Coming off a hot start the MSU men’s track team had a big-time meet over the weekend at the Milrose Games in New York. The event was hosted at the prestigious Madison Square Garden. The importance of the meet was not understated as it was also broadcast on ESPN2.
When the bright lights came on and the stage was set, the Dawgs did not disappoint. The men’s 4×400 relay team consisting of Emanuel Mayers, Dwight Mullings, Alex Richter and Tavaris Tate dominated the competition with a time of 3:19.44.
Other teams competing in the race were Delaware State, Seton Hall, Albany, Pennsylvania and Cheyney.
The first place finish was only the second victory in the 103 year history of the event for the Dawgs. With the Gotham trophy in hand, associate head coach Steve Dudley said his team showed great grit and determination.
“Our guys did a great job not letting anyone push them around,” he said.
The team’s early success has expectations of coaches and players seem to be growing by the day. With the youth of this year’s unit and early success the sky appears to be the limit for this group.
While the men’s relay team was in New York for the weekend, the rest of the team was in Bloomington, Ind. for the Indiana Indoor Relays.
The women’s relay team was not outdone by the men’s team as they set a new school record in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:43.59. The group of Jody-Ann Muir, Taneisha Baker, Brittany Covington and Crystal Wilson came in second place out of a strong field.
The Lady Dawgs relay team was not the only successful member of the Bulldog group on the day as Keisha Wallace blew away the competition in the long jump. Her jump of 18-01.50 set a standard early on that the rest of the team would follow.
Another Bulldog with a winning effort was Josh Tucker in the high jump. His leap of 6-8.75 was good enough to grab the first place position.
Crystal Wilson also had a big day in the 200 meter dash taking home first place with a time of 24.78. She also managed to post a time of 55.72 in the 400 meter dash which was good for second place in the meet.
The 600 meter dash also saw Bulldog success as Brittany Covington grabbed first place honors with her time of 1:36.67.
Deangelo Cherry also excited the Bulldog faithful by running a 6.65 in the prelims of the 60 meter dash, one of the fastest times recorded in the nation up to this point. Cherry also came in second in the 200 meter dash recording a time of 21.75.
Head coach Al Schmidt said he was impressed by his team’s efforts from the weekend.
“It was an absolutely great weekend and it showed that we can compete at the highest level with great success.”
After a weekend filled with success, it is hard for the team not to be excited about the rest of the season. The team’s next competition will be Feb. 12 in Fayetteville, Ark., where they will compete in the Tyson Invite.
Assistant coach Bryan Fetzer said all teams are primed for success, and the women’s squad in particular is gaining strong momentum.
“Our ladies continue to take the next step towards establishing themselves as an elite group,” he said. “What they did this weekend was huge in building our program into a national contender.”