Bulldogs And Lady Bulldogs Perform Well At TCU Invitational
Official Results - Women (PDF)
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Mississippi State University's men's and women's track and field teams competed in the fifth annual TCU Invitational on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Lowdon Track and Field Complex. The Bulldogs set four regional qualifying marks and the Lady Bulldogs recorded two.
"We had a good meet," said head coach Al Schmidt. "On the women's side, we were in the top three in a lot of events and had a couple of wins. It was very windy, so it was very difficult to get great performances. But, all in all, it was a good trip. Now we just get ready for the Penn Relays."
Junior Tiffany McWilliams won the 800m with her regional qualifying time of 2:05.95. Jennifer McPherson took runner-up in the race with her career best time of 2:12.21. Freshman Joy Griffith set a career best time of 4:46.62 in the 1500m, finishing in second place. In the 3000m steeplechase, Cassie Hanan and Michelle Kinney took first and second, respectively, in the race with their times of 11:45.55 and 11:50.73.
Jasmine Walls took second in the high jump with her personal best height of 5-6. Lacey Johnson finished third in the pole vault with a mark of 10-11 3/4. Finishing second in the discus, Crystal Averitt recorded her second regional qualifying mark in the event with a 157-1, one inch away from tying her school record. Jennifer Johnstone set a new personal best distance in the discus with a 148-10 for a fourth place showing.
On the men's side, LaChristopher Lewis and Arthur Davis both recorded their second regional qualifying times in the 200m dash. Lewis crossed the finish line in a wind-aided time of 20.71 and Davis with a wind-aided 21.15. Senior Elmore McConnell won the 800m with a 1:51.14. Both Ryan Irwin (4:03.28) and Gedame Ege (4:05.12) set career best times in the 1500m, taking second and third. Tupelo native Brett Marlin finished third in the 3000m steeplechase with a 9:50.09.
Winning the event, Lewis set his third straight regional qualifying mark in the long jump with his wind-aided mark of 25-1 1/4. Matt Whalen took fourth in the shot put with a mark of 54-2 1/2, also qualifying him for regionals. JD Erickson finished third in the discus with a 165-5.
Next, the squads travel to Philadelphia, Penn, for the Penn Relays on Thursday, April 22.