01/30/02
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 14th-ranked men's tennis team will meet fifth-ranked, arch-rival Mississippi in the fifth annual River Hills Cup Thursday in Jackson. Match time is set for 5 p.m. at the indoor center at Jackson's River Hills Tennis Club.

State will enter the contest 1-1 overall. The Bulldogs dropped a tough 4-3 decision at #16 Baylor Saturday, but rebounded with a 6-1 win over Southern Miss Tuesday in Starkville.

The Rebels are 2-0 on the season after wins over Arkansas-Little Rock (6-1) and Louisiana-Monroe (5-2) in Oxford during the past week.

The series for the River Hills Cup, which began in 1998, is currently tied 2-2. State opened the series with the first two wins, but UM has bounced back with victories in the last two meetings in the event. In fact, the Bulldogs will be looking to break a seven-match losing skid in the overall series with the Rebels, a streak that dates back to the 1999 Cup match that MSU won 4-3.

Thursday's match will mark the 19th-straight time MSU and UM have met where both teams have been ranked in the top 25 nationally.

"This is always a very big match," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "The rivalry is as evident in tennis as it is in any sport our two schools play and the fact that our two programs have been in the national picture for so many years makes it that much more exciting."

A limited number of tickets remain for sale to the match. They may be purchased in advance by calling River Hills Club at 601-987-4438 and can also be purchased at the door.

Following Thursday's battle with the Rebels, the Bulldogs will return home Saturday for the first contest in a six-match homestand that will span the month of February, welcoming UAB at 1 p.m.

Reprinted with permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/30/02
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's 14th-ranked men's tennis team notched a 6-1 win over in-state rival Southern Miss Tuesday to even its 2002 record to 1-1. The win marked the first victory of head coach Sylvain Guichard's career and was MSU's 25th-straight over the Golden Eagles, dating back to 1970.

State gained the opening point of the day with a sweep of doubles action. The trifecta was led by the 41st-ranked Bulldog tandem of Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette, who won 8-1 over Golden Eagles David Canudas and Miikka Kangas at the No. 1 position.

Ambert and Combette would pave the way for the Bulldogs in singles as well. The 15th-ranked sophomore Ambert ousted Kangas 6-0, 6-3 at the No. 1 spot for MSU's second point of the day. The junior Combette, ranked 59th, put State up 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Golden Eagle J.J. Martin at No. 4.

Notching the match-clinching point for the Bulldogs would be sophomore Luiz Carvalho, who posted a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Canudas at the No. 5 position.

USM scored its first and only point of the day at the No. 2 spot, where David Jansson won 6-4, 6-3 over MSU's Jerome Le Belicard.

Max Fomine and David Ruiz completed scoring for MSU on the afternoon. Fomine held off Golden Eagle Uwe Gneiting 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 6 spot, while Ruiz was a 6-4, 6-1 victor over Nicolas Carteret in a lengthy battle at No. 3.

"We played well in spots today, but we also have room for improvement," Guichard said. "Overall, though, I was fairly pleased with our play. Now we have another big test Thursday against Mississippi."

State travels to Jackson Thursday to meet the fifth-ranked Rebels in the fifth annual River Hills Cup. That contest will begin at 5 p.m. at Jackson's River Hills Tennis Club. The series for the Cup, which began in 1998, is tied 2-2. The Bulldogs will then return home Saturday for the first contest in a six-match homestand that will span the month of February, welcoming UAB at 1 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/26/02
Women's Tennis - Mississippi State's 43rd-ranked women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought 7-0 decision to 41st-ranked Tulane in its 2002 road opener Friday in New Orleans, La.

The Lady Bulldogs (1-1) dropped the doubles point in a pair of close matches, and they were unable to fight off the Green Wave (1-0) in the six tight singles affairs.

"It was an extremely tight match," head coach Tracy Lane said. "The score is not reflective of the match we played today. We played hard, and we did some good things on the court today. Tulane is a very talented team that will be in the postseason. I was pleased with the effort we put forth today."

State's lone win came in doubles, as senior Carole Soubis and junior Elaine Fagan downed Joyce Bergman and Maiko Cook 8-4. Tulane's Maria Ivanov and Ana Saaibi knocked off Camila Sagae and Magdolna Rekasi 9-7 before Julie Morris and Lucy Wood defeated State's Yumi Ueda and Justyna Switala 8-6 to claim the opening point of the match.

