Bulldogs Host Twilight Invitational On Friday Night
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Friday night lights will take on a new meaning as Mississippi State track and field hosts the Bulldog Twilight Invitational on April 1. The appropriately named Twilight is unique in that most completion will take place after the sun has retired and the lights at Maddox Track/Spencer Stadium are shining.
“This week we are changing things up a bit,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “We are going to have the college meet on Friday night and the high school meet on Saturday. Normally we do the high school meet on Friday and our athletes are tired on Saturday from working the night before, but this way we can insure our athletes are at their best when they compete.”
At last week’s SEC/Big Ten Challenge the men’s 4x400m relay team put on quite a show as they won the event and posted the third-fastest time in the nation. This week the team looks to improve on that time, and running under the lights should only add to that excitement, as they provide a spotlight for the athletes to showcase their talents.
Sophomore Tavaris Tate, currently ranked No. 1 in the 400m dash, and junior D’Angelo Cherry, ranked No. 3 in the 100m dash, are also looking to improve their times and help the No. 8 Bulldogs move up in the rankings.
While the men are ranked No. 8, the Lady Bulldogs are hoping performances from top athletes like senior Richesa McCaleb, who has the 14th fastest time in the 200m dash, freshman Rochelle Farquharson, who has the sixth best length in the triple jump, and sophomore Haley Greenwell, who won the 3000m run last week, will help them find their way into the rankings.
The high jump will also be another event to watch, as senior Jessica Merriweather and current SEC Freshman of the Week James Harris, who respectively have the first and second highest national jumps this season are looking to represent MSU to the best of their ability.
“This meet will be much smaller compared to last week and the SEC/Big Ten Challenge,” Dudley commented. “But we are going into it with the same mentality of being better than we were last week. If we keep that mind frame then there is no reason why we can’t continue to climb in the rankings and compete for championships.”
The meet is free to attend and will get underway Friday morning at 10 with the hammer throw and will continue into the night with the traditional meet ending with 4x400m relays taking place at 9:20 p.m.
“This week we are changing things up a bit,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “We are going to have the college meet on Friday night and the high school meet on Saturday. Normally we do the high school meet on Friday and our athletes are tired on Saturday from working the night before, but this way we can insure our athletes are at their best when they compete.”
At last week’s SEC/Big Ten Challenge the men’s 4x400m relay team put on quite a show as they won the event and posted the third-fastest time in the nation. This week the team looks to improve on that time, and running under the lights should only add to that excitement, as they provide a spotlight for the athletes to showcase their talents.
Sophomore Tavaris Tate, currently ranked No. 1 in the 400m dash, and junior D’Angelo Cherry, ranked No. 3 in the 100m dash, are also looking to improve their times and help the No. 8 Bulldogs move up in the rankings.
While the men are ranked No. 8, the Lady Bulldogs are hoping performances from top athletes like senior Richesa McCaleb, who has the 14th fastest time in the 200m dash, freshman Rochelle Farquharson, who has the sixth best length in the triple jump, and sophomore Haley Greenwell, who won the 3000m run last week, will help them find their way into the rankings.
The high jump will also be another event to watch, as senior Jessica Merriweather and current SEC Freshman of the Week James Harris, who respectively have the first and second highest national jumps this season are looking to represent MSU to the best of their ability.
“This meet will be much smaller compared to last week and the SEC/Big Ten Challenge,” Dudley commented. “But we are going into it with the same mentality of being better than we were last week. If we keep that mind frame then there is no reason why we can’t continue to climb in the rankings and compete for championships.”
The meet is free to attend and will get underway Friday morning at 10 with the hammer throw and will continue into the night with the traditional meet ending with 4x400m relays taking place at 9:20 p.m.