| 1999 | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||
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| 2000 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2001 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2002 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2003 | Jan | Feb |
03/31/03
Track and Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's men's and women's team finished second in the 2003 Bulldog Invitational Saturday at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track.
State's men scored 161 points overall, finishing behind Indiana State's 202 points. MSU's women closed the meet with 147 points, coming in behind Indiana State, who had 152 1/2 points.
The men had a great afternoon, adding five regional qualifiers to their ranks and improving on another qualifying mark. Five Bulldogs and one relay team won their event in the team's second home meet of the year.
MSU went 1-2-3 in the 100-meter dash, with all-Americans Marquis Davis (10.16), Pierre Browne (10.25) and Glenn McFadden (10.57) dominating the event. Davis and Browne both qualified for NCAA Regionals with their times.
The trio, along with junior Jamel Ashley, combined for a regional qualifying time in the 4x100m relay, winning the race in 40.41.
Sophomore LaChristopher Lewis took the 400m dash, clocking a qualifying mark of 47.28. Freshman Trey Hardee cleared 16-0 3/4 to win the pole vault and qualify for regionals.
Senior Kelvin Harris improved his top mark of the season in the 110m hurdles, taking the race in 14.06. Senior Chris Boldt also won the 1500m for the second straight week. He finished the race in 3:52.03.
MSU's women had one standout performance on the afternoon. Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams shattered another school record in the 800-meter run, winning the two-lap event in 2:05.78.
Sophomore Meggan Hodge also set a new school record in the 3000m steeplechase. She crossed the finish line in 10:59.55 to take first in the event.
Other Lady Bulldogs with event wins include Jennifer McPherson in the 1500m (4:41.61), Mina Thorstenson in the 5000m (18:00.70), Le'Kisha Barnaby Pope in the 100m hurdles (14.38), Lacey Johnson in the long jump (18-5 1/4) and Crystal Averitt in the discus (146-3).
State track heads to Austin for the Texas Relays, beginning Wed., April 2.
Source: MSU Media Relations
The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs finished in 16th place with a combined score of 628. MSU fired a 315 in the first round and improved in the second round with a 313. The Lady Linksters finished three strokes behind SEC West rival, Louisiana State.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by freshman Sofie Andersson, who fired a 153 total. Anna Knutsson finished three strokes behind Andersson. Beth Irwin finished with a 159 and tied for 63rd. Sophomore Janet Dyer was one stroke back of Irwin in a tie for 69th and Catalina Olarte finished the tournament in 84th.
Defending tournament and National Champion, Duke took top team honors with a total team score of 580. SEC foes Vanderbilt and Georgia rounded out the top spots. The tournament medallist was Nuria Clau of Wake Forest. Clau won the tiebreaker over Kristy McPherson of South Carolina and Courtney and May Wood of Vanderbilt.
The Lady Bulldogs will compete in the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic April 4-6 in Baton Rouge.
Source: MSU Media Relations
On court one, MSU's duo of Marcelle Hirt and Magdi Rekasi fought hard against the No. 3 ranked tandem of Agata Cioroch and Lori Grey. Hirt and Rekasi fell 9-7 after tying the score numerous times. Elaine Fagan and Anastasia Kugakolva dropped their match 8-3 to Alex Smith and Douglas Wink at the second position. At No. 3, Patricia Assumpcao and Yumi Ueda, in only their second doubles match together, fell 8-1 to Tina Hojnik and Evgenia Subbotina.
In singles action, Rekasi dropped her match at the first position to No. 1 ranked Ciroch, 6-0, 6-0. Fagan fell to Evgenia Subbotina, at the fifth position, 6-0, 6-1. Assumpcao was defeated by Alex Smith, 6-1, 6-0, on court six. Smith clinched the game winning point for Georgia with this win.
Hirt fell 6-3, 6-1, to Georgia's No. 56th ranked Tina Hojniki at No. 3. At the fourth position, Ueda was defeated by Lori Grey, 6-2, 6-3. Kugakolova, on court two, fell 6-4, 6-4 to Anne Nguyen after coming back from down 1-5 in the second set.
State travels to Baton Rouge next to take on the LSU Tigers at 2 p.m. at the W.T. "Dub" Robinson Tennis Stadium on Friday, April 4. On Sunday, the Lady Bulldogs will return home for their final home match against the Lady Razorbacks of Arkansas. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
State gained the first point of the day by claiming victories at the No. 2 and 3 doubles positions, a point that would ultimately prove to be very important in the match. MSU is now 6-0 this season when claiming doubles play.
After Georgia (7-11, 3-5) posted an 8-2 win at the No. 1 position, Rene-Charles Combette and Max Fomine evened things for MSU with an 8-4 victory at No. 3 over UGA's pair of Will Glenn and Jason Varela. That left the No. 2 spot to decide things. It would be there that State's Florent Girod and Michael Hailey overcame a 4-2 deficit to rally and down Strahinja Bobusic and Raian Luchici 8-6 at No. 2.
In singles, things got close as the teams split first sets at three apiece, but MSU would eventually win the three matches it had gained the advantage in for the victory as well as post a comeback win in another contest.
MSU grabbed a 2-0 lead when junior all-American Romain Ambert, ranked 25th nationally, downed UGA's third-ranked Bo Hodge at the No. 1 spot for his third straight win. Ambert led 6-2, 3-1 when Hodge retired due to injury.
Georgia trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory from Varela over Bulldog Matt Armstrong at No. 6, but State answered that setback with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph from Fomine, ranked 123rd, over Luchici at No. 4. UGA bounced back again, cutting the lead to 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-2 win from 39th-ranked Nicolas Boeker over Combette at No. 2.
That left the final two matches of the day on courts 3 and 5. Both of those contests would go to a third set to make for a tight finish, but State would claim both to secure the win.
It wouldn't take long for MSU to claim the one point it needed as senior Jerome Le Belicard cruised in the final frame of his match to down Georgia's Stephan Timu 7-5, 1-6, 6-0 to clinch the team win. The MSU rookie Girod then overcame a set deficit to down Bobusic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) at No. 5 for the final point of the day and his third triumph in four outings.
"I don't care if I've already said it a thousand times this year, we won this match because we fought hard and kept playing and doing the things we were supposed to do," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Any time you beat Georgia, it's a good day, particularly in Athens. This was an outstanding weekend and I am very proud of our guys.
"We have had our share of adversity this year and it has taken us a while to adjust to that. But our team has never quit working and this weekend it paid off. The guys are playing well right now and just have to continue to battle and do the things (assistant coach) Jeremy (Bayon) and I are telling them to do for the rest of the season."
State returns home this Friday, April 4, to host 20th-ranked LSU. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs will then meet No. 26 Arkansas in Fayetteville Sunday before closing out the regular season on Saturday, April 12, hosting fifth-ranked, arch-rival Mississippi as part of Super Bulldog Weekend activities.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Williams' heroics highlighted a 1-for-3 day for the Katy, Texas, native, while two of her teammates turned in multi-hit showings. Jennifer Nelson scored twice on a 2-for-4 day, while Lindsay Nelson crossed the plate once on the same tally. Kate Jaspers drove in a pair of runs with a 1-for-3 performance and all-American Iyhia McMichael stretched her career-long hitting streak to 21 games on a 1-for-2 knock with a pair of walks and one RBI. Second baseman Nikki Jones hit 2-for-4 with a run scored and a two RBI to lead Kentucky.
