of quality.
On the slate today for MSU is Emanuel Mayers in the 400m hurdles (7:05 p.m. CT), Tavaris Tate in the 400m (8:25 p.m.) and Jody-Ann Muir in the 400m (8:32 p.m.). All are finals with points and All-American status on the line.
So yes, huge day.
But since there is nothing for MSU until later tonight, I'm going to take advantage to get out and see a few things. I'm not sure what I'll do. I guess I'll just get into the car, drive around and if something floats my boat, I'll check it out.
And of course, I'll keep my ear close to the World Cup. I did get up early for the opening ceremonies, and I'm watching South Africa-Mexico now. I've discovered the World Cup is a lot like the Masters, in that people who don't normally follow these respective sports will watch these events.
And don't forget, tonight's Track & Field events can be seen live on CBS College Sports. If you have Direct TV, you can get this. Not sure the channel though. If anyone knows, please let me know.
(4:25 p.m.) - After a nice a peaceful trip to the Oregon Coastline for a feel of the Pacific ocean, unreal scenery and some active sea lions, it's back to the track for Day 3. We're less than an hour away from the start of 400H, and a couple of hours away from the 400m. These races are the buzz around the facilities at Hayward Field, where 11,000-plus are expected.
Oh, and let me add - there's SUNSHINE. Yep. Beautiful day. Still in upper 50s, but at least it's dry. Hopefully, that will remain the case throughout the day.
(8 p.m.) - Most of the record crowd of 11,972 have left historic Hayward Field following Day 3 of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. All that's left are myself, a few other SIDs, officials and maybe 100 writers and photographers.
Not here are 20 folks that have had a great day - the MSU track athletes and coaches.
Today, MSU crowned three All-Americans - Emanuel Mayers, Tavaris Tate and Jody-Ann Muir. All will be back next year.
Promising, to say the least.
However, their job this year isn't done. Tomorrow is a big day, and all can be seen live on CBS. I encourge you to watch them, because they are special in their own right, and it's not every day MSU produces All-Americans at this rate in any sport. They are to be commended.
Plus, the men still have a shot at finishing in the Top 15. Yes. They are 27th now. But they are only three points from being in the Top 15. And that's why tomorrow is huge. With a Top 3 finish in the 4x400, they might have enough points to make that move.
We'll keep our fingers crossed. Oh, and if you are watching, don't blink. If the wind dies down, you just might see some records set in the 4x400.
Day 5
Saturday, June 12
(9:30 a.m.) - Good morning from Hayward Field, where it' a cool, crisp morning with a few clouds hovering in the vicinity. And fortunately, little to no wind.
Well, this is it. The big day. Team champions will be crowned in the next three hours and while Mississippi State isn't in the mix, there is still a chance for some individual medals.
Starting shortly, Tupelo native Wendy Copeland begins her quest to become an All-American in the long jump. Then at 1:50 p.m. CT, we'll have the running of the men's 4x400, the last event of the championships and one that is very likely to determine the overall winner. They certainly did last year.
As for the men, they are currently ranked No. 28. However, with a Top 3 showing in the 4x400, they could climb into the Top 15. That would be a huge accomplishment considering the injury to Kendall May that knocked them out of the 4x100 and 100m.
The women currently stand at No. 34 with five points, and they'll get at least one more. So stay tuned, they could make movement too.
As for a quick recap, MSU has already crowned four All-Americans - LaQuinta Aaron, Emanuel Mayers, Tavaris Tate and Jody-Ann Muir. Hopefully, there'll be a few more today!
(2 p.m.) - What a way to end the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as Mississippi State's 4x400 team of O'Neal Wilder, Dwight Mullings, Emanuel Mayers and Tavaris Tate finishes second behind Texas A&M. As as result, the Bulldogs finished T17th overall.
Following the race, Mullings was quite emotional. It was his last event as a Bulldog. He earned his degree back in May and will now turn pro. Great kid. He was certainly fun to watch.
As for the women, they placed 41st. And like the men, the future is bright.
Well, that concludes the championships. I'll have a final blog in the morning waiting on my flight out of Portland. It's been a blast here in Oregon and a great experience. But, I'm ready to get back home. GO DAWGS!
Day 6
Sunday, June 14
(6:30 a.m.) -
We began this blog journey in the wee hours last Tuesday at the Memphis Airport, so, it's only appropriate we end it in the wee hours today at the Portland Airport.
And in the same format. Therefore, we'll have another Baker's Dozen on my thoughts and reflections from this past week at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., before signing off.
1. The locals are pushing for the championships to be held in Eugene every year. I say no. Mainly because of the weather. Mid-50s, windy and rain in June, mind you, doesn't exactly make for the ideal track meet. Every few years, sure. But not every year. Spread the wealth.
2. With that said, the University of Oregon and the community should be commended. Without question, historic Hayward Field is an experience in itself, and the way the community came out and supported it exceeded all expectations I had. They have great traditions, love their track and field, and more importantly, are very supportive of everyone participates, Ducks or no Ducks.
3. The Oregon Coastline is as peaceful of a drive as you'll ever experience. The views, cleanliness, scenery are spectacular.
4. Mississippi State's track program is certainly a Top 20 program now, even without the topnotch facilities. But a new, state-of-the-art surface is coming very soon, and that will help.
5. The future is bright with this team. There's a lot of youth - Tavaris Tate and Jody-Ann Muir - not to mention a lot of others coming back for next year.
6. You know your program is on the rise when the head coach, Al Schmidt, is leaving the facility on Saturday after finishing 17th and says, "I never thought I would ever leave here disappointed with a Top 20 finish." And don't forget, he also left with 8 new All-Americans.
7. MSU had hoped to finish in the Top 15, and barring an injury to Kendall May in the 4x100, that goal would have been achieved. Watching the finals on Saturday was tough, knowing that we probably had the best foursome, or at the very least, the Top 2 or 3.
8. You couldn't help but feel for Kendall. Not only did he tear his hamstring, but he was highly disappointed in the outcome of the race and that the rest of his teammates couldn't advance.
9. MSU bids farewell to three great seniors who participated this weekend - LaQuinta Aaron, Wendy Copeland and Dwight Mullings.
10. Dwight Mullings' emotions were as sincere as I've ever seen. He truly enjoyed his time at Mississippi State and he was a strong asset to this team, both on the track and off.
11. If you're ever in Eugene, you must eat breakfast at least once at the Original Pancake House. I made the trip twice. Thought about another, but chose to drive over to the coast instead to check out the Pacific Ocean.
12. I'm very grateful to the MSU coaching staff for inviting me to go. It was an experience I'll never forgot. I hope to be able to do more, because this program deserves all the publicity it can get.
13. I hope you enjoyed this blog. It was a lot of work, between my regular duties for the media, our web site and tweets, but I enjoyed it immensely. It's something I plan on carrying over to basketball. I'd like to have your input, so feel free to comment by email (gellis@athletics.msstate.edu).
Now, summer has officially begun. Soon, football will be here, and that only means basketball isn't far away. Until then, GO DAWGS!