This weekend the Mississippi State track and field teams will participate in the Georgia Invitational and the Mt. SAC Invitational. “We will be lacking about eight distance runners on the men’s side at the Georgia Invitational because they will be
participating in the Mt. SAC Invitational,” MSU head coach Al Schmidt said.
Mt. SAC Cross Country Course is one of the oldest and most famed courses in the world, challenging generations of runners against each other.
In its 60 years, Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational has become the nation’s largest cross country invitational.
Last year a record of more than 20,000 participants competed on its famed three-mile cross country course. The names “Valley Loop,” “Switchbacks,” “Poop Out Hill” and “Reservoir Hill” have become part of cross country legend and lingo.
The course has changed little over the last 60 years, making it one of the few courses in which different generations can compare times.
With races starting every eight minutes or less (except the Sweepstakes Races) along with the famous Mark Gutierrez designed t-shirts, live webcast/feed and the “big screen,” the event has become the most cherished cross country competition to the hundreds of thousands of runners who have competed in the invitational.
“There are certain places you go for certain events and this is one of them for distance runners,” Schmidt said. “This is not a scored meet but it is a way to get into the NCAA meet and its one of the best places to go for that.”
The Georgia Invitational will be held in Athens.
“It’s going to be a tough meet for relays this week,” Schmidt said. “We are going up against another SEC team which will be fun. We will be at a very nice facility. It’s going to be Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs. There will be other schools there but we are going to score it between the two of us.”
Highlighted by Justin Gaymon’s win in the 400-meter hurdles, Georgia’s track and field teams left their home track with eight more NCAA regional qualifying marks during the second day of the Spec Towns Invitational and the final day of the Bulldog Heptathlon on April 12.
“I think this was a good meet for us, but we still need to and have to improve,” Bulldog head coach Wayne Norton said.
The Mississippi State track and field teams grabbed seven new regional qualifying marks Saturday in Oxford.
“Hopefully the distance guys going to the Mt. SAC Invitational will pick up regional qualifying marks, and the rest that are going to the Georgia Invitational that haven’t picked up a regional qualifying mark will,” associate head Coach Steve Dudley said.
The Mississippi State track and field teams have been successful this year, as they have worked hard to get their qualifying marks.
The teams will be back in action April 24 to 26 at the Penn Relays which will be held in Philadelphia, Penn.
The Penn Relays will be a very important event for the teams.
“The Penn Relays is the largest track meet,” Schmidt said.