Bulldogs Begin Outdoor Season At FSU Snowbird
STARKVILLE, Miss. ?€“ The Mississippi State University men's track andfield squad begins the 2006 outdoor season this weekend, Fri.-Sat.,March 3-4, at the FSU Snowbird. The event is being hosted at the MikeLong Track on the campus of Florida State University.
MSU returns three all-Americans from last season's 19th-ranked squad.Junior Arthur Davis (Mobile, Ala.) and sophomores Elzie Coleman(Newburgh, N.Y.) and Chris Woods (Atlanta, Ga.) earned all-Americastatus in the 4x400-meter relay. Mid-year transfers Bruce Davis(Phenix City, Ala.) and Ezra Jones (Wildwood, Fla.) bring communitycollege experience to the team. Each were named all-Americans while atWallace State (Ala.) Community College.After qualifying for the Mideast Regional and scoring at the SEC meetin the 3000-meter steeplechase, junior Travis McKay (Alberta, Canada)is poised to do much of the same in 2006. McKay opened the 2005 crosscountry season as the top collegiate finisher at the Belmont Openerand helped lead the Bulldogs to their first team title since 1996. Hisperformance also earned him SEC Athlete of the Week honors. McKay tookfifth at the Crimson Classic and 29th at the Auburn Invitational. Heclosed out the year posting 28th place finishes at the SECChampionships and NCAA South Regional. Counterpart and junior transferWade Martin (Cullman, Ala.) earned all-Region honors at the NCAA SouthRegional meet after taking 23rd at the meet. He also finished 38th atthe SEC meet.
Junior Jerald Wilson (Port Gibson, Miss.) returns this year to competein the long and triple jumps. Wilson has qualified for theSoutheastern Conference finals before and looks to lead a youngjumping group. Finally healthy, redshirt freshman Keith Hewlett(Detroit, Mich.) looks to jump well on the season.In the high jump, the Bulldogs return sophomore Tim Williams(Pensacola, Fla.) who scored at the conference outdoor meet as afreshman (fifth). Williams went on to compete at the Mideast Regional.Freshman Allen Cassell (Port Gibson, Miss.) continues to develop inthe high jump. State's lone pole vaulter is Chris Withrow (Vicksburg,Miss).
A converted thrower, sophomore Austin Golding (Vicksburg, Miss.) willpick up the javelin once again in 2006. After finishing 11th at theoutdoor conference meet, he looks to help lead a duo of freshmennewcomers in Daniel Zabaldano (Brandon, Miss.) and Kiley Aguar(Athens, Ga).