The Mississippi State men’s cross country team exceeded expectations and improved their standing at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, finishing 22nd in a field that featured five national top 20-ranked teams.
“This was the best meet we’ve had at Notre Dame,” men’s head coach Steve Dudley said. “We’re getting better, and I’m pleased the program is improving.”
In his Maroon and White debut, junior transfer Wade Martin finished the 8K course in 25:01, placing 59th overall. Junior Travis McKay continued his stellar season with a time of 25:07 to finish 69th. Two other Bulldogs had times under 26:00. Junior Brandon Smith ran 25:39, and sophomore Pad Judd’s 25:47 gave MSU four runners among the top 125 competitors.
John Brigham and Robert Scribner were held out for precautionary measures due to injuries.
Among the other SEC schools running at the meet, Florida surprised many and sprinted to a 3rd place finish, while Alabama rolled its way to 7th overall.
Friday’s performance stands as a significant improvement for the Bulldogs, who finished last place among competitors at the 2004 Invitational.
The women’s team, on the other hand, finished 24th overall and did not give head coach Al Schmidt much to be excited about.
“We ran really badly,” Schmidt said. “We have to toughen up. We didn’t do well. We will turn it around before the conference meet.”
Senior Zita Magloire was the team’s top runner, finishing the 5K course in 17.54 and placing 54th overall, but none of the other Lady Bulldogs could get things going and finished outside of the top 125. Michelle Corrigan was State’s top-finishing freshman with a time of 18:45, placing 127th. Other first-year runners Brittany Detzel, Nicole Rosetti and Abbey O’Connell finished 140th, 160th and 168th, respectively.
Both squads return to action Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Ala.