In singles, Sagae battled Ivanov the full three sets at No. 2, but Ivanov prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-6. Ueda and Rekasi also fell in three-set decisions. Ueda evened her match with Saaibi at one set apiece, but the Wave captured the third set to claim the 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win. Rekasi won the first set of her match with Anneli Axsater 6-3, but Axsater rallied to claim the final two sets 6-2, 6-1.

In the other singles matches, Bergman defeated Fagan 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3, and Switala was knocked off by Cook 6-0, 6-0 in the sixth spot. Soubis dropped a 6-4, 7-5 match to Morris at No. 1 to round out the Lady Bulldog competitors.

Lane's squad returns to the home court for its next action, hosting in-state foe Southern Mississippi in a match slated for a 2 p.m. start at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/25/02
Women's Tennis - The 43rd-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team returns to action Friday when they travel to New Orleans, La., to take on No. 41 Tulane in a 2 p.m. contest.

The Lady Bulldogs, playing their second opponent from the state of Louisiana in as many matches, opened the 2002 spring campaign a week ago with a 7-0 blanking of Centenary at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

The Lady Bulldogs trail 3-5 in the series with the Green Wave, but the Lady Bulldogs have won the last two. Friday's contest at the Gold Ring Tennis Stadium marks only the second time in the series' history that Tulane, who opens the spring season Friday, has played host to the match. State has claimed the last two decisions against the Green Wave.

The road has been good to MSU in the early going, as the Lady Bulldogs have claimed three of their last five road openers.

The Lady Bulldogs posted a nearly flawless performance against the Ladies from Centenary, claiming 6-0, 6-0 wins in all but one match.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/20/02 (3:15 p.m.)
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's remaining contingent at the 2002 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships was eliminated from action Sunday morning in semifinal action of the main and consolation singles draws. The tournament was being hosted by the University of Kentucky.

Sophomore Romain Ambert, ranked 15th nationally and a 5-8 alphabetical seed in this weekend's event, dropped a close three-set affair to Kentucky's fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Jesse Witten in the Division A main draw semifinals Sunday morning 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2. With a 4-1 mark this weekend, Ambert improved his record on the year to 19-6 overall.

In the consolation singles semifinals of Division A, 59th-ranked junior Rene-Charles Combette was also the victim of a homestanding Wildcat Sunday, dropping a 7-6(5), 6-1 decision to Kentucky's Evan Austin.

Ambert and Combette also teamed together to reach the quarterfinals of doubles during the weekend. State also registered some other big wins as well, including triumphs from senior David Ruiz and sophomore Luiz Carvalho over top 50 opponents.

"Even though we did not win any titles this weekend, we had a very good tournament overall," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Most of our guys played as good or better than we expected and that's what we work for. We are now ready to prepare to open our dual match season this week."

The Bulldogs will open their 2002 dual match season this Thursday, Jan. 24, hosting in-state rival Southern Miss at 2 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Following that contest, MSU will travel to Waco, Texas, this Saturday to take on 16th-ranked Baylor. Mississippi State, currently ranked 14th nationally as a team, has finished each of the last 13 years in the top 25 nationally, one of only eight schools in the country to have done so.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/20/02
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's Romain Ambert has advanced to the singles semifinals at the 2002 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships with a win in his lone contest Saturday. Bulldog Rene-Charles Combette advanced to the semifinals of the consolation draw as well.

The sophomore Ambert, ranked 15th nationally and a 5-8 alphabetical seed in this weekend's event, ousted Johan Grunditz of host Kentucky 6-3, 6-1 in Saturday's quarterfinal round. Grunditz had upset the tournament's top seed, eighth-ranked Brandon Wagner of Georgia, on Friday. Ambert will now meet Kentucky's fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Jesse Witten in the semifinals Sunday morning at 10 a.m. ET. Should he win that match, he will play for the championship Sunday afternoon.

In the consolation singles quarterfinals Saturday, Bulldog Rene-Charles Combette advanced to the semifinals of that draw with a win over teammate Luiz Carvalho. The junior Combette, ranked 59th nationally, showed his experience by rallying from a set deficit to down the sophomore Carvalho 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. Combette will take on Kentucky's Evan Austin in the semifinal round Sunday morning at 10 a.m. with the finals to follow in the afternoon should he advance.

