High Jumper Walls Sets Regional Mark, Two Records At Jace Lacoste
* Complete Results
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University track and field teams closed out the 2006 home schedule by setting six regional qualifying marks and winning 13 events on Saturday at the Jace Lacoste Invitational. Senior Jasmine Walls (Picayune, Miss.) led the way for MSU, clearing a regional qualifying 5 feet, 10-and-three-quarters inches in the high jump to set a new MSU school record and Jace Lacoste Invitational record.
"It was a good day for us," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "This was a tough meet to get regionals at since since it's your team pushing each other. Jen (McPherson) had a good day in the 1500. All the 1500 girls ran impressively. Obviously, Jasmine's (Walls) school record is big. Meggan (Hodge) ran well, too, as did our sprint guys."
Freshman Janelle Finley (Mobile, Ala.) qualified for June's Mideast Regional in the long jump, leaping a personal best 19-113/4. The mark ranks as the second best in school history. Finley went on to take fifth in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 39-08, the fifth-best in the event in MSU history. Junior all-American Arthur Davis (Mobile, Ala.) also met a regional mark in the men's 400-meter dash, finishing third in 46.40 seconds.In the women's 200-meter dash, Gabrielle Dillon (Liberty, Miss.) ran the fifth-best time in school history, crossing the tape in 23.96, a regional qualifying mark and personal best for the freshman.
On the track, freshman Marrissa Harris (Memphis, Tenn.) ran 13.97 seconds to win the women's 100-meter hurdles and 24.46 in the 200-meter dash to finish fourth. Junior Jen McPherson (Nampa, Idaho) picked up her first win of the outdoor season, taking the meet title in the 1500-meter run in 4:28.11. Zita Magloire (Tallahassee, Fla.) followed with a personal-best 4:29.69 and a regional-qualifying 2:09.16 in a second-place finish in the 800-meter run. Junior Liz Grube (Sherwood, Wis.) placed third in 4:38.53, junior Mina Thorstenson (Okauchee, Wis.) was fourth with a personal-best 4:39.40 and freshman Michelle Corrigan (Green Bay, Wis.) took fifth in 4:43.12. Senior Meggan Hodge (Beaumont, Alberta) recorded her best time of the season in the 3000-meter steeplechase, breaking her Jace Lacoste record from 2005 by winning the 2006 title in 10:56.40. Junior Joy Griffth (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) followed Hodge, taking second in 11:02.82.
In the men's 4x400-meter relay of junior Ezra Jones (Wildwood, Fla.), sophomore all-American Elzie Coleman (Newburgh, N.Y.), A. Davis and junior Bruce Davis (Phenix City, Ala.) combined to run a regional qualifying 3:07.98. The MSU women's 4x100-meter relay tied their season-best time, taking third in 46.66. Harris led off with the lead lap and freshman Antrese Banks (Gloster, Miss.), Dillon and Finley followed. In the 4x400-meter relay, Banks, freshman Dot Youmans (Poplarville, Miss.), sophomore Andrea Wahlin (Cold Spring, Minn.) and Magloire ran 3:56.14.
Freshman Emily Sanders (Woodstock, Ga.) improved on her mark in the hammer throw. Sanders won the meet title with a personal best and freshman record throw of 172-02. She followed with a second-placefinish in the javelin throw (124-04). Junior Christina Hernandez (Asheville, N.C.) took top billing in the shot put with a mark of 41-093/4 and in the discus throw with a personal best mark and regional qualifying mark of 156-00, the second-best throw in school history. Senior Lauren Johnson (Scottsboro, Ala.) finished third in the long jump with a season's best leap of 19-04 and ran 14.52 in the 100-meter hurdles. Harris also set a personal best in the long jump (19-001/2). Youmans took second in the high jump, clearing a personal best height and the second-best mark in school history at 5-07.
Redshirt freshman Keith Hewlett (Detroit, Mich.) won the men's long jump, leaping 23-021/2 and set a personal best in the triple jump, finishing in a tie for third (46-101/4). Teammate Jerald Wilson (Port Gibson, Miss.) finished second with a mark of 22-03. Wilson later won the triple jump (47-073/4). Sophomore Joseph Queen (Jackson, Miss.) took top honors in the men's javelin throw (159-10). Queen also finished third in the pole vault with a season's best clearing of 14-073/4. Daniel Zabaldano (Brandon, Miss.) finished second in the javelin with a personal-best throw of 159-05. Zabaldano also took second in the discus throw (145-00). Three other Bulldogs finished in the top six in the javelin throw, including freshman Darryl Brady (Vancleave, Miss.) in fourth with 157-01 and a pair of distance runners competing in their first javelin competition -- Gedamu Ege (Atlanta, Ga.) who finished fifth (111-07) and Phillip Moore (Hoover, Ala.) in sixth (105-08). Moore went on to take second in the 1500-meter run, clocking a personal-best 3:56.11. Ege was third in 3:57.22, also a personal best. Redshirt freshman Pad Judd (Cushing, Wis.) set a personal best mark in the event, running 4:00.30. Brady finished in a tie for second in the high jump, clearing a personal best 6-063/4.
In other track events, junior Wade Martin (Cullman, Ala.) won his first 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:42.26. Junior Eliott Morant (Kansas City, Mo.) set a personal best in the 110-meter hurdles, running 14.60. State freshman John Bailey (Terry, Miss.) and Brady each ran personal bests in the event. Bailey took fifth in the 200-meter dash (21.87). In the field, freshman Kiley Aguar (Athens, Ga.) set a personal best in the hammer with a throw of 139-00.
MSU returns to action next Saturday, Apr. 22 at the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Ala.