Sports
Bulldog track and field heading to NCAA championships
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State track and field team is preparing for a trip to the NCAA outdoor national championships next week in Eugene, Ore., after qualifying through a regional meet in Jacksonville, Fla., last weekend.
The first to book their ticket to Eugene was freshman Marie Rougetet, an international athlete from France, who also became the first Bulldog to compete in the hammer event. It was her first event at any NCAA meet, and she recorded a throw of 65.23 meters in the second round of the competition to secure a place at the national championships, finishing seventh overall in Jacksonville.
The following day, Sam Navarro and Abdullahi Hassan both competed in the 800-meter event. Navarro beat his previous best by a full second, finishing fourth with a time of 1:46.47.
Hassan recorded a 1:45.64 time in the same event, finishing second in his section to earn an automatic qualifying spot, joining his teammate Navarro in the national championships next week.
On the men’s side, Peyton Bair also earned an automatic qualifying spot with his 8,111-point performance in the decathlon. He’ll return to the national competition after finishing as the runner-up at the 2024 NCAA decathlon championships.
Bair is already a national champion this year after winning the heptathlon at the NCAA indoor championships in March.
Tuomas Narhi and Remi Rougetet will round out the men’s squad of five athletes heading to Eugene next week.
The women’s track and field team completed its qualification process on Saturday, with runners Nelly Jemeli and Jessicka Woods both earning spots in the NCAA championships.
Jemeli recorded a time of 9:59.39 to finish fifth in her section in the 3000-meter event, improving her personal best by seven seconds to book her ticket to the finals.
Woods competed in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdle quarterfinals and matched her personal best time in the 400 to secure a spot in the championships. This is her second trip to the finals after qualifying in the 100 event last year.
The NCAA outdoor championships begin on Wednesday, June 11 in Eugene.
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