Mississippi State women’s indoor track and field team will compete against some of the best collegiate and professional talent in the country today and Saturday at the 10th annual Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Today’s events begin at 10 a.m. and end after the last college event at 4 p.m. The professional events, which will be televised on ESPN2, start tonight at 8 p.m. with the final event at 9:55 p.m. Events tomorrow, which are only collegiate, begin at 10 a.m. and end after the final event at 4:25 p.m.
The meet gives the Lady Bulldogs a chance to run alongside the top talent in the nation.
“Tyson is a collegiate and professional meet, so you get to run against some of the best people in the country,” senior hurdler Marrissa Harris said.
Harris said watching the pros first hand energizes the collegiate athletes. The feeling is something not easily forgotten, she said.
“[I remember] the motivation watching the pros run,” junior long jumper LaQuinta Aaron said. “I love the energy you get while you are there because it is exciting.”
The meet gives the Lady Bulldogs valuable exposure to different techniques pros use which are difficult to teach vocally, Harris said. She said seeing the techniques of all the best runners helps teach her how to become better other than by natural skill and ability.
Aaron said the team learns many techniques from watching the star athletes, but ultimately seeks to personally customize the techniques.
“I do look at the top performers to see what they are doing,” Aaron said. “I will pay most of my attention to the high jump to see what I need to fix.”
Harris said she tries to emulate the styles of top athletes.
“They are professional athletes; they have to be doing something good in order to be professional,” Harris said. “Just being able to see and watch them also lets you see how it is supposed to look.”
Head coach Al Schmidt said the meet helps the coaches know where the athletes stack up compared to the best in the conference.
“Tyson is more of a test because it is more like a practice SEC [indoor championship] meet,” he said. “Everything is judged on how you do in the SEC meet.”
Assistant coach Brian Fetzer said the meet sets a standard for the SEC meet.
“If you can do well at Tyson, then you can do well at the SEC meet,” he said.
The experience and results from Tyson will improve the women’s team greatly, Schmidt said.
“I know that we are going to be better 10-15 percent because of this meet,” he said.
With the SEC meet just two weeks away, Harris has no better time to be at peak performance, Schmidt said.
Aaron said the big meet can spark a small amount of nerves. To keep her composure, she said she calmly sits down before the meet and reflects on her improvement goals.
“I will feel a little nervous, but I like the nervousness because it helps me perform,” Aaron said.