Melissa Massey (17-6) recorded her second-straight victory, striking out five and allowing a trio of earned runs over her 12th complete game of the campaign to notch the victory for MSU. Kentucky starter Amy Kendall (6-13) took the loss for Kentucky despite surrendering just one earned run on nine MSU hits in six innings of work.
"We started off slow and we got in trouble a couple of times," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We walked their eight and nine batters in the third and then gave up a triple to their leadoff kid. Then, we have her out at the plate and don't make the play. All of a sudden we are behind and we get in a situation where we have runners on base every inning and can't get the big hit.
"It was big in that sixth inning. J.J. (Jennifer Jessup) was struggling a little bit to get on top of the ball, but she gave us a good hard hit up the middle to give us a start and, obviously, Callye gave us a big hit. You have to look at Kate Jaspers coming up big for us as well with a couple of insurance runs."
Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead on Brooke Best's RBI single in the second, but Kentucky took advantage of defensive lapses by the Bulldogs in the third to plate three runs of their own. Massey walked UK's eight and nine hitters to start off the inning and set the table for Jones who laced a base-clearing double to rightfield. A groundout moved Jones within 60 feet of the plate, before Lyndsey Angus' RBI groundout finished off the damage and gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.
The Bulldogs got to within one on McMichael's RBI single in the third, then came up big in the sixth inning to put the game away. Jessup's hard hit up the middle was misplayed by Kentucky shortstop Rachel Friberg and, two batters later, Williams blasted a double to the gap in right centerfield to plate the runner. Best's hard shot to rightfield moved Williams to third and MSU took its second lead of the contest when Williams crossed the plate on Kendall's wild pitch.
The Bulldogs got two more runners on with consecutive singles by Tillman and Jennifer Nelson, then put both into scoring position on a double steal. Jaspers provided a pair of insurance runs moments later on a single to left centerfield.
Mississippi State will return to action on Thursday when the Bulldogs battle Southern Mississippi at Madison's Liberty Park as part of the M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic. First pitch of the event's featured game is set for 6:30 p.m. and tickets can be obtained by calling the MSU Athletic Ticket Office at (662) 325-2600.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/29/03
Softball
(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State (25-14, 5-8 SEC) scored in each of the first four innings, then held back a late surge by visiting Kentucky (9-22, 1-12) to beat the Wildcats, 7-6, in the series opener Saturday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
All-American Iyhia McMichael continued her recent offensive outburst, smacking three singles on a 3-for-4 tally with a pair of stolen bases to stretch her career-long hitting streak to 19 games. Jennifer Nelson highlighted a 1-for-4 tally with a three-run homer in the second, the first dinger of her career. Lindsay Nelson drove in a pair of runs on a 1-for-2 tally (R) to round out MSU's offensive leaders. Kentucky centerfielder Jessica Nance drove in a trio of runs on a 3-for-4 tally that paced the Wildcats.
Jennifer Nelson (6-4) won her second consecutive decision despite allowing five runs (one earned) on eight Kentucky hits. Courtney Frank came on in relief of Nelson in the sixth, allowing just a lone unearned run on three hits, to notch her second save of the season. Amy Kendall (6-12) took the loss for the 'Cats after allowing seven runs on nine hits.
Kentucky used a pair of hits and a fielding error by second baseman Brooke Best to plate a pair of runs in the first, but Mississippi State responded by scoring seven runs over the next four innings to take a 7-2 lead into the fifth. Kentucky utilized four hits and another error by the Bulldogs in the fifth to plate three runs and cut its deficit to a pair, 7-5, then got one run closer on Nikki Jones' RBI single in the sixth.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, KENTUCKY 6
Kentucky 200 031 0 - 6 11 3
Mississippi State 132 100 x - 7 9 3
Kendall and Angus; J. Nelson, Frank (6) and Waterman. W J. Nelson (6-4). L Kendall (6-12). Save Frank (2). 2B MSU, Jessup, L. Nelson. HR J. Nelson.
(Game 2) STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State (26-14, 6-8 SEC) exploded for five unearned runs in the fourth to break open an otherwise close game as the Bulldogs completed a doubleheader sweep of visiting Kentucky (9-23, 1-13 SEC) with a 7-0 win in Saturday's nightcap at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Iyhia McMichael highlighted a 3-for-3 day at the plate with her tenth homer of the campaign, driving in three runs, stealing two bases and scoring twice. Jennifer Nelson scored and drove in a run on a 1-fo4 tally in accouting for State's other RBI. Second baseman Nikki Jones delivered a 2-for-3 showing to pace the visiting Wildcats. McMichael's three hits in the contest stretched her career-long hitting streak to 20 games.
MSU starter Melissa Massey put an end to a personal two-game skid by dominating the Bluegrass felines, striking out four and allowing just three hits over her fifth shutout of the campaign. Crystalie Wolfe (0-3) allowed seven runs on 10 Maroon and White knocks to saddle the loss for Kentucky.
"It was nice to see Melissa come out and dominate a ballgame for a change," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "She struggled the last the last few outings and for her to come out and throw a shutout is a big step for her."
"We hit the ball very well. That's what we need to do come out and put some runs on the board. In the first game, we put some runs up early and then sort of hung on. We got the outs when we needed them today. Courtney (Frank) came into the first game and shut the door and picked up a big save for us. The second game, it took us a while to get going, but we finally got a big hit from Iyhia to bust it open."
Both teams' offenses proved stagnant until the fourth inning when the Bulldogs took advantage of a crucial two-out error by Jones. With the bases juiced and a pair of outs on the board, Kate Jaspers' hard grounder was misplayed by Jones, allowing a pair of runners to score for the 2-0 lead and leaving the Bulldogs with two more runners in scoring position. McMichael finished the damage two pitches later, smacking a 1-0 offering from Wolfe over the fence in right centerfield for the 5-0 lead.
Mississippi State stretched its lead to 6-0 on Jennifer Nelson's RBI infield single in the sixth, then provided the final when McMichael raced home on a wild pitch in the sixth.
Mississippi State and Kentucky will close out their series on Sunday afternoon when the squads return to the Mississippi State Softball Field for the series finale at 12:30 p.m. Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, KENTUCKY 0
Kentucky 000 000 0 - 0 3 3
Mississippi State 000 511 x - 7 10 0
Wolfe and Angus; Massey and Waterman. W Massey (16-6). L Wolfe (0-3). Save None. 2B MSU, McMichael, Waterman. HR MSU McMichael.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/25/03
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. - In its second showing of the spring season, the Mississippi State Soccer team got back on track as the Bulldogs swept through the competition with a perfect 2-0 showing at its home tournament on Saturday.
