Friday, Feb. 1, men’s track and field team took advantage of having the home field advantage in the MSSU Lion Invite.

Sophomore Jayce Thomas won the heptathlon with a provisional total of 4,891 points.  

“Before every event, it’s the small stuff like how I tie my laces, the music I listen to before an event, just little stuff like that matters,” said Thomas.

Senior Evan Moore won the weight throw with a provisional distance of 58-03.25, followed by senior Dustin Green in fifth and sophomore Nicklas Polizzi in 17.

Sophomore Anthony Price was fifth in the 200-meter with a provisional time of 22.48.

The distance medley relay team of sophomore Andrew Webster, sophomore Colton Wooldridge,  Miles Migliara and Allen placed second in the 200-meter.

Junior jumper Clark Tanksley earned sixth place in the long jump with a distance of 22-08.5 followed by Jacob Rowe, Michael Juergens and Darion Boure in seventh, ninth and 10 place.

Sophomore Jeff Fraley won the 60-meter dash with a provision time of 6.86, while Allen won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.33.

Moore earned a provisional in the shot put with a third place distance of 52-02.5 followed by senior Seth Hackney in fourth with a provisional distance of 52-11.25.

The Lions relay team, made up of Fraley, Price, Migliara and Tanksley, won the 4×400 with a provisional time of 3:23.18.

Juergens placed second in the pole vault with a provisional height of 16-00.75,  followed by freshman Brady Melugin and senior John Lowe in third and fourth.

Both Melugin and Lowe finished the event with the provisional height of 15-3.  

Webster and junior Jake Benton placed third and fifth in the 3k, while Migliara placed third in the 600 yard.

“We want to win conference,” Head Coach Tom Rutledge said. “We’ll be in the hunt, we can do it but we’re going to have to have a good meet, we can win the conference. Some people are going to have to pick up the slack.”

This weekend the Lions travel to University of Arkansas for the Tyson Invitational.