Ambert and Combette also teamed up Saturday afternoon in the doubles quarterfinals. The eighth-seeded and 41st-ranked MSU tandem fell there 8-4 to Georgia's second-seeded duo of Nicolas Boeker and Brandon Wagner.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/19/02
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State tennis standout Romain Ambert has advanced to the quarterfinals of singles at the 2002 Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships with a pair of victories Friday. Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Rene-Charles Combette advanced to the quarters of the consolation singles draw, where they will face each other Saturday.

The sophomore Ambert, ranked 15th nationally and a 5-8 alphabetical seed in this weekend's event opened play Friday by holding off Florida's 98th-ranked Olivier Levant 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. He followed that with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Vanderbilt's 63rd-ranked Bobby Reynolds, a 9-16 seed, to advance to the quarterfinal round. Ambert will meet Johan Grunditz of host Kentucky, who upset top-seeded and eighth-ranked Brandon Wagner of Georgia Friday to advance, at 11 a.m. ET Saturday.

In other main draw action Friday, senior David Ruiz started the day with a big 7-6(5), 6-3 upset victory over LSU's 42nd-ranked Daniel Kiernan, a 9-16 seed, to advance to the round of 16. He then fell there to Mississippi's 21st-ranked Alex Hartman, a 5-8 seed, in a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 battle.

Freshman Aymeric Henou, who won his debut match as a Bulldog Thursday, dropped his second round match Friday but played well against the tournament's No. 2 seed and defending champion, Bo Hodge of Georgia. The rookie Bulldog forced a second-set tiebreaker before falling 6-2, 7-6(1). Currently unranked due to no fall results, Hodge was ranked in the top 5 nationally last spring.

In consolation singles action Friday, State saw Carvalho and Combette move into the quarterfinals, where they will meet each other Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Carvalho, a sophomore, registered the biggest win of his MSU career to date in the first round of the backdraw, downing Auburn's 29th-ranked Tiago Ruffoni 6-2, 6-3. Ruffoni was a 5-8 seed entering the weekend. Carvalho then ousted LSU's Jesse Smatt 6-2, 6-2 to move into Saturday's consolation quarterfinals.

After receiving a default win over LSU's 85th-ranked Bryan Fisher (injury) in the first round, the junior Combette posted a 7-5, 7-6(7) win over Chad Harris of Vanderbilt in the round of 16. Combette overcame a 5-1 deficit in the tiebreaker to post the victory.

Bulldog Max Fomine opened consolation play with a tough 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Florida's Ryan Sherry before falling 6-4, 6-3 to Alabama's 96th-ranked Chris Gostek in the afternoon.

No doubles matches were played Friday with the exception of selected second-round contests carried over from Thursday. Action in the doubles draw will continue Saturday with the quarterfinals, where Ambert and Combette, ranked 41st as a duo, will be in competition.

"This was a solid day for us," State head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Romain had two good wins to get into the quarters and we had a couple of big upsets from Luiz and David over top 50 players. Everyone played well today. And we still have Romain and Rene alive in doubles."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

State (1-0) took just 2:15 to post its first shutout since last season's spring opener against Southern Mississippi. The Lady Bulldogs have now won their last four dual-match openers. Centenary falls to 0-1 on the campaign.

Despite the cool temperatures that hit Starkville Friday, the 43rd-ranked Lady Dogs rolled to three wins to earn the doubles point in just 40 minutes.

Elaine Fagan and Carole Soubis combined to post an 8-0 win over Centenary's Sarah Everett and Mandy Yearwood. Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda clinched the opening point minutes later with an 8-0 win over Saba Khonsari and Brandy Smith.

Magdolna Rekasi and Camila Sagae closed out doubles play by prevailing 8-1 over the Ladies' Elizabeth Pitts and Lindsay Yearwood.

Singles action went much like doubles play, with MSU dominating the action. With the exception of the No. 1 position, Centenary did not win a game in one-on-one play.

"I thought we came out and did what we needed to do," head coach Tracy Lane said. "I thought we did a good job staying aggressive and focused. I'm very pleased with our first match. I thought we handled ourselves very well today."

