The Mississippi State track and field team concluded its regular season with strong performances at the Music City Challenge and Tiger Paw Invite. State recorded 20 new personal bests and six program all-time top-five performances.
The Bulldogs' successful conclusion to the regular season was highlighted by the women's 4x400m team that recorded the women's fastest indoor time in almost a decade, with a time of 3:38.88 at the Tiger Paw Invite. The squad, featuring freshman Michaela McCall, sophomore Jessicka Woods and seniors Kethlin Campbell and Rosealee Cooper, now rank second on the all-time performance list at State. They sit 84 hundredths of a second behind the school record set in 2015.
Cooper, who set two new personal bests in Friday's competition, ran her third personal best performance of the weekend in the 200m with a time of 23.81, ranking second on the all-time performance list at State.
In the same event, freshman Jaitlyn Ware also ran a new personal best and earned a spot on the all-time top five performance list. Ware's time of 23.83 briefly ranked second on the list before Cooper, in the very next heat, surpassed her mark by two-hundredths of a second, placing Ware third on the all-time performance list.
In the men's 200m, Jordan Ware, Jaitlyn's twin brother, improved his time by 19 hundredths of a second, moving him from fourth to second on State's all-time performance list. Jordan's personal best time of 20.74 sits four-tenths of a second behind the school record that was set in 2003.
Mississippi State's success at The Music City Challenge started as early as the first event of Saturday's competition where four new personal bests were recorded in the 3000m. Highlighting the event was freshman Ramat Jimoh, who claimed second with a seven-second improvement on her previous best time. In the same event, freshman Brooklyn Quanz recorded the largest improvement of the weekend with a new personal best that was 14 seconds faster than her previous best.
Thrower Tafada Wright entered State's shot put all-time performance list for the first time with a personal best distance of 14.25m (46' 9"). Wright ranks fifth on the program's performance list and fourth on the weight throw list with her Friday's improved distance of 18.42 (60' 5.25").
Closing out the meet, 800m runner Tyrese Reid also remained in the same rank on State's top performance list but with an improved time of 1:47.87, which ranks 5th.
The Bulldogs will take a week off before returning to the track for their first post season competition when they head to the SEC Championships in Fayetteville, Ark, on February 23-24. Those who qualify will travel to Boston for the NCAA Indoor Championships held March 8-9 at New Balance's The Track.
Tiger Paw Invite
Saturday, Feb. 10
Schedule of Events (All Times in Central Time)
Field Events
Running Events
| Event | Place | Bulldogs / Notes |
| 800m (W) – Finals | 24th DNF |
Kennedy Jackson – 2:22.75 / PR Anje Nel |
| 800m (M) – Finals | 2:23.12 DNF DNS |
Nic Lawshea Samuel Smith Alfonso Hale Jr. |
| 200m (W) – Semifinals | 27th 29th 72nd DNS |
Rosealee Cooper – 23.81, Ranked 2nd on all-time top performance list Jaitlyn Ware – 23.83 / PR, Ranked 3rd on all-time top performance list Chanice Spicer Rickyla Fagan |
| 200m (M) – Finals | 3rd 38th 48th 55th |
Jordan Ware – 20.74 / PR, Ranked 2nd on all-time top performance list Shamar Rose – 21.52 / SB Keldrick Turner – 21.79 Kennedy Stringfellow – 21.89 |
| 4x400 (W) | 12th 23rd |
A: J. Ware, R. Cooper, M. Mcall, K. Campbell – 3:38.88 / SB / Ranked 2nd on all-time top performance list B: – 3:47.98 |
| 4x400 (M) | 6th 22nd DNF |
A: J. Hale, S. Daniels, D. Simmonds, C. Barker – 3:07.91 / SB C: 3:22.72 B: |
Music City Challenge
Saturday, Feb. 10
Schedule of Events (All Times in Central Time)
Field Events
| Event | Place | Bulldogs / Notes |
| Shot put (M) – open | 20th | Sam Fisher – 13.14m (43' 1.5") |
| Pole Vault (W) | 9th 13th |
Helen Clare Edmonds – 3.57m (11' 8.5") / PR Julia Lasely – 3.42m (11' 2.5") / SB |
| Shot Put (W) | 4th 14th 15th |
Jhordyn Stallworth – 15.42m (50' 4") Tafada Wright – 14.25m (46' 9") / PR, Ranked 5th on all-time top performance list Megan Womack – 13.68m (44' 10.75") |
'
Running Events
| Event | Place | Bulldogs / Notes |
| 3000m (W) – Finals | 2nd 7th 8th 61st |
Ramat Jimoh – 9:45.03 / PR Madison Jones – 9:52.39 / PR Brooklyn Quanz – 9:52.82 / PR Gracie Gibson – 10:44.36 / PR |
| 800m (M) – Finals | 24th 27th 53rd |
Gabrielle Boulay – 2:15.39 Maci Mills – 2:15.77 Trinity Holland – 2:19.98 |
| 60m (M) – qualifying | 14th | Cruz Oguz – 6.93q / PR |
| 60mH (M) – qualifying | 18th 19th |
Lewis Barber – 8.67q / PR Sam Fisher – 8.75q |
| 400m (W) – Finals | Rivers Godwin | |
| 60m (M) – Prelims | 20th | Cruz Oguz – 6.92 / PR |
| 60mH (M) – Prelims | 23rd 26th |
Sam Fisher – 8.56 Lewis Barber – 8.76 |
| 800m (W) – seeded | 9th 12th | Mallory Streetman – 2:07.49 / PR Hayley Ogle – 2:09.40 / PR |
| 800m (M) – seeded | 1st 8th 24th |
Tyrese Reid – 1:47.87 / PR, Ranked 5th on all-time top performance list Daniel Joyce – 1:49.80 / tied season best Samuel Navarro – 1:54.52 |
