JONESBORO, Ark. (4/29/21) – One final tune-up separates the Arkansas State track and field teams from the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championships, as the Red Wolves head to Starkville, Mississippi, for the Maroon and White Invite.
Hosted by Mississippi State and held Friday and Saturday at the Mike Sanders Track and Field Complex, the meet is open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Action begins Friday at noon CT with the women's hammer throw, while A-State's first track event will begin at 6 p.m. with the women's 200m. On Saturday, the women's pole vault will start things off at 11 a.m. while the women's 4x100m relay will be the first track event of the afternoon.
TEAMS COMPETING: Arkansas State, No. 21 (men) Mississippi State (host), Little Rock, No. 25 (men) Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Troy, UAB, ULM, Harding, Hinds [Miss.] CC, Meridian [Miss.] CC
RED WOLVES IN TOP 10 IN SOUTH CENTRAL REGION: Both Arkansas State teams moved up in the USTFCCCA South Central Region TFRI Rankings, with the men up four spots to sixth and the women up one spot to eighth.
PASCOE, SHELL IN QUALIFYING POSITION FOR TRIALS: Arkansas State has several athletes in position for qualifying spots at the 2021 Olympic Trials in June, with current Red Wolves Bennett Pascoe (3000m steeplechase) and Carter Shell (long jump) currently clinging to final qualifying spots entering this week.
A-STATE'S PASCOE LEADING NCAA: Last week at the John McDonnell Invitational, Bennett Pascoe not only broke a 50-plus-year-old school record for the second week in a row, but took over the NCAA lead in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:38.12. The Conway, Arkansas, native's mark bested the 50-year-old previous record by nearly 15 seconds and currently ranks ninth in the United States and 23rd in the world.
A-STATE IN THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE: A-State's men hold 23 spots ranked inside the top five in the Sun Belt Conference entering this weekend, including the men's 4x400m relay team of Jermie Walker, Kobey Hill, Daidren Davis and Addison Ross as well as the 4x100m quartet of Walker, Chris Hill, Courtney Thomas and Ke'Von Holder. Walker (400m), Seth Waters (800m), Bennett Pascoe (1500m and 3000mS), Frank Massey (high jump) and Carter Shell (long jump) all hold top spots in their respective events.
The women's team holds 18 total top-five spots in the league, with Pauline Meyer (1500m, 5000m, 3000mS), Sophie Leathers (10,000m), Allie Hensley (high jump), Avery Shell (pole vault), Imani Udoumana (triple jump) and Babette Vandeput (discus throw) leading their events.
A-STATE IN THE NCAA WEST REGION: The Red Wolves own 12 marks inside the top 50 in the NCAA West Region on the men's side, five inside the top 25. Bennett Pascoe leads the way with his NCAA-best time in the steeplechase (8:38.12) while Carter Shell is fourth in the long jump (7.96m | 26-1.5). Frank Massey is 10th in the high jump (2.17m | 7-1.5), while Aimar Palma Simo is 14th in the hammer (65.55m | 215-1.0) and Bradley Jelmert is 24th in the pole vault (5.25m | 17-2.75).
A-State owns eight marks inside the top 50 in the region on the women's side. Allie Hensley ranks 19th in the high jump (1.77m | 5-9.75) while Babette Vandeput is also inside the top 25, 22nd in the discus throw at 53.75m (176-4.0).
PASCOE, MEYER, PALMA SIMO RACK UP #SUNBELTOTF HONORS: For the second week in a row, three-fourths of the Sun Belt's Track and Field Athletes of the Week went to the Red Wolves. Bennett Pascoe led the way as Men's Track Athlete of the Week after his NCAA-leading school-record time of 8:38.12 in the men's 3000m steeplechase. Pauline Meyer earned her fourth total Women's Track Athlete of the Week honors, her second in a row, after breaking her own steeplechase record last week at Arkansas (10:25.49). Aimar Palma Simo notched his first career weekly honor after throwing a personal-best 65.55m (217-1.0) in the men's hammer throw.
#EVENTSQUAD: This week, Arkansas State's women's discus throw corps ranks 12th nationally in the USTFCCCA's #EventSquad Rankings with an average distance of 48.94m (160-7.0). Babette Vandeput leads the way with her throw of 53.75m (176-4.0) on April 2 at UAB.
UP NEXT
A-State will next prepare for the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, held May 13-15 in Mobile, Alabama. The Red Wolves are looking to repeat as women's champions, while the men are seeking their first outdoor crown since 2018.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State track and field program, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.