The Bulldogs will get back into action on Tuesday evening when the squad travels to Memphis for a matchup with a club organization from Ireland. Following Tuesday’s action, Mississippi State will next travel to Jackson on April 5 to battle cross-state nemesis Mississippi in the Magnolia Cup.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Mississippi State continues its spring tournament schedule this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with round-robin volleyball competition at the University of Alabama Invitational.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/24/03
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. Mississippi State's 41st-ranked men's tennis team came just short of upsetting 10th-ranked Kentucky Sunday afternoon at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, as the Wildcats claimed a 4-3 victory over the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference action.
The setback dropped State to 5-9 overall, 1-5 in the SEC. UK improved to 12-7, 4-2. The win was the first for the Wildcats in Starkville since 1992.
State continues SEC play this coming weekend with a pair of road contests. The Bulldogs will travel to 33rd-ranked Tennessee this Friday, March 28, before visiting 17th-ranked Georgia next Sunday, March 30.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Three different MSU players turned in noteworthy days at the plate. Brooke Best drove in a run on a 2-for-3 tally, while fellow middle infielder Lindsay Nelson went perfect, getting a pair of hits on two trips to the plate. Two-time all-SEC outfielder Iyhia McMichael extended her hitting streak to a career-long 15 games, scoring a run on a 1-for-3 hitting performance. Angela Brewer drove in five runs on 2-for-3 tally, including her fifth home run of the campaign, to lead seven Lady Vols with double-digit hitting tallies.
MSU starter Melissa Massey (15-5) lasted just seven outs in the game, allowing six earned runs on six hits and one walk from the Big Orange, to saddle the loss for the Maroon and White. Stephanie Owens came on in relief of Massey with one out in the third and did not fare much better, surrendering seven earned runs on eight Tennessee hits throughout the remainder of the inning. Summer Delaneuville walked two and gave up two hits in allowing three earned runs to cross the plate in the fourth. Tennessee freshman Stacey Jennings (15-7) captured her second win of the series after scattering seven hits and allowing just a lone earned run.
The Bulldogs will return home on Wednesday to face their first opponent from the SEC's Western Division. State will face eighth-ranked LSU (21-9, 4-4) in a rare midweek conference series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two will open their set with a Wednesday evening doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. and will close out the series on Thursday with a single game set to begin at 4 p.m. Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
TENNESSEE 16, MISSISSIPPI STATE 2 (5 Innings)
Mississippi State 011 00 - 2 7 0
Tennessee 026 8x - 16 16 1
Massey, Owens (3), Delaneuville (4) and Waterman; Jennings and Durant. W Jennings (15-7). L Massey (15-5). Save None. 2B MSU, Best (1). UT Card (6), Jennings (4). 3B J. Nelson (4). HR UT, Mattox (5), Brewer (5).
Source: MSU Media Relations
Freshman Sofie Andersson leads the Lady Bulldogs as she fired a 79 the second round. She is in a seven-way tie for 36th place. Also competing for Mississippi State is Anna Knutsson tied for 52nd. Beth Irwin three strokes back of Knutsson in 63rd place for the second day. Sophomore Janet Dyer, in her first tournament, is in a tie for 69th, as teammate Catalina Olarte is in 84th.
Nuria Clau of Wake Forest, Kristy McPherson of south Carolina, and Courtney Wood and May Wood of Vanderbilt are tied for first after the first two rounds with a 142. The team leader is Duke University with a two-day total of 580. SEC rivals Vanderbilt and Georgia round out the top three teams.
The Bryan National Tournament will conclude Sunday with an 8:30 a.m. with shotgun start. The Lady Bulldogs next tournament is April 4-6 in Baton Rouge, as MSU will participate in the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/23/03
Softball
(Game 1) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Homestanding Tennessee (24-11, 3-4 SEC) put together multi-run rallies in three different innings and rode a three-hit shutout from freshman pitcher Stacey Jennings to snap a three-game home skid to visiting Mississippi State (22-11, 2-5) with a 8-0 rout of the Bulldogs in
the series opener at Tyson Park on Saturday afternoon.
State mustered just three hits singles from freshman Callye Williams (1-for-2) and Krystal Tillman (1-for-2) and a triple from Iyhia McMichael (1-for-2) which pushed her hitting streak to 13 games. Tennessee got multi-hit performances from the heart of its lineup, led by catcher Kristi Durant who drove in a trio of runs on a perfect 2-for-2 hitting day. Amber Rhinehart (2-for-2, 2 RBI, R) and Angela Brewer (1-for-1) both homered for the Big Orange.
State starter Melissa Massey (14-4) lasted just one inning after giving up a pair of runs on three Lady Vols hits. Courtney Frank worked two innings allowing three earned runs on four hits, while freshman Summer Delaneuville worked three outs, allowing three earned runs on a trio of Lady Vol knocks. Jennings (14-7) faced just 18 batters in recording a three-hit shutout for UT.
TENNESSEE 8, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 (5 Innings)
Mississippi State 000 00 - 0 3 0
Tennessee 212 3x - 8 10 0
Massey, Frank (2), Delaneuville (4) and Waterman; Jennings and Durant. W Jennings (14-7). L Massey (14-4). Save None. 2B UT, Card (4), Durant 2 (8). 3B MSU, McMichael (5). HR UT, Rhinehart (3), Brewer (4).
(Game 2) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Visiting Mississippi State (23-11, 3-5 SEC) sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run, seven-hit fourth as the Bulldogs stormed back to tie its series with homestanding Tennessee (24-12, 3-5) with an 11-7 victory over the Lady Vols in game two of the three-game set Saturday afternoon at Tyson Park.
Five different players recorded multi-hit days at the plate for the Maroon and White, led by juniors Jennifer Waterman (2-for-2, BB) and Jennifer Jessup (2-for-4), who each drove in a trio of runs. Iyhia McMichael extended her hitting streak to 14 games, scoring three runs on a 2-for-3 tally with two doubles, a walk and a RBI, Jennifer Nelson scored a pair of runs on a 3-for-5 clip and Krystal Tillman drove in a pair and scored two runs on a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Five different Lady Vols also recorded multi-hit days, led by Amber Rhinehart who homered and drove in two runs on a perfect 2-for-2 tally with a pair of walks.
MSU starter Jennifer Nelson allowed three earned runs on six Lady Vol hits through two innings before giving way to Melissa Massey (15-4) who captured the victory despite surrendering four runs on five hits by the Big Orange. Reliever Stephanie Owens worked the last five outs of the game, allowing just a lone hit, to pick up her fifth save of the campaign.
Tennessee righthander Stephanie Humphrey started and then relieved and finished the contest for the hosts, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and three walks, but got the no decision. Christy Anch (4-3) came on in relief of Humphrey with one out in the first, but allowed four earned runs on six MSU hits to saddle the loss.
Mississippi State and Tennessee will close out its series with the rubber match on Sunday afternoon at Tyson Park. First pitch of the series finale is set for 1 p.m. EST.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 11, TENNESSEE 7
Mississippi State 200 630 0 - 11 15 4
Tennessee 300 130 0 - 7 12 1
J. Nelson, Massey (3), Owens (6) and Waterman; Humphrey (1,4), Anch (1), Jennings (4) and Durant, Sanders (5). W Massey (15-4). L Anch (4-3). Save Owens (5). 2B MSU, McMichael 2 (6); Jessup (8); Tillman (6). UT, Card (5), Durant (9), Fishback (3). HR UT, Rhinehart (4). SF MSU, Waterman (2).
