STARKVILLE, Miss. - After a couple of weeks of competing in Birmingham, Mississippi State's track teams will travel to the big city of New York for the prestigious 2012 New Balance Collegiate Invitational.   

The Invitational, which is in its 11th year and has grown into one of the premier indoor meets in the nation, will take place at The Armory Track and Field Center and is set to feature student-athletes from 130 schools.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to compete in New York this weekend," said coach Steve Dudley. "New Balance will have the best competition from all over the country and competing against them will show where we are as a team."

Fresh off her first career win as a Lady Bulldog, freshman Erica Bougard will again be competing for MSU this weekend. Joining Bougard in competition will be Favian Cowards who is coming off a second place finish at last week's Birmingham Invitational, as well as the 4x400-meter relay squad of Ocian Archer, Bougard, Brittney Covington and Jody Ann Muir (Jamaican).

Seeing action for the first time will be reigning SEC Outdoor Long Jump Champion Rochelle Farquharson (Jamaican), who is hoping to carry her winning ways into the 2012 indoor season.

Joining the Lady Bulldogs in New York will be 12 of their male teammates, including field athletes Jarrett Samuels, Ed Wesela, James Harris and Marcus Jackson, as well as MSU's other reigning SEC Outdoor Champions the 4x400-meter relay squad.

"We have a great group of athletes making the trip to New York," Dudley stated. "They have been training hard and we are all excited to see their hard work in action."

Upon return from New York, MSU will return to normalcy with a trip back to Birmingham on Feb. 10-11 for the UAB-Samford Invitational.