Mississippi State’s Erica Bougard placed ninth in the heptathlon at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Bougard’s 6,379 points were 211 shy of podium pace and 412 short of the Olympic champion, Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium.

Bougard’s second day began with a 6.06-meter (19 feet, 10.75 inches) effort in the long jump, which was good for 868 points. Her career best, however, is 6.62 (21-8.75), which would have given her more than 1,000 points. She tossed the javelin 46.60 meters (152-10), which landed just 15 centimeters shy of her personal best and just one point off her career-best point total in the event.

She needed to make up more than 200 points in the 800 and entered with the quickest career best in the field. She led her heat through 400 meters but faded to finish 11th in 2:15.92, more than seven seconds and 100 points off of her best.

Bougard was MSU’s best finisher at the games across the four events in which Bulldogs competed. She was one of three Americans to land in the top 10 of the heptathlon, but the nation’s medal drought will continue. The last American to win a heptathlon medal was Hyleas Fountain in 2008.

 

SEC announces soccer, volleyball TV games

The Southeastern Conference has announced the TV schedule for both the soccer and volleyball seasons, with Mississippi State’s programs being featured on both ESPNU and the SEC Network. Two soccer matches and five volleyball matches will be broadcast on the networks.

The State soccer program’s home matches against Kentucky on Sept. 30 and Texas A&M on Oct. 21 will both be broadcast on the SEC Network.

One of volleyball’s matchups will be broadcast on ESPNU, the away match at Kentucky on Oct. 6. The rest of State’s televised volleyball matches will be on the SEC Network. This includes a match at Ole Miss (Oct. 17), home matches with Texas A&M (Oct. 24) and Alabama (Nov. 3) and a match at Arkansas (Nov. 21).

The soccer season will get underway with two exhibition matches, one at home Aug. 10 against UAB and the second Aug. 14 at South Alabama. The first regular-season match will be on the road in Nashville, Tennessee, against Lipscomb.

Volleyball’s season starts Aug. 20 with an exhibition at Southern Miss. The regular season begins with the StarkVegas Classic, hosting Southeastern Louisiana and Gonzaga inside Newell-Grissