Starkville's Rogers Signs With Lady Bulldog Tracksters
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State University head track and field coach Al Schmidt announced Wednesday the signing of Starkville High School's Dominique Rogers to a national letter-of-intent to compete for the Lady Bulldogs beginning in 2004.
"Dominique is a great addition to our team," said head coach Schmidt. "We think she is going to be an impact hurdler almost immediately."
Rogers transferred to Starkville High School for her senior year from Pine Ridge High School in Deltona, Florida. The 2003 MVP of Pine Ridge, she earned the 2003 All-Central Florida first team honors and the 2002 and 2003 first team All-Volusia County first team honors.
"I feel very blessed to be given the opportunity to run at the next level," said Rogers. "And I'm going to do my part to make my new team the best it can be. I am very excited about this new phase of my life, and I know that I made the right choice in choosing Mississippi State for my new home."
Her personal best times include a 12.02 in the 100m dash, a 59.00 in the 400m dash, a 15.4 in the 100m hurdles and a 1:02.37 in the 400m hurdles.
She finished seventh in the 300m hurdles at the 2003 4A Florida State Championships in 45.02, her personal best time in the event. Rogers also competed in the 2003 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games in the 400m hurdles, where she finished 15th in the prelims in 1:05.25.
Rogers has excelled in the classroom as well as on the track. She had been named to the honor roll all four of her high school years, a member of the National Honor Roll and honored in Who's Who Among American High School Students.
In addition to track while in Florida, she was involved with her church's track team, dance team, children's choir, drama and step team. At Pine Ridge, not only a member of the track team, she was also a member of the school's step team, gospel choir, basketball team and dance team. Currently, she is a member of the Health Occupational Students of America at Starkville High School and her church's dance team.
At MSU, she plans to work towards a degree in biology with aspirations of being a nurse. Her father, Errol Rogers, is the assistant women's basketball coach at State.