Fagan made quick work of Smith, winning 6-0, 6-0. Rekasi and Switala clinched the match for the Lady Bulldogs by defeating Lindsay Yearwood and Saba Khonsari, respectively, by 6-0, 6-0 margins.

Sagae knocked off Everett 6-0, 6-0, and Ueda quickly followed with a 6-0, 6-0 defeat of Pitts. Soubis, the lone senior on this year's squad, cruised to a 6-0 mark in the first set and a 5-3 lead in the second over Mandy Yearwood. Yearwood fought back to even the match at 5-5, but the Moulins, France, native won the next two games to end the match with a 6-0, 7-5 win.

State's next action comes Jan. 25, when the Lady Bulldog netters travel to New Orleans, La., for a 2 p.m. match with Tulane, who is ranked two spots ahead of State at No. 41.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

The Bulldogs finished with 91.5 points, 1.5 points behind rival Mississippi and just 14.5 points behind LSU. The Lady Bulldogs amassed 81 points to place fifth. Alabama claimed the crown on the men's side, while host Arkansas took the title on the women's.

"We are really happy as a staff and as a team about today's results," said MSU assistant coach Steve Dudley. "We had a great team effort that brought a number of personal records today."

MSU was led on the men's side by a pair of NCAA qualifiers. Junior Pierre Browne placed first and provisionally qualified in both the 60 (6.68) and 200 (20.86) meters. Sophomore Marquis Davis added the 200-meter dash (21.00) to the events he's provisionally qualified for at the NCAA Indoor Championships, after qualifying in the 60m last week in Carbondale, Ill. Davis placed third in the 200m and fourth in the 60m (6.75).

Junior Kelvin Harris placed third in the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 7.92, just .02 away from a provisional qualifying mark. Junior Kevin Pittman placed second in the pole vault (15-1), while MSU senior throwers Tim Huddleston and Viktor Mara had their best day ever. Huddleston recorded personal-bests in the shot put (51-5 1/2) and the weight throw (56-10 3/4) en route to placing fourth in both. Mara took third in the weight throw with his career-best toss of 57 feet.

On the women's side, LeKisha Barnaby-Pope claimed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best 8.61 mark. The Lady Bulldogs also had a good showing in the distance events, with freshman Meggan Hodge and junior Christine Zawaski, placing second (10:07.35) and fourth (10:14.75) in the 3000 meters, respectively. Senior Ronni Watjus placed fourth (18:41.68) in the 5000 meters, with freshman Cassie Hanan crossing the line fourth with a time of 19:25.38.

The Lady Bulldogs' distance medley relay team took another first-place finish with a time of 12:06.76. In the women's mile, freshman Tiffany McWilliams finished fourth (5:03.60) with Hodge taking sixth (5:05.12).

The track teams will be back in action on Saturday, January 26 at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

2002 SEC Regional, January 18; Fayetteville, Ark.

TEAM SCORES
Men's
1. Alabama, 145.5; 2. Arkansas, 122; 3. LSU, 106; 4. Mississippi, 93; 5. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 91.5.
Women's
1. Arkansas, 140; 2. LSU, 107; 3. Vanderbilt, 92; 4. Alabama, 88; 5. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 81; 6. Mississippi, 43.

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
60-Meter Dash -- 1. Pierre Browne, 6.68; 4. Marquis Davis, 6.75.
200-Meter Dash -- 1. Pierre Browne, 20.86; 3. Marquis Davis, 21.00; 5. Antonio Hargro, 21.37; 9. Keston Nelson, 22.04; 10. Glenn McFadden, 22.35.
800-Meter Run -- 7. James Kimbrough, 1:55.57.
Mile Run -- 10. Chris Boldt, 4:29.34, 11. Jason Odom, 4:32.90.
3000-Meter Run -- 8. Tommy Barksdale, 9:04.57; 10. Jonathan Begnaud, 9:30.19; 11. Steven Cornelius, 9:46.68.
5000-Meter Run -- 4. Tommy Barksdale, 15:26.82.
60-Meter High Hurdles -- 3. Kelvin Harris, 7.92; 6. Dan Hunter, 8.68.
4x400-Meter Relay -- 5. Mississippi State, 3:23.09.
Distance Medley Relay -- 4. Mississippi State, 10:42.82.
High Jump -- 7. Matthew Denton, 6-4 3/4.
Pole Vault -- 2. Kevin Pittman, 15-1; 6. Chris Withrow, 13-11 1/4.
Long Jump --- 9. Dion Crabbe, 22-6 1/4; 10. Dan Hunter, 22-5 3/4.
Shot Put -- 4. Tim Huddleston, 51-5 1/2; 5. J.D. Erickson, 50-0 3/4; 9. Viktor Mara, 43-9 1/4.
Weight Throw -- 3. Viktor Mara, 57-0; 4. Tim Huddleston, 56-10 3/4.

