STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State track and field team closed out the month of April and started off the first day of the last regular-season meet on their own turf at the Mike Sanders Track and Field complex with three wins and a world-leading time from an alum.

The most exciting event of the day was far and away the men’s 800m, as former Bulldog Marco Arop was running unattached in his first meet since 2021. He crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:44.76, finishing as the new world leader in the event. Behind him were Leon Clarke, finishing sixth with a personal best at 1:48.35, Navasky Anderson in eighth with a personal-best at 1:49.77, Gabriel Moronta in ninth, and Kenya Small in 13^th.

Starting off the day overall was the field side of competition, with Francesca Chambers finishing tied for 11^th. On the men’s side, Daniel Pepper came in fifth with a mark of 58.37m to break his previous best and his already-owned freshman record. Trent Zelden finished in 15^th and Cade Finley finished in 18^th in his first-ever hammer throw.

In the high jump, Asia Poe showed off her winning ways with a first-place finish at 1.76m. Shayla Broughton tied her personal-best, finishing in fourth at 1.71m. Tied for fifth place were Helen Claire Edmonds and Emilia Lesniak both with a height of 1.65m, a personal best for Lesniak. Both Tierra Hooker and Aley Woodberry finished with a no height.

Freshman Jhordyn Stallworth competed in her very first discus competition, making the top-10. She finished in sixth at a mark of 47.06m. The men’s side was the very last event to finish of the day, with Pepper coming in second with a PR of 49.79m to break the freshman record. In fifth was Jeremiah Pierce, and Finley came in 10^th.

The long jump saw a ninth-place finish from Jacob Belin for the men, with Shayla Broughton taking the event for the women with a huge personal-best. Broughton finished at 6.40m to win it. Poe was third with a season-best 5.98m, and Woodberry finished sixth with a PR of 5.85m. In 10^th came Jada Grant who tied her personal best, and Hooker had a PR height of 5.59m to take 11^th.

The men’s 200m had only one Bulldog competitor: Cameron Crump. He came in third with a time of 21.11.

The women’s 1500m invitational was a sea of Ole Miss and Mississippi State competitors. Sydney Steely led the Bulldogs with a second-place finish at a personal-best 4:19.24, also breaking into the top-5 all-time for State. Sylvia Russell finished in seventh in the event. The men had Giacomo DeLuca running, finishing in sixth overall.

In the 5000m, Mary Beth Woodward came in third with a personal-best 17:48.36 time. It was all-white jerseys in the men’s 5000m, with six Bulldogs running. Lake Spradling won with his first-ever sub-15 minute finish, crossing the line in 14:54.46. Just behind him in second place was Jacob Warner. Luke Zacharias finished in fourth, and in fifth came Colby Freeman. Both Clayton Fulgham and Chandler Underwood did not finish.

Men’s Results

200m: Matthew Likely, Troy, 20.83
MSU: 3. Cameron Crump, 21.11

800m (Invite): Marco Arop, Unattached, 1:44.76

MSU: 6. Leon Clarke, 1:48.35; 8. Navasky Anderson, 1:49.77; 9. Gabriel Moronta, 1:50.36; 13. Kenya Small, 1:52.59

 

1500m (Invite): Dalton Hengst, Ole Miss, 3:44.02

MSU: 6. Giacomo DeLuca, 3:53.61

 

5000m: Lake Spradling, MSU, 14:54.46

MSU: 2. Jacob Warner, 15:35.20; 4. Luke Zacharias, 16:08.06; 5. Colby Freeman, 16:14.31; —

Chandler Underwood, DNF; — Clayton Fulgham, DNF

Long Jump: Ryan Curington, Little Rock, 7.36m (24’1”)
MSU: 9. Jacob Belin, 6.06m (19’10.75”)

 

Hammer: Christian Ladislau, Unattached, 68.30m (224’1”) / Aimar Palma Simo, Arkansas State, 64.95m (213’1”)
MSU: 5. Daniel Pepper, 58.37m (191’6″); 15. Trent Zelden, 46.35m (152′); 18. Cade Finley, 43.38m (142’4″)

Discus: Eron Carter, Arkansas State, 53.12m (174’3”) 
MSU: 2. Daniel Pepper, 49.79m (163’4”); 5. Jeremiah Pierce, 45.78m (150’2”); 10. Cade Finley, 42.28m (138’8”)

 

Women’s Results

1500m (Invite): Anna Elkin, Ole Miss, 4:18.31

MSU: 2. Sydney Steely, 4:19.24; 7. Sylvia Russell, 4:33.00

 

5000m: Lauren Robinson, UAB, 17:27.80

MSU: 3. Mary Beth Woodward, 17:48.36

 

High Jump: Asia Poe, MSU, 1.76m (5’9.25”)
MSU: 4. Shayla Broughton, J1.71m (5’7.25”); T5. Emilia Lesniak, 1.65m (5’5”); T5. Helen Claire Edmonds, 1.65m (5’5”); — Tierra Hooker, NH; — Aley Woodberry, NH

 

Long Jump: Shayla Broughton, MSU, 6.40m (21′)
MSU: 3. Asia Poe, 5.98m (19’7.5″); 6. Aley Woodberry, 5.85m (19’2.5″); 10. Jada Grant, 5.60m (18’4.5″); 11. Tierra Hooker, 5.59m (18’4.25″)

 

Hammer: Jasmine Mitchell, Ole Miss, 63.21m (207’4”)
MSU: T11. Francesca Chambers, 48.02m (157’6”)

Discus: Babette Vandeput, Arkansas State, 52.26m (171’5”)
MSU: 6. Jhordyn Stallworth, 47.06m (154’4”)

Day 2 – May 1

The action continues with a full meet schedule for day two. On the docket for the Maroon & White Invite are the shot put, pole vault, javelin, and triple jump when it comes to the field events, and the 100m, 100m/110m hurdles, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, and the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

The day begins at 11 a.m. at the Mike Sanders Track and Field Complex.

At approximately 4 p.m., just before the 4x400m relays begin, the Mississippi State track and field program will honor its seniors with the annual Senior Ceremony.

A full recap and entire meet results will be posted to HailState.com following the conclusion of the meet.

Fans are encouraged to visit HailState.com/gameday for protocols and guidelines regarding attendance.

For more information on the Bulldog track and field team, search “HailStateTF” on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.