Source: MSU Media Relations
The Bulldogs gained 174 points in the first outdoor meet of 2003, winning over LSU by 12.5 points. The Lady Bulldogs finished 19 points behind the LSU Lady Tigers, who won the women's side.
State's women, however, had better individual showing in events at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track. Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams broke her old school record in the 1500-meter run, winning the race in 4:18.52. That mark qualifies her for NCAA Regionals in Columbus, Ohio., May 30-31.
Sophomore Crystal Averitt also had a record-setting day. The Boyd, Texas, native won the hammer throw competition with a new school record of 175-7. That was the first of Averitt's two regional qualifying marks, as she also threw 150-11 in the discus to qualify in that as well. She finished second in the discus and third in the javelin (117-5).
Meggan Hodge also won the 3000-meter run Saturday afternoon. The sophomore from Beaumont, Alberta, completed the 7 1/2-lap race in 10:14.57. Freshman Mina Thorstenson came in first the 5000m (17.45.27).
MSU's men had three qualifying marks and eight first-place finishes in the home opener. All-American sophomore Glenn McFadden won the 100m and 200m, qualifying for regionals with his 20.89 mark in the 200-meter dash. McFadden also anchored the 4x100m relay team with Kelvin Harris, LaChristopher Lewis and Keston Nelson to a win (40.85).
Lewis also ranked first the long jump competition. The Coldwater, Miss., native leaped 23-10 to outdistance the field.
Seniors Kelvin Harris and Chris Boldt both won events to start their final outdoor campaign. Harris ran a regional-qualifying time of 14.17 to finish first in the 110m high hurdles. Boldt won the 1500m but just missed a qualifying mark with his time of 3:50.11.
Sophomore Matthew Denton won the high jump, clearing the qualifying mark of 6-9 1/2. J.D. Erickson, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., won the hammer throw with a toss of 156-2.
MSU will be home again next Saturday, March 29 with the Bulldog Invitational. State hosts the Bulldog High School Invitational on Friday afternoon.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/20/03
Softball
(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. Mississippi State (21-10) took a four-run lead after just three innings, then invoked the mercy rule with four more in the bottom of the fifth, to take the doubleheader opener from visiting Birmingham Southern (11-20) with a 8-0 victory in five innings Wednesday evening at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 8, BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN 0 (5 Innings)
Birmingham Southern 000 00 - 0 3 0
Mississippi State 211 04 - 8 8 0
Haggard and Shelton; Massey and Waterman. W Massey (14-3). L Haggard (2-6). Save None. 3B MSU, Jaspers (4). HR MSU, McMichael (9), Waterman (1). SH MSU, Jaspers.
(Game 2) STARKVILLE, Miss. Mississippi State (22-10) rallied for single runs in the third and fifth innings, then put a tight game out of reach with two more in the sixth to complete a doubleheader sweep of visiting Birmingham Southern (11-21) Wednesday evening at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Mississippi State will step back into conference play this weekend when the squad travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-game series with the Tennessee Lady Vols. The two will open their set with a 1 p.m. EST Saturday afternoon doubleheader and close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Tyson Park.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN 0
Birmingham Southern 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
Mississippi State 001 012 x - 4 7 0
Treadwell and Cantrell; Frank and Brown. W Frank (4-2). L Treadwell (5-7). Save None. 3B MSU, McMichael (4). 2B MSU, Waterman (13). SH BSC, Fuhrmann. MSU, Tillman.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/17/03
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. Tenth-ranked Georgia (26-4, 5-1 SEC) put together a seven-run seventh inning and coasted for much of the game as the SEC Eastern Division-leading Bulldogs took its series with Mississippi State (20-10, 2-4) with a 9-0 victory in the rubber match of the set Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Mississippi State will return to action on Wednesday when the Bulldogs close out a five-game homestand by hosting a doubleheader with Birmingham Southern. First pitch of the twinbill is set for 5 p.m. at the Mississippi State Softball Field and admission is free.
NO. 10 GEORGIA 9, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 (5 Innings)
Georgia 002 70 - 9 11 0
Mississippi State 000 00 - 0 2 0
Green and McKeon; Massey, Owens (5) and Waterman. W Green (16-2). L Massey (13-3). Save None. HR UGA, Barber, Green.
Source: MSU Media Relations
AUBURN, Ala. Despite playing with a lineup depleted with three significant injuries, Mississippi State's 36th-ranked men's tennis team hung tough before dropping a 5-2 decision to 24th-ranked Auburn Sunday on the road.
With the setback, State fell to 5-7 overall on the season, 1-3 in Southeastern Conference action. Auburn improved to 9-4, 3-3, while winning for the fourth straight time in the series between the teams.
MSU now returns home this coming weekend to host a pair of top 25 teams on the MSU campus. State will welcome 21st-ranked Vanderbilt this Friday at 2 p.m. before entertaining ninth-ranked Kentucky next Sunday at 1 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
State will take a week off and return to action Friday, March 28, to host the Lady Vols of Tennessee at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The match is set to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/16/03
Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Mississippi State closed out the indoor season with a pair of runner-up individual finishes at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Senior Pierre Browne added a fifth all-America award to his collection in Saturday's 60-meter dash final. The Toronto native rewrote the school record book again, clocking a 6.60 in the finals. East Carolina's Julien Dunkley took the national championship with a time of 6.54.
This was Browne's second placing in the NCAA 60m finals, finishing seventh one year ago. He ran his previous best time on the Randal Tyson Track Center straightaway in the Golden Spikes 60m race in February.
"I felt ready to race," stated Browne. "Dunkley was just a little stronger today. I'm still very happy with the results."
Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams ended the indoor season second in the women's mile. The Red Bay, Ala., native became the second MSU female to become an all-American indoors. She finished the race in 4:36.51, coming in behind Northern Arizona's Johanna Nilsson.
"The first half of the race was slow," said McWilliams. "I wanted to pick it up in the last 800 and did that. I just was not fast enough today."
Sophomore Glenn McFadden took home his first all-America award. He finished 10th in the 200m preliminaries but was the eighth American in the final rankings.
State's men finished tied for 13th in the country, earning 16 points, the most in school history at the indoor championships. Arkansas' men took the team title. MSU's women's team came in tied for 23rd in the country garnering eight points. It's the highest team finish in school history. LSU took the women's title with 62 points.
"This isn't exactly the way we wanted things to go, especially on the men's side," head coach Al Schmidt said. "But getting three NCAA runner-ups is incredible. We feel really good about the effort and hope to improve on both sides outdoors."
MSU starts the outdoor season next Saturday, March 22 at home with the SEC Quadrangular. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs host Alabama, LSU and Arkansas at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track. Events are slated to begin at 10 a.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Mississippi State and Georgia will play the rubber match of their series tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m. when the two lace up for game three of the series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 2, NO. 10 GEORGIA 0
Georgia 000 000 0 - 0 5 0
Mississippi State 001 010 x - 2 7 0
Gardner and McKeon; Massey and Waterman. W Massey (13-2). L Gardner (8-2). Save None. 2B UGA, Jarvis. MSU, Waterman, Brown.
(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. Georgia (25-3, 4-0 SEC) scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, then held back a handful of Mississippi State (19-9, 1-3) opportunities to defeat the Bulldogs, 8-2, in the series opener Saturday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
NO. 10 GEORGIA 8, MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
Georgia 010 033 1 - 8 11 1
Mississippi State 000 020 0 - 2 6 2
Green, Davidson (7) and McKeon; J. Nelson, Frank (6) and Brown. W Green (16-2). L J. Nelson (4-3). Save Davidson. 2B UGA, Milner 2. MSU, Tillman. 3B UGA, Green. SF UGA, McKeon.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Auburn is again the team leader after two rounds with a two-over par outing (284-286=570). Jay Mundy of Auburn is the new individual leader shooting a 68 on day two (70-68=138).
Tee times for the final round of competition will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 16.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/15/03
Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Junior Marquis Davis ranked second in the NCAA Indoor Championships 200m finals on day one of the meet, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
Davis finished second in the 200m for the second straight year. The now three-time, all-American's time of 20.70 set a new school record, breaking his previous best mark set at the Rod McCravy Memorial earlier this year. He won his heat in the finals and came in second behind Kansas' Leo Bookman.
"It was a hard day for me," Davis said. "I haven't run the 200 in a month. In the finals, I just went out and said that no one would catch me. I just gave it all I got till I got to the line."
In preliminary action, senior Pierre Browne advanced to the 60-meter dash finals on Saturday by virtue of winning the first heat Friday. The four-time, all-American clocked in at 6.64 on the same track he tied the school record on earlier this year. Browne will start in lane three in the finals, which are set for 7:15 p.m.
Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams also runs in a final on Saturday. The Red Bay, Ala., native finished the mile in 4:38.11, the best time in the preliminaries. She starts in lane eight in the finals.
State's men end day one tied for 13th after seven events. MSU's women failed to score on the opening day, coming in 14th in the distance medley relay. LSU's women have a one-point lead over Indiana and Stanford, while Arkansas' men lead with 19 points, just three ahead of Nebraska.
The NCAA Indoor Championships conclude Saturday in the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Events begin with the women's weight throw at 2 p.m. MSU's first event, the women's mile, is slated for 6:05 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
"This was a big win for our team," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "It was big because it was close and because it was against a very good Alabama team on the road. We have had so many close matches like this go the other way on us in the past couple of years, it feels good to finally get one to go our way.
"Our guys really did a nice job of continuing to fight and play their games today and that was what made the difference in this match. Now we have to focus on another difficult test at Auburn Sunday."
The Bulldogs return to action Sunday, continuing their road trip at 24th-ranked Auburn. Match time is set for 1:30 p.m. at AU's Luther Young Tennis Center.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Next, Mississippi State will host the Auburn Tigers this Sunday, March 16, at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in a match set to start at 1 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/13/03
Softball
CONWAY, S.C. Three-time all-region selection Holly Lee's two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth helped homestanding Coastal Carolina (14-7) overcome 10 hits by Mississippi State (19-8) and defeat the visiting Bulldogs, 7-6, Wednesday evening at the Coastal Carolina Softball Field.
Jennifer Waterman (2-for-3, R) and freshman Callye Williams (2-for-3, HR) each turned in a pair of multi-hit showings to key the Maroon and White's seventh double digit hitting performance of the season. Williams also joined Jennifer Jessup and Iyhia McMichael in hitting home runs. Rightfielder Suzanne Kimbrell paced the Chanticleers on a 2-for-2 showing with a trio of RBI.
MSU starter Melissa Massey worked just two-thirds of an inning, surrendering three earned runs on three hits and three walks, before being pulled in favor of freshman reliever Stephanie Owens. Owens (0-1), an Easley, S.C., native, suffered her first loss of the season after giving up four earned runs on seven Coastal Carolina hits. Chanticleer reliever Brittany Nelson (3-2) came on at the start of the third inning and surrendered just one run on four hits to get the victory for Coastal.
Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs lace up to host the SEC East-leading Georgia Bulldogs (24-3) in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two will open the set with a 12 p.m. Saturday doubleheader and close out the series on Sunday afternoon with a single game at 12:30.
COASTAL CAROLINA 7, MISSISSIPPI STATE 6
Mississippi State 231 000 0 - 6 10 0
Coastal Carolina 310 012 x - 7 10 0
Massey, Owens (1) and Waterman; Tolleson, Nelson (3) and Hastings. W Nelson (3-2). L Owens (0-1). Save None. 2B MSU, Williams, Jaspers. CCU, Thompson, Hostetlet, Kimbrell. HR MSU, Jessup, McMichael, Williams. CCU, Lee.
(Game 1) CONWAY, S.C. Mississippi State (19-7) rallied for multiple runs in three different innings to overcome a shaky pitching performance and clinch its series with Coastal Carolina (13-7) with a 10-2 victory in six innings Wednesday afternoon at the Coastal Carolina Softball Field.
Brooke Best's three-run homer in the second inning highlighted a 1-for-3 day with a pair of runs scored for the senior, with Jennifer Nelson driving in a pair of runs on a 2-for-4 showing at the plate. Krystal Tillman scored a pair of runs on a 2-for-3 tally, while freshman Callye Williams drove in and scored a run on a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Holly Lee homered and scored two runs on a 2-for-4 tally that paced the Chanticleers.
Bulldog starter Jennifer Nelson (4-2) struggled for much of the game, but allowed just a pair of earned runs on seven hits and seven walks to take the victory for the Maroon and White. Coastal Carolina starter Christine Doyle (8-3) surrendered six runs on seven MSU hits to saddle the loss for the Chanticleers.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 10, COASTAL CAROLINA 2 (6 Innings)
Mississippi State 030 030 4 - 10 11 1
Coastal Carolina 001 000 1 - 2 7 2
J. Nelson and Brown; Doyle, Hvizdak (7) and Hastings. W J. Nelson (4-2). L Doyle (8-3). Save None. 2B MSU, Williams. CCU, Josephson, Lee. 3B MSU, J. Nelson. HR MSU, Best, Tillman. CCU, Lee.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/12/03
Track and Field
As they head into the NCAA Indoor Championship this weekend, the MSU men's and women's teams are 13th and 17th in the latest Trackwire 25 rankings.
Jennifer Jessup turned in MSU's only multi-hit showing of the day as the junior tallied a 2-for-3 showing at the plate with a pair of doubles and a RBI. Best's second homer of the campaign gave her a 1-for-3 day as the senior paced four other Bulldogs with base hits. Coastal's Holly Lee homered once on a 1-for-3 showing to pace the Chanticleers.
Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey (12-2) was dominant through the first three innings, but had to hold back a late surge by the hosts. Massey worked her ninth complete game of the season, striking out two and allowing just three base hits, to take the victory. Chanticleer starter Morgan Tolleson (3-2) kept MSU off balance for much of the game, but saddled the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks.