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
60-Meter Dash -- 6. Camille Harper, 7.61
200-Meter Dash -- 16. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 25.99.
400-Meter Run -- 5. Nicole Dunn, 58.16; 6. CeCe Brown, 58.31; 14. Kristen White, 1:01.41.
800-Meter Run -- 10. Kristin Tallent, 2:21.29.
Mile Run -- 4. Tiffany McWilliams, 5:03.60; 6. Meggan Hodge, 5:05.12.
3000-Meter Run -- 2. Meggan Hodge, 10:07.35; 4. Christine Zawaski, 10:14.75.
5000-Meter Run -- 2. Ronni Watjus, 18:41.68; 4. Cassie Hanan, 19:25.38.
60-Meter Hurdles -- 4. LeKisha Barnaby-Pope, 8.61.
4x400 Meter Relay -- 5. Mississippi State, 3:52.33.
Distance Medley Relay -- 1. Mississippi State, 12:06.76.
High Jump -- 5. Renata Hendrix, 5-4 1/4.
Pole Vault -- 10. Lacey Johnson, 10-2.
Long Jump -- 3. Elisha Williams, 19-9; 6. Andrea Buie, 18-2 1/4.
Triple Jump -- 6. Andrea Buie, 35-1 1/4.
Shot Put -- 14. Crystal Averitt, 34-6 3/4, 15. Jennifer Johnstone, 32-7 3/4.
Weight Throw -- 7. Jennifer Johnstone, 45-9 3/4; 9. Crystal Averitt, 42-1 1/2.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

01/17/02 Men's Tennis - Three Mississippi State tennis players advanced to the second round of singles action at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships with victories Thursday. One Bulldog doubles team also moved into the quarterfinals with a pair of wins.

Leading the way for MSU in Division A singles was sophomore Romain Ambert. Ranked 15th nationally and the No. 5 seed in this weekendšs event, he overcame a set deficit against Alabamašs Stephen Mitchell to win 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. He will meet Floridašs 98th-ranked Olivier Levant Friday.

Also moving on for MSU was David Ruiz who was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over South Carolinašs David Nelson. The senior Bulldog will face LSUšs 42nd-ranked Daniel Kiernan, a 9-16 seed, Friday.

Statešs other victor Thursday was true freshman Aymeric Henou, who made his debut as a Bulldog a successful one. From Ceyrat, France, Henou fought back to claim a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Rehman Esmail of host Kentucky. The freshman will meet the tournamentšs No. 2 seed, Georgiašs Bo Hodge, in the second round.

Though MSUšs other four singles entries fell Thursday, all were in close matches. Junior Jerome Le Belicard dropped a 7-5, 6-4 decision to Tennesseešs Wade Orr. Junior Rene-Charles Combette, ranked 59th and a 9-16 seed, was upset by Kentuckyšs 108th-ranked Gustav Pousette 7-6(4), 6-4. Sophomore Luiz Carvalho was bested 7-5, 6-1 by Floridašs Matt Behrmann, while classmate Max Fomine, who was a late entry into the Division A draw, fell 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to LSU newcomer Peter Richman. All four of those Bulldogs will compete in the Division A consolation bracket beginning Friday morning.

In opening-day doubles action Thursday, which saw two rounds played, Ambert and Combette, seeded eighth and ranked 41st in the country, advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of wins. They ousted Seth Rose and Carl Wermee of South Carolina 8-3 before knocking off Floridašs duo of Ross Greenstein and Troy Hahn 9-8(0) in the round of 16. They will meet the second-seeded Georgia tandem of Nicolas Boeker and Brandon Wagner in the quarters Saturday.

Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jerome Le Belicard, ranked 53rd nationally, ended the day with a default win over Tennesseešs Adam Carey and Jake Olson due to an Olson injury. They then fell 8-4 to Floridašs seventh-seeded and 36th-ranked team of Levant and Eleazar Magallan. Fomine and Ruiz fell in their opening-round match.

"I was very pleased with our play today considering we have not played any since late in the fall," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "I thought we were very competitive in every match."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

The Lady Bulldogs will be meeting the Ladies for the fourth time in school history. State owns a perfect 3-0 mark against Centenary.

Centenary opens the season after finishing the 2001 slate 5-10. State concluded last season with a 9-13 mark and a No. 34 ranking that stands as the second highest final ranking in school history.

A youthful MSU contingent returns just three letterwinners from last year's team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season.

Lone senior Carole Soubis will be counted on to lead the Lady Bulldog netters. Soubis posted a 9-10 mark during the fall after finishing the 2001 spring season 6-15.

Sophomores Yumi Ueda and Camila Sagae comprise the other two-thirds of State's returnees. Ueda compiled a 6-6 record. She showed tremendous improvement during the fall, posting an 8-6 mark that included a win in the C Draw of the Middle Tennessee Invitational. Sagae competed in just 11 matches last spring, finishing her rookie year with a 3-9 mark. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native competed in only two matches during the fall.

The remainder of the MSU lineup will be comprised of newcomers. Junior Elaine Fagan and sophomore Justyna Switala saw action during the fall, while freshman Magdolna Rekasi will be seeing her first collegiate action this spring.

Fagan showed the most improvement for the Lady Bulldogs during the fall after finishing with a 4-10 mark. Switala, a native of Opole, Poland, recorded a 4-8 mark after taking third place in her collegiate debut at the St. Mary's Health System Classic. Rekasi joins the team after hailing as one of the top players in Hungary last season.

Friday's action opens a 19-match slate that features 14 opponents who earned spots in the NCAA Tournament last season. Admission to all 10 MSU home contests is free.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

MSU's men's team will be competing in their first meet since gaining a rank of 15th by Trackwire Online. A talented sprint corps comprised of senior Dion Crabbe, junior Pierre Browne and sophomore Marquis Davis leads the Bulldogs. Davis is currently ranked second in the conference in the 60-meter dash and is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Meet.

The women are led by senior all-Americans Camille Harper and Elisha Williams. Both are looking to attain NCAA qualifying marks in their events this weekend. Harper is coming off wins in the 60- and 200-meter dashes at the Saluki Booster Club Invitational. Williams is currently ranked third in the SEC in the long jump.

Also helping head coach Al Schmidt's Lady Bulldogs is the distance runners. Junior Christine Zawaski is ranked first in conference in the 3000 meters. Also, MSU's distance medley relay team is ranked first in the SEC in the event.

Events are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in the Randall Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas on Friday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

01/12/02
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's men's and women's track teams open the 2002 indoor track season Friday and Saturday in Carbondale, Ill., at the Saluki Booster Club Invitational.

Head coach Al Schmidt's Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs look to improve on their second-place finish in last year's meet.

The Bulldogs will be led by a talented sprint core with junior Pierre Browne leading that unit. Browne qualified for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships last season. Last year in Carbondale, Browne finished third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.80.

Senior Dion Crabbe anchors the men's team in the jumps after being a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the long jump last year. Junior Kelvin Harris leads the hurdlers for the Bulldogs to Carbondale, where he won the 60-meter high hurdle event last season in 8.09.

The Bulldogs' throwing corps is led by seniors Tim Huddleston and Viktor Mara, the top returning throwers from a season ago. Both look to improve on their finishes here last year, when Huddleston placed third in the shot put and Mara finished fourth in the weight throw.

Two-time all-American Elisha Williams leads the Lady Bulldogs. Last year at this meet, Williams leaped 19-8 to win the long jump, while placing second in the 60-meter hurdles and third in the high jump.

Outdoor all-American Camille Harper looks to pace the Lady Bulldog sprint contingent and improve on her second-place finishes in the 60 meters and third-place finishes in the 200 meters at the last two Saluki Booster Club Invites.

Field events start Friday evening at Carbondale, with the rest of the team starting competition on Saturday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department