CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College Track and Field team is gearing up for a big weekend of competition at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. The team, fresh off winter break, looks primed and ready to go for another successful meet.
Coming off a strong performance at the BSC Indoor Icebreaker, where they set six school records, the team is looking to build on their success at these two upcoming meets. The Choctaws have been working hard during the winter break to improve their technique and conditioning, as well as fine-tuning their strategies for each event.
The UAB Vulcan Invite, which will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14, will feature some of the top teams in the South, including conference rivals Lee University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the University of Montevallo, as well as Division I programs Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, and Louisiana Tech University. In several events, the Choctaws will go after top-tier marks and potentially qualify for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The Emory Crossplex Showdown, which takes place the next day at the same venue on Sunday, Jan. 15, will be a "distance-heavy" meet for the Choctaws. The men's and women's distance crew will compete in events from 800 to 5,000 meters, including the distance medley relay, a special distance relay that features four legs running four different distances in the relay.
Head Coach Matthew Reneker
*commenting on the expectations for this weekend
"A true test of an athlete's character is what they do when no one is watching. It is apparent to the coaching staff that we have athletes that worked their tail off over Christmas break, and there is genuine excitement for what is about to happen this weekend."
Previously...
The Choctaws' last outing consisted of six school records at the BSC Indoor Icebreaker at the Birmingham Crossplex. Those record-breaking performances came from Kevin Turner in the men's 60-meter dash, Alana Green in the women's 60-meter dash, Shemar Patten in the men's 60-meter hurdles, Essence Tornabene in the women's weight throw and shot put, and Al Ferrill in the men's weight throw. There were also five Choctaws that came home with the gold, as well as three that hit provisional standards in their respective events.
What to look out for
One of the most highly anticipated matchups of the weekend is the men's 3,000-meter race, where the Choctaws will be facing off against GSC rivals Lee and UAH, among others. Representing the Blue and Gold will be Jan Lukas Becker, Brock Kelly, Hunter Kurz, Cole Benoit, Christian Balcer, and Gabe Poulin, all of whom are national qualifiers in cross-country and/or track and field.
Benoit, a 2022 NCAA Division II qualifier in the 1,500-meters, owns the top seed time at 8:07.6, while Becker is an eight-time NCAA Division II All-American and most recently coming off an eighth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. The goal for the Choctaws in this race is to hit a provisional standard in the event, and continue to climb up the national rankings.
On Sunday, Benoit and Kurz, alongside Gabe Hodson and Conner Stewart, will come back to the Emory Crossplex showdown to go after a national-qualifying mark in the men's distance medley relay.
Another strong discipline for the Choctaws is the sprints. Leading the way are 60-meter dash school record holders, Kevin Turner and Alana Green. At the Ice breaker, Green ran a women's provisional standard of 7.66, while Turner, a Gulf South Conference Champion in the 60-meter dash, also ran a men's provisional standard of 6.77. Currently, Green is ranked 28th in the nation in the event, while Turner is sixth. They also both lead the GSC in the 60-meter dash. The duo, alongside 60-meter hurdles school record holder Shemar Patten and 2022 NCAA Division II All-American Niklas Klei, will try to improve their national ranking and better their shot at competing at the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Reigning Gulf South Conference Outdoor 200-meter Champion and Outdoor 200-meter school record holder Kelechi Christian will be competing in the fastest section of the 200-meter dash.
In the men's 200-meter dash, Fabio Palmieri, a four-time Gulf South Conference Champion, will lead a strong contingency that includes Turner, Patten, Klei, and Will Grames.
In the field events, school record holders Al Ferrill and Essence Tornabene, two experienced seniors who have several Gulf South Conference medals between the two of them, will lead a young MC throws squad to help grow their experience in a highly competitive field. Both Ferrill and Tornabene are less than a foot and a half away from hitting provisional standards in their respective events; Ferrill in the shot put, and Tornabene in the weight throw. Both are closing in on the standard, which would potentially earn them a spot at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Pole vault specialist Ben Woolhouse is coming off the best season opener of his career, jumping a height of 15'1", placing fourth overall in a Division I heavy field. This mark ties his indoor lifetime best, which is the mark that earned him the runner-up title at the 2022 GSC Indoor Track and Field Championships. He is a mere 0.15 meters from a provisional standard, and has a solid shot of securing that mark this weekend at the Invite.
NCAA Division II national qualifiers, Tytavia Hardy and Jazmin Hernandez, are set to compete for the Blue and Gold this weekend. Hardy is slated to compete in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump, and triple jump, and Hernandez owns the top seed time in both the 800-meters and mile. The Lady Choctaws are also putting together an "A-squad" in the women's 4x400 meter relay with Christian and Green, alongside Ereyonna Gore and Hillary Udechukwu.