Mississippi State will return to action Wednesday afternoon when the Bulldogs close out a seven-game road trip with a doubleheader against the Chanticleers. First pitch of the twinbill is set for 2 p.m. EST. The Bulldogs will return home this weekend when the Maroon and White host Georgia in a three-game set at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two will open their series with a 12 p.m. Saturday doubleheader and close out the series on Sunday afternoon with a single game at 12:30 p.m.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, COASTAL CAROLINA 3
Mississippi State 100 200 1 -- 4 6 0
Coastal Carolina 000 120 0 -- 3 3 0
Massey and Brown; Tolleson and Hastings. W - Massey (12-2). L - Tolleson (3-2). Save - None. 2B - MSU, Jessup 2, Waterman, Williams. HR - MSU, Best. CCU, Lee.
(Game 1) CONWAY, S.C. -- Mississippi State (17-7) took a three-run lead into the fourth, then put the game away with a six-run sixth inning, as the Bulldogs' recorded a double-digit hit total for the fifth time this season in a 9-1 rout of Monmouth (2-3) Wednesday afternoon in Conway, S.C.
Five different players recorded multi-hit days for the Maroon and White, including Jennifer Waterman who tallied her team-leading ninth and 10th doubles of the campaign on a 2-for-3 clip with a trio of RBI. Iyhia McMichael (2-for-3, RBI, 3 R), Jennifer Nelson (2-for-3, R), Blaire Brown (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Krystal Tillman (2-for-3, R) also tallied a pair of hits for the Bulldogs. Four different players recorded base hits for the Hawks.
MSU starter Courtney Frank (3-2) eased through the Monmouth lineup in a complete game showing, scattering four hits and striking out one in six innings of work to earn the win for Mississippi State. Monmouth starter Lori Padgett allowed nine earned runs on 12 MSU hits and five walks to take the loss for the Hawks.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 9, MONMOUTH 1 (6 INNINGS)
Monmouth 000 100 -- 1 4 1
Mississippi State 201 006 -- 9 12 0
Padgett and Hulme; Frank and Waterman. W - Frank (3-2). L - Padgett (1-1). Save - None. 2B MONMOUTH, Hulme. MSU, McMichael, Waterman 2. HR MSU, Brown.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/10/03
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University women's tennis team (6-7, 0-4) fell 5-1 to the No. 13th-ranked Wildcats of Kentucky (13-5, 3-1) at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Sunday.
Next, State returns home on Friday, March 14, t host the Crimson Tide of Alabama in a match set for 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU will also host Auburn the following Sunday at 1 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
"Melissa struggled early, but she settled down the rest of the way," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We fought back and had our chances, but it was just one of those games. We had our chances in the fourth and in the seventh, but we just couldn¹t get the big hit."
Mississippi State will return to action on Tuesday when the Bulldogs travel to Conway, S.C., to take on Monmouth and Coastal Carolina at the Coastal Carolina Softball Field. First pitch of the Monmouth contest is set for 12 p.m. EST, with MSU taking on the host-Chanticleers immediately following. MSU will close out its seven-game road trip on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Coastal Carolina.
NO. 13/15 SOUTH CAROLINA 5, MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
Mississippi State 100 100 0 - 2 8 1
South Carolina 301 100 x - 5 10 2
Massey and Waterman; S. Johnson, Henkes (4) and A. Smith. W Henkes (9-1). L Massey (11-2). Save None. HR MSU, McMichael (7).
Source: MSU Media Relations
The New Haven, Conn., native clocked a 20.98 on the track in the Lied Recreational Facility, improving his top time of the year. McFadden should make his first individual appearance in an NCAA championship meet March 14 in Fayetteville, Ark. He was a member of State's 4x100m relay team that competed at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Pierre Browne finished third in the 200m event, finishing in 21.03. The senior from Toronto is automatically qualified in the 60-meter dash and will learn Monday whether he will compete in the 200 at Arkansas.
Junior Marquis Davis is the Bulldogs' other automatic qualifier, in both the 60m and 200m.
One Bulldogs' career likely came to a close at Iowa State. Dion Crabbe, a two-time, all-American finished tied for sixth in the 200m (21.28) and competed in the preliminaries of the 60m before withdrawing on the finals. He was a provisional qualifier in both the 60m and 200m coming in but did not improve his times Saturday. Crabbe was just the third Bulldog to become an individual events double all-American in one meet. He placed in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
MSU's women's team had two competitors in the meet, but neither improved their times. Tiffany McWilliams finished third in the 3000-meter run (9:26.45), while Meggan Hodge finished fifth in the 5000m (17:01.79). McWilliams is automatically qualified in the mile and is a part of MSU's qualified distance medley relay team.
The NCAA will announce the field for the 2003 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Monday evening at 7 p.m. The meet will be held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., March 14-15.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/08/03
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University women's tennis team (6-6, 0-3) fell 7-0 to the Vanderbilt Commodores (10-3, 1-2) on Friday at the Brownlee O. Currey Tennis Complex in Nashville, Tenn.
Next, State travels to Kentucky on Sunday to take on the Wildcats at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in a match set for 1 p.m. ET. The Lady Bulldogs return home on Friday, March 14, to host Alabama at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/07/03
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. Sophomore defender Morgan McDonald joined 18 other Southeastern Conference soccer players on the honorable mention all-SEC squad released late Wednesday afternoon by the league office.
McDonald, who has played and started every game in her two-year career at Mississippi State, received at least one vote for the first team all-SEC squad. The honorable mention all-conference squad comes as a result of the passing of a proposal by the 12 SEC institution athletic directors last week.
"Morgan empitomizes what our program stands for," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "She is a young lady who works very hard, and is well deserving of this award. She was outstanding during her freshman year, and continues to be a leader who our younger players look up to."
McDonald played and started all 20 games for the Bulldog soccer team last season, collecting one shot from her sweeper position, but leading the team in defender saves (12) for the second consecutive campaign. She also averaged just more than 87 minutes played per contest and led the team in that category for the second-straight season as well. McDonald tallied just more than 1,749 minutes of playing time on the campaign and brought her career total to 3,647 minutes a number which ranks fourth on MSU's career lists.
Her 15 career defender saves rank first on MSU¹s career list.
Source: MSU Media Relations
An all-skills camp, as well as youth day camp a pitching and catching camp and a hitting camp, will be offered at various points in the month of June. The youth day camp is open to children ages 12 and under, while the pitching and catching camp and the hitting camp are open to kids ages 10 and under. The all-skills camp is limited to softball players ages 12 and older.
The youth day camp will be offered from June 2-6 with each athlete having an opportunity to work on all aspects of the game, with activities available to keep participants busy throughout the day. The youth day camp will run from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.
The all-skills camp, an overnight or commuter camp that will be offered from June 9-12, will cover all aspects of the game of softball which will be learned in both an individual and team setting. The athletes will have an opportunity to work with some of the top coaches in Mississippi and in the country, along with current and former Mississippi State softball players.
The pitching and catching camp that is offered on June 16 and 17 is designed to provide intensive instruction for both the softball pitcher and catcher. With two full days of activity, the athletes involved will have the opportunity to work in an individualized manner to improve their pitching and catching skills.
