And they’re off.
The Mississippi State men’s outdoor track and field team got off on the right foot at the Florida State Snowbird this past weekend, seeing one member and one relay team matching NCAA regional qualifying marks.
“Those two regional marks were worth the trip here,” said MSU head coach Al Schmidt, whose squad also notched three wins. “It was a good day for us.”
Sophomore Tim Williams cleared 6 feet, 10-and-three-fourths inches to take home the high jump title. The Bulldogs also claimed victory in the 4×400-meter relay. Ezra Jones, all-American Arthur Davis, all-American Elzie Coleman and Bruce Davis combined to run 3:9.37 to win the event.
With a time of 1:54.89, freshman Ty Williams crossed the tape first in the 800-meter run in his first collegiate race.
Along with Tim Williams, two other Bulldogs had impressive outings in the high jump. Freshman Allen Cassell cleared 6-06 to tie for second place, while freshman Darryl Brady also had a leap of 6-06 en route to a fifth place finish.
“Allen and Darryl did well,” Schmidt said. “We’re happy with the performances.”
Juniors Travis McKay and Wade Martin finished third and fourth in the 5K. McKay clocked in with a time of 14:25, while Martin ran 14:34.
“The men’s 5K was probably the high point of the trip,” Schmidt said.
The Bulldogs get a week off but will return to action March 16-19 at the Alabama Relays.