Bulldogs Open 2005 Season At FSU Snowbird In Tallahassee
STARKVILLE, Miss. ?€” The Mississippi State University men's outdoor track and field squad begins its season this weekend, March 4-5, at the FSU Snowbird in Tallahassee, Fla. Men's action begins Friday at 3 p.m. ET at the Mike Long Track on the Florida State University campus.
"We think this is the best men's team we've ever had," said MSU Head Coach Al Schmidt. "Our goal is to be ranked in the top 10 nationally. It's a real promising season ahead."
State returns three all-Americans from last season's squad. Seniors Jamel Ashley and LaChristopher Lewis, and sophomore Arthur Davis were named all-Americans as members of the 4x400-meter relay team in 2004. Ashley was also an all-American in the 400-meter dash. Newcomers Steve Mullings, a junior college all-American from Barton County (Kansas) CC, and high school all-Americans Elzie Coleman, from Newburgh, N.Y., and Adian Sanderson, from Ewing, N.J., will provide depth to the men's sprints team.
Sophomore distance runners Ryan Irwin and Travis McKay return after having breakout years last season. Other distance runners that may see action include sophomores Dustin Fier, Phillip Moore and Brandon Smith, freshmen Paul Bahamondes, John Brigham, Isaiah Marshall, Robert Scribner and Chris Woods. In hurdles, junior Mitchell Evans and sophomore Eliott Morant, along with freshman Calvin Wyche are expected to contribute. MSU will rely on sophomore Matt Whalen to carry the team in throwing events this year. The West Dundee, Ill.-native represented State at the 2004 Mideast Regional.
The Maroon and White return several experienced jumpers to this year's team. In the long jump, State will look to Lewis and junior Kendall Pyant II, who both competed at the Mideast Regional last year. Senior high jumper Matt Denton returns after his seventh-place performance at the 2004 Mideast Regional. State's lone triple jumper last season, Jerald Wilson, is expected to compete in the event again this season. Freshmen Austin Golding, Keith Hewlett, Joseph Queen, Tim Williams and Wyche should all see action this season.
Other teams participating in the event including SEC rival Vanderbilt; Atlantic Sun schools Belmont, Georgia State, and Troy; Ohio Valley Conference schools Samford and Tennessee-Martin; Southeastern Louisiana from the Southland Conference; Division II schools Edinboro, North Florida, Slippery Rock, and Tampa; and Division III's Albion.
Last year at the FSU Snowbird, the men's team won the sprint medley and distance medley relays and the high jump. The sprint medley relay team of Ashley, Glenn McFadden, Keston Nelson and Elmore McConnell posted a time of three minutes, 21.11 seconds, while the distance medley relay team of Jason Odom, Pyant, Irwin, and Brandon Smith ran a winning time of 10:15.43. Denton won the high jump with a season-best leap of 6-10 3/4.