The hitting camp is designed to provide intensive instruction on how to be a better hitter with two full days of hitting skills and drills. The camp will build from the fundamentals of hitting to the advanced aspects. Both the pitching and catching camp and the hitting camp are offered as an overnight or commuter package.
Miller, who took over the helm of the Mississippi State softball program in August, has developed 18 all-American players over the past 15 years. He is a member of the USA national team coaching staff for the 2004 Olympic games and, in 1997, was selected as the Big XII Conference and Midwest Region coach of the year while serving as the skipper at Missouri. He has taken two teams to the NCAA Women's College World Series and five teams to the NCAA Regionals.
For more information on the MSU Softball summer camps, or to obtain an application, please contact camp administrators at (662) 325-0572. Applications for the clinics can also be obtained by logging on to Mississippi State's official athletic department website.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/06/03
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. After building a 14-0 lead through three innings, the Mississippi State Softball team (15-5) was forced to put its 10-game winning streak on hold as heavy rain forced the cancellation of the remainder of its contest with Samford (6-4) Wednesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
The game will not count in either team's win-loss record. Individual statistics accumulated in the three innings of play will also not be counted in official NCAA statistics.
The Maroon and White will return to action this weekend as the squad heads to Columbia, S.C., to open conference play with a three-game series against homestanding South Carolina (No. 15 USA Today/No. 13 ESPN.com). First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader at Beckham Field will be played at 1 p.m. EST, with Sunday's series finale slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/05/03
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. Riding its longest winning streak since the 1986 season, the Mississippi State softball team (15-5) will return home for a brief amount of time this week as the Bulldogs suit up to host Samford (4-4) in a afternoon doubleheader on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs, winners in the last 10 contests and 12 of the last 13, will head into Wednesday's twinbill days removed from capturing its second consecutive tournament title after taking the crown in the Florida State Seminole Challenge. The Maroon and White downed Syracuse twice and outlasted Pitt to take home the trophy. State began the weekend by upsetting then-No. 15 Florida State, 3-1, on Friday evening at the Seminole Softball Complex.
The wins caught the eye of at least one voter as State received votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll released Tuesday afternoon by the Amateur Softball Association. MSU is currently tied with SEC East rival Florida with 11 points just two spots outside the top 25.
For State to continue its trend, the 'Dogs must deal with a very capable Samford ballclub that has already shut down Auburn this season in a game on the Tigers' home turf. Samford is currently hitting .251 as a club, led by five players hitting .300 or better. One of those hitters, Michelle Wright, paces the club with three home runs and seven RBI, to go along with a .850 slugging percentage and a .481 on-base percentage.
"I'm hoping that these games will help us get back on track as we head into our conference opener in Columbia," Miller said. "The thing that we want to try and do is get some at-bats for some of our players, some innings for our pitchers and get all of our confidence back going into the weekend."
Following Wednesday's action, Mississippi State will dive into SEC play this weekend, traveling to Columbia, S.C., to face No. 13 South Carolina (12-5) in a three-game series at Beckham Field. State will then head to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for four days next week, taking on Monmouth and Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, then facing Coastal Carolina in a twinbill on Wednesday.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Benefield used a set play to notch her goal, scoring off Elke D'Hollander's serve into the box to give State a 1-0 lead it would hold for much of the contest. However, the Sooners got a pair of goals in sluggish field conditions to come back and escape with the victory.
State faced the Region III ODP team in its second and final contest of the tournament. The Region III club, which includes the best club players from the Southeast as well as the state of Texas, scored two quick goals and held on to defeat the Bulldogs. Mississippi State threatened to cut into the deficit on a handful of occasions in the second half as freshman Betty Ann Casey found her way through the Region III defense on a pair of occasions, but was stifled both times.
Mississippi State will continue its spring offseason competition on March 22 when the Bulldogs return home to take on a pair of club opponents in the GSA Phoenix and the Houston Challenge.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/03/03
Softball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Mississippi State (14-5) rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the eighth, then held off a furious rally by Pittsburgh (2-4) in the bottom of the inning, as the Bulldogs overcame a trio of errors by defeating Pittsburgh (4-5), 5-4, in extra innings Sunday afternoon in the second game of the Florida State Seminole Challenge.
MSU went on to win the Challenge with a 3-2 victory over Syracuse.
Jennifer Jessup's two-run gamewinning single in the extra frame highlighted a a 2-for-2 day at the plate for the East Dublin, Ga., native who also drew a pair of walks. Madison native Chelle McDonald scored a pair of runs on a career-high 3-for-4 tally at the plate, with Iyhia McMichael adding a 2-for-4 showing with a pair of RBI, including her fifth home run of the campaign in the top of the seventh. Krystal Tillman stretched her hitting streak to nine games on a 1-for-5 (RBI) tally at the plate. Designated player Kelly Hulpa recorded a pair of doubles in a 2-for-3 showing for the Panthers. It was the ninth-straight victory for the Bulldogs, dating back to a 15-4 win over Samford on Feb. 16.
MSU starter Jennifer Nelson (3-1) scattered eight hits and struck out two, allowing one earned run before giving way to freshman Stephanie Owens in the eighth. Owens allowed two hits in capturing her fourth save of the season. Pittsburgh's Nikki Gasti (2-3) surrendered five runs on eight hits and six walks to take the loss for the Panthers.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Men's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University men's golf team finished the LSU Spring Invitational tied with South Florida (295-291-308=894) in 10th-place. State shot a final round 306 strokes to end the three-day LSU hosted event at the University Club (par-72, 7,274 yard course).
Tournament host LSU took the team crown with a final day 290 strokes (289-289-290=868). LSU's John Humphries captured the individual honors with a five-under-par tournament showing (71-69-71=211).
Next, the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Conrad Rehling Spring Invitational held at the Capstone Club, 71-par, 6,996 yard course, on March 14-16.
Source: MSU Media Relations
With Sunday's setback, State fell to 4-6 overall, 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida improved to 11-2, 2-0. The Gators have taken six of the last eight meetings in the series between the teams.
The Bulldogs now have nearly two weeks off before their next action. State will hit the road to meet 11th-ranked Alabama on Friday, March 14, and 17th-ranked Auburn Sunday, March 16.
Source: MSU Media Relations
The all-South region cross country runner McWilliams became State's first female indoor SEC champion when she won the mile, clocking a 4:35.21. The NCAA automatic qualifier in the mile broke the school record for the third time this season.
McWilliams then went out and anchored the distance medley relay team of freshman Jennifer McPherson, junior Nicole Dunn and freshman Zita Magloire to the school's second indoor championship. The team finished in 11.26.32, beating second place South Carolina by over four seconds.
For State's men, four-time all-American Pierre Browne became the school's first indoor champion since 1991 when he took the 55-meter dash in 6.18. The Bulldogs' last indoor champion came when Festus Igbinoghene won the long jump.
Sophomore Matthew Denton cleared a personal-best 6-10 3/4 in the high jump, finishing third in the event. The Hurley, Miss., native finished seventh at the SEC Indoor Championships as a freshman.
J.D. Erickson, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., finished seventh in the weight throw with the second-best throw in school history. Erickson threw the 35-lb. weight 60-2 1/2, scoring in his second event of the weekend.
Sophomore Meggan Hodge scored the other women's point, ranking eighth in the 5000-meter run. She ran the 25-lap race in 17:00.89, the second-fastest time in MSU history.
MSU's relay teams both scored on Sunday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The men's distance medley team of Elmore McConnell, Jamel Ashley, James Kimbrough and Chris Boldt finished sixth. The 4x400m relay team of Kelvin Harris, LaChristopher Lewis, Glenn McFadden and Keston Nelson came in seventh.
State's women's team finished eighth overall, tying the team's highest finish ever. They scored 29 points, seven more than the team's previous best in 1988.
Arkansas swept the team titles, scoring 120 points with their men and 126 points on the women's side. State's men ended the meet in 10th place with 26 points.
MSU's NCAA provisional qualifiers will run in last chance meets next weekend, with most heading to Iowa State.
Source: MSU Media Relations
MU will continue SEC play next weekend. Lady Bulldogs travel to No. 9th-ranked Vanderbilt for a match set to begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Brownlee O. Currey Tennis Complex on Friday, March 7. On Sunday, State will take on the (#18) Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky., at 1 p.m. ET.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/02/03
Track and Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams finished second in the 3000-meter run while advancing to the finals in the mile on Saturday at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The Red Bay, Ala., native came in at 9:27.09 in the 3K, a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championships held at Arkansas on March 15-16. McWilliams also advanced to the finals of the mile with a 4:44.72 time, the best time on the day. MSU's women head into Sunday in sixth place with eight points.
Senior Pierre Browne led the men's team, advancing in both the 55- and 200-meter dashes. He ranked fifth in the 55m and eighth in the 200m.
Two other males advanced to the finals in their events. Senior Chris Boldt will run in the mile Sunday, clocking a 4:08.34 on the 200m flat track in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Sophomore LaChristopher Lewis also advanced in the 400m, provisionally qualifying for the NCAAs with a 41.64 in the race.
The men's team earned three points on the afternoon, with freshman Trey Hardee leading the way. The Vestavia Hills, Ala., native cleared a personal-best 16-8 3/4 in the pole vault, placing seventh in the event. The vault is the second-best in school history indoors.
Sophomore J.D. Erickson scored in his third straight conference championship meet, placing eighth in the shot put. His top throw in the event traveled 54-6.
Arkansas' men and women lead both sides. The Lady Razorbacks have 35 points after four events, while the Razorbacks earned 38 points in five events.
Events begin Sunday for State with the men's weight throw, slated to begin at 10 a.m. Running events begin on the University of Florida campus at 1 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Host LSU, Jacksonville State and South Alabama are all tied for first-place with 578 strokes. The individual leader is Ryan Gildersleeve of South Alabama. Gildersleeve shot a day two total of 71 leaving him at five-under-par.
The final day of the tournament is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Source: MSU Media Relations
03/01/03
Softball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Game 1) - Junior Iyhia McMichael's three-run home run gave visiting Mississippi State (12-5) a lead it would never relinquish as the Bulldogs posted their seventh-straight victory by upsetting 15th-ranked Florida State (12-6), 3-1, Friday evening at the Seminole Softball Complex.
McMichael's clutch hit highlighted a 1-for-3 night for the Nacogdoches, Texas, native who earned all-tournament recognition at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., last weekend as well. Kate Jaspers recorded a 2-for-3 night at the plate and Krystal Tillman scored a run on a 2-for-4 tally to pace the Bulldogs. All-ACC phenom Jessica van der Linden drove in a run on a 3-for-3 night for the 'Noles.
MSU starter Melissa Massey (9-1) proved near perfect on her way to recording her seventh-straight win, scattering six hits and striking out one. It was also her career-high ninth victory after going 8-14 for the Maroon and White as a freshman. Van der Linden (3-3) took the loss for Florida State, allowing a pair of earned runs on six hits.
Mississippi State is set to return to action later Friday evening as the Bulldogs battle Syracuse (4-4) in the opener of the Seminole Challenge at 8 p.m. EST. The Bulldogs will continue action in the round-robin gala Saturday morning when the Maroon and White battles Pittsburgh (2-3) at 11 a.m. and Syracuse at 5 p.m.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, NO. 15 FLORIDA STATE 1
Mississippi State 000 003 0 - 3 6 1
Florida State 100 000 0 - 1 6 1
Massey and Brown; van der Linden and Gay. W - Massey (9-1). L - van der Linden (3-3). Save - None. 2B: MSU, Jaspers (4), Tillman (1). HR: MSU, McMichael (4).
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Game 2) Mississippi State (13-5) took a two-run lead after four, then put the game away on Blaire Brown's two-run dong into the orchards in left centerfield in the fifth, as the Bulldogs won their eighth-straight with a 4-1 victory over Syracuse (4-5) in the opener of the Florida State Seminole Challenge.
Brown's second home run of the campaign sparked a 2-for-3 night for the Yucaipa, Calif., native while five of her teammates recorded base hits in the contest. Iyhia McMichael (1-for-3, R) and Brooke Best (1-for-3) also drove in runs for the victors. First baseman Jennifer Orpitelli¹s hit 1-for-3 at the plate with a solo homer to pace Syracuse.
Courtney Frank (2-2) notched her second consecutive victory after scattering four hits and striking out two through five innings of work. Freshman Stephanie Owens got her third save of the campaign, allowing no hits through the last six outs of the matchup. Tara DiMaggio (2-1) allowed four runs, on seven Mississippi State hits to take the loss for the Orangewomen. The two earned runs allowed by DiMaggiowere the first allowed this season by the senior.
Mississippi State will continue Seminole Challenge tournament play on Saturday when the Bulldogs suit up to face Pittsburgh (2-3) in an 11 a.m. CST contest at the Seminole Softball Complex. Following that game, State will get a few hours away from action before taking on Syracuse for the second time in Saturday's nightcap at 5 p.m.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, SYRACUSE 1
Syracuse 000 010 0 - 1 4 3
Mississippi State 001 120 x - 4 7 2
DiMaggio and Grillo; Frank, Owens (6) and Brown. W Frank (2-2). L DiMaggio (2-1). Save Owens (3). 2B: SU, Park. MSU, Waterman (6). 3B: MSU, Jessup (1). HR: SU, Orpitelli. MSU, Brown (2).
Source: MSU Media Relations
With the loss, State dropped to 4-5 overall. USC improved to 8-0. The match was the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. MSU still leads the overall series 11-4, but Carolina's four wins have come in the last six affairs between the schools.
The Bulldogs continue action Sunday, welcoming No. 2 Florida. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the Pitts Tennis Centre.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Next, State will face the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla., on Sunday in a match set to get underway at 1 p.m. ET.
Source: MSU Media Relations
Host No. 75th ranked LSU and No. 37th ranked Lamar are the team leaders after 18 holes with a 289, one-over-par showing. The individual leader is Wixson Huffstetler of Arkansas State. Huffstetler shot a 66 in the first round of play (-6).
Day two of the tournament is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Source: MSU Media Relations