State Squads Travel To The Plains For Auburn Invite
* Live Results
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University's track and field teams travel tothe Plains of Auburn, Ala. for the Auburn Invitational. Action beginsat 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Hutsell-Rosen Track on the Auburncampus.
We're going to Auburn hoping to qualify for regionals, said MSU headcoach Al Schmidt. We've still got the 1500 to qualify in. We've gotsome throwers we think can qualify, and Elzie (Coleman) in the400-meter dash.
Our main goal is to finish off the qualifying since our next meet(Penn Relays) is the majority relay events.
In addition to Auburn, teams scheduled to compete include Army,Birmingham Southern, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, MississippiState, Samford, South Alabama, Tennessee State, Troy State, WallaceState and members of the Alabama women's team.
This weekend's meet will feature the dedication of Auburn's new trackfacility.
A week ago, the MSU squads closed out the 2006 home schedule by settingsix regional qualifying marks and winning 13 events at the Jack LacosteInvitational.Senior Jasmine Walls (Picayune, Miss.) led the way forMSU, clearing a regional qualifying 5 feet, 10-and-three-quartersinches in the high jump to set a new MSU school record and Jack LacosteInvitational record.
Freshman Janelle Finley (Mobile, Ala.) qualified for June's MideastRegional in the long jump, leaping a personal best 19-113/4. The markranks as the second best in school history. Finley went on to takefifth in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 39-08, thefifth-best in the event in MSU history. Junior all-American ArthurDavis (Mobile, Ala.) also met a regional mark in the men's 400-meterdash, finishing third in 46.40 seconds.In the women's 200-meter dash,Gabrielle Dillon (Liberty, Miss.) ran the fifth-best time in schoolhistory, crossing the tape in 23.96, a regional qualifying mark andpersonal best for the freshman.
Freshman Marrissa Harris (Memphis, Tenn.) ran 13.97 seconds to win thewomen's 100-meter hurdles and 24.46 in the 200-meter dash to finishfourth. Junior Jen McPherson (Nampa, Idaho) picked up her first win ofthe outdoor season, taking the meet title in the 1500-meter run in4:28.11. Zita Magloire (Tallahassee, Fla.) followed with apersonal-best 4:29.69 and a regional-qualifying 2:09.16 in asecond-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-metersteeplechase, breaking her Jack Lacoste record from 2005 by winning the2006 title in 10:56.40. Junior Joy Griffth (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) followedHodge, taking second in 11:02.82.
In the men's 4x400-meter relay of junior Ezra Jones (Wildwood, Fla.),sophomore all-American Elzie Coleman, A. Davis and junior Bruce Davis(Phenix City, Ala.) combined to run a regional qualifying 3:07.98. TheMSU women's 4x100-meter relay tied their season-best time, taking thirdin 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 AndreaWahlin (Cold Spring, Minn.) and Magloire ran 3:56.14.
Following Saturday's meet, State's team travel to Philadelphia, Pa. forthe 2006 Penn Relays.