MSU Sends Four Athletes And A Relay Team To NCAA Track And Field Championships
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Mississippi State University's Jamel Ashley (400m), LaChristopher Lewis (long jump) and Tiffany McWilliams (800m and 1500m) and the men's 4x400m relay team of Ashley, Arthur Davis, Keston Nelson and Lewis automatically qualified for the NCAA National Championships at the 2004 MidEast Regional Championships in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday. Trey Hardee will also compete in the decathlon at the Championships, qualifying earlier in the season for the event.
The Bulldogs finished eighth overall with a total of 26 points, and the Lady Bulldogs scored 13 points, leaving them tied for 17th place.
"Tiffany had hurt her foot at Ole Miss and it has been bothering her," said head coach Al Schmidt. "So, we really did not turn her loose in the race. The Michigan runner that won the 1500m ran a good race and got a huge kick. We just used a different strategy to try and save Tiffany's foot. She was already automatically in the National Championships in the 1500m. All she had to do was run the race. She did have to run the finals of the 800m to get into the Championships though, but she could have been dead last and gotten in in both races. I take full blame for her losing the races. She had not been beaten all year, and I held her back and would not let her go. She hates to lose."
McWilliams finished second in the 1500m in 4:12.04 and fourth in the 800m in a time of 2:03.91, advancing National Championships in both events. Jennifer McPherson ran the 1500m in 4:32.25 for a ninth place showing.
"The men's 4x400m was also already in the National Championships because they are top three in the country," said Schmidt. "We just ran safely."
The men's 4x400m relay team of Ashley, Davis, Nelson and Lewis advanced to the NCAA Championships with their third place showing in the race with a time of 3:05.66.
"We had three guys in the 400m, and we, as a staff, have to now make a decision of who is going to be declared in what event at the Championships," said Schmidt. "Jennifer still has a shot to get in in the 1500m with the 4:20 she ran. We just have to make a decision of how were are going to work our sprint guys. And then whether to run Tiffany in both races or not."
Ashley, Lewis and Davis finished the 400m final in the same spots as the prelims, scoring 12 points for the Bulldogs. Ashley paced the squad in the finals of the 400m with a time of 45.62, taking second and qualifying for the NCAA National Championships. Lewis recorded a 46.10 for sixth, and Davis took eighth in 46.94.
JD Erickson took eighth in the discus with his mark of 172-10, a season high. Travis McKay ran a 10:18.44 in the 3000m steeplechase.
Complete results are available at www.lsusports.net.
Next, MSU travels to Austin, Texas, for the NCAA National Championships on June 9-12.