Nashville, Tenn. — The Mississippi College track and field team made a strong showing Saturday at the Music City Challenge, setting school records and achieving provisional qualifying standards. The indoor season continues to build momentum for the Choctaws.
On the women’s side, Lauren Wallace and Bre Bell led the charge with historic performances. Wallace broke the school record in the mile with a time of 4:43.84, ranking No. 1 in the Gulf South Conference and No. 6 in NCAA Division II. Bell set a new record in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 9:46.56 — a four-second personal best and provisional qualifying mark. She is now No. 2 in the GSC.
Other notable performances included Taylor Benoit, who ran a season-best 4:57.13 in the mile, ranking fifth in the GSC. The women’s distance medley relay team of Bell, Mason, Benoit, and Wallace posted a season-best time of 11:43.97, the second-fastest in school history and a provisional qualifying mark.
On the men’s side, Cooper Parmer clocked 8:26.40 in the 3,000 meters, ranking eighth in the GSC. Benji Hodson ran a personal-best 1:54.04 in the 800 meters, nearly two seconds faster than his previous best. Samuel Hodson finished fifth in the 600 meters with a personal-best 1:18.50.
In sprints, Matias Vasquez posted a season-best 49.06 in the 400 meters, while Braedon Methvin ran 14:48.46 in the 5,000 meters, also a season best. The men’s distance medley relay team of Hodson, Samuel Hodson, Wrights, and Balcer finished in 10:02.49, the ninth-fastest in school history.
Additional personal bests included Christian Balcer in the mile at 4:16.47 and Matthew Meadows at 4:18.53. The team’s strong performances set the stage for the upcoming Gulf South Conference Indoor Track Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 19-20.
