Although the conditions were hardly spring-like on Saturday, the Mississippi State track squad racked up wins at the Big Ten/SEC Conference Challenge at the Carl Maddox Track Facility at MSU.
The Bulldogs, who placed first in six separate events, worked with Ole Miss and Tennessee against their opponents and won the meet for the SEC. The SEC squads finished with 369 points in the women’s competition and 287 for the men’s. The SEC competed against athletes from Purdue, Louisiana Tech and Missouri State.
In the men’s field events, the Bulldogs’ Marcus Jackson placed first in high jump, posting a 7-02.50, and Jason Harper won the triple jump after placing second in the Indoor Nationals last month with a leap of 49-05.00.
In a news release, Harper said representing the SEC is great because it is home to the nation’s best talent.
“Competing alongside with Tennessee and Ole Miss served as a reminder to other conferences that the SEC is a forced to be reckoned with,” Harper said. “Today (Saturday) I enjoyed winning for my team and for our conference.”
MSU’s Ebony Brinker placed first in triple jump, posting a 38-09.00. Allison Storey threw for 40.53 meters in the javelin to win the event and grab 10 points for the conference.
After the meet, Brinker said her team fought through the rain and wind and competed well.
“The conditions weren’t ideal, but we practice in those conditions,” Brinker said. “We complain about it sometimes, but it’s a good thing because it’s not always going to be ideal weather conditions going into the meet. We just had to roll with it.”
In the running events, several Bulldogs placed first including runner Daundre Barnaby.
Barnaby also posted a second place finish in the 200-meter dash.
In a press release, coach Steve Dudley praised said his team competed hard all-around.
“I am proud of the effort our athletes gave,” Dudley said. “We were in the mix in nearly every event, and that is what you ask for in the these types of events.”
In the women’s 3000-meter, Cornelia Griesche and Adrianna collected 10 points for the SEC, finishing second and fifth respectively. Juan Sanchez and Patrick Monaghan crossed the line at the front of the pack in the men’s 1500-meter run, as Sanchez finished second and Monaghan followed in third.
The Bulldogs resume action in Austin, Texas, for the Texas Relays March 27 to 30.