Mississippi State To Host The Jace Lacoste Invitational
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Remembering and honoring a former Bulldog will be the theme this weekend as Mississippi State hosts the Jace Lacoste Invitational Friday and Saturday, at the Carl Maddox Track Complex.
Lacoste, who was a 1990 graduate, split his time at MSU between campus involvement and competing for the track and field team, where he was an All-SEC decathlete and All-SEC Scholar Athlete. Lacoste lost his life in 1995 as he was traveling back to MSU to watch younger brother Paul make his first start at middle linebacker for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs, who enter the invitational ranked 10th, thanks to impressive finishes the last few weeks, are looking forward to the opportunity to compete in front of the their hometown fans, friends and family.
"Competing at home is always a good thing," coach Steve Dudley said. "The energy of performing in front of people you know and are rooting for you is infectious. It pushes an athlete to compete at their highest level. Hopefully we can harness that energy and use it to our advantage as we compete this weekend."
Joining the Maroon and White in competition will be fellow Mississippians Millsaps, Alcorn State and Hinds Community College, as well as schools from neighboring states including: Stillman, Alabama-Huntsville, UAB and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Invitational action begins Friday at 2 pm with the women's hammer throw and concludes with the men's and women's 5000-meter run at 7:30 pm.
Action will pick back up Saturday morning with the men's and women's shot put at 11:30 am, while track events begin at 1:45 pm with the women's 4x100-meter relay. The Invitational will conclude Saturday evening at 5:30 pm with the men's 4x400-meter relay.