MSU Begins Title Hunt In Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. – Sixteen Mississippi State track and field athletes will look to become a national champion, as the NCAA Championships are set for June 10-13 at historic Hayward Field.
Both MSU teams enter the championships ranked in the Top 25. The MSU men’s squad is No. 10, while the women are ranked No. 11.
“Each of these athletes have worked hard to get here, this was the goal all season,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “If they keep doing what they have been then I think both MSU teams will surprise some people this week.”
SEC Field Athlete of the Year, Erica Bougard, is entered in three different events in hopes of claiming a championship victory in each. The Byhalia, Miss., native is one of four collegiate athletes competing in three events at the national stage.
First up for Bougard will be the heptathlon, which will begin with the 100m hurdles on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CST. Bougard scored the most points of any collegiate athlete in the event at the SEC Championships en route to the title. Her point total of 6,250 is the fifth-best in NCAA history.
Also on Thursday, Bougard will be competing in the 100m hurdles semifinals, and on Friday she will be in the high jump.
Another multi athlete competing in the championships is Zachary Taylor. Taylor scored 7,466 points at this year’s SEC Championship to earn second and his spot in Eugene.
Reigning NCAA 800m champion, Brandon McBride, will compete in the event semifinals on Wednesday at 5:54 p.m. in hopes of making it to the finals to defend his title. McBride ran a time of 1:45.97 at the NCAA East Preliminaries to secure the No. 1 spot in the event.
"It's always nice to be out in tracktown USA," McBride said. "I'm really proud of my team this far, but I know there's still so much more left in the tank for us."
SEC 400m hurdles champion Scottie Hearn will be competing on Wednesday after he ran a personal-best at the SEC Championships with a time of 49.39 to earn his victory.
Rhianwedd Price is set to compete in the 1500m run after running a personal-best time of 4:10.95 at the NCAA East Preliminaries. Price finished first overall with teammate Marta Freitas (4:13.17) placing second.
Making her way back to the NCAA Championships, Cornelia Griesche will be competing in the steeplechase. This will be her second year in a row to compete in the event. Griesche ran a MSU school record time of 9:58.06 at the preliminaries to finish 10th overall and earn her ticket to nationals. Last year, she finished 18th with a time of 10:20.92.
Curtis Thompson will be the only freshman making his way to the championships for the Bulldogs. Thompson threw a personal-best 248-01 at the SEC Championships, where he brought home fourth place. His throw ranks second in the MSU school record books.
Representing MSU in the 400m dash, Alfred Larry ran a time of 45.92 to place ninth overall and second in his heat, automatically qualifying him for Eugene.
Dressing in the Maroon and White one more time are seniors Marcus Jackson and Ebony Brinker. Jackson will be competing in the high jump on Friday at 4 p.m. Jackson set the MSU school record earlier this season after clearing 7-05.75. Brinker broke the MSU triple jump school record at the preliminaries with a leap of 41-11.75 to place 11th.
Both the men’s and women’s team will be represented in the 4x400m relays.
For more information on the MSU track and field teams visit HailState.com and follow on Twitter (@HailStateTF).
MSU Events
Women
100m Hurdles: Erica Bougard
1500m Run: Rhianwedd Price; Marta Freitas
3000m Steeplechase: Cornelia Griesche
4x400m Relay: Ocian Archer, Shayla Luckett, Kimari Martin, Ste’yce McNeil
Triple Jump: Ebony Brinker
High Jump: Erica Bougard
Heptathlon: Erica Bougard
Men
400m Dash: Alfred Larry
400m Hurdles: Scottie Hearn
800m Run: Brandon McBride
4x400m Relay: Jovan Davis, Scottie Hearn, Alfred Larry Brandon McBride
High Jump: Marcus Jackson
Javelin: Curtis Thompson
Decathlon: Zachary Taylor