NEW YORK, NY- At the end of the New Balance Invitational, it was clear that Mississippi State's track and field team showed the nation they were a force to be reckoned with. When all was said and done the Maroon and White had finished with four victories and at least a Top 15 finish in every event in which they competed.   

"We lined up against some of the best in the nation this weekend," coach Steve Dudley said. "That could have easily intimidated our athletes, but instead they used it as motivation and at the end of the day they showed everyone that they belong to be among that level of competition."

Jessica Merriweather was the first Lady Bulldog to enter competition, as she jumped 5-08 ¾ to finish fourth in the high jump and set a new all-time record for MSU. Following Merriweather's impressive finish was Favian Cowards (59-03) who finished 11th in the weight throw. Finishing one spot better than Cowards was Jody-Ann Muir whose time of 54.81 placed her tenth in the 400-meter dash.

It was an equally impressive day for the Bulldogs who competed in four individual events and brought home victories in each one. James Harris (7-05 ¼) was first up for the Maroon and White as he claimed top honors and set a new MSU all-time record in the high jump, finishing just ahead of teammate Marcus Jackson (7-01 ¾) who was second. Claiming MSU's second victory was Tavaris Tate who ran 20.93 in the 200-meter dash, while Daundre Barnaby ran 46.94 to cross the line first in the 400-meter dash.

Closing out the day were the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams. First up was Ocian Archer, Brittney Covington, Erica Bougard and Muir who ran 3:43.50 to finish 10th. Immediately following the Lady Bulldogs was the men's foursome of Harris, Barnaby, Emanuel Mayers and Tate whose time of 3:08.50 placed them second.

"I am proud of the effort we gave this weekend," Dudley stated. "We competed with excellence and our hard work paid off, but we cannot get complacent. We have to continue the hard work as we go into the rest of our season and as we continue our quest for nationals."

Upon return home, MSU will begin preparations for their next meet, the UAB-Samford Invitational in Birmingham on Feb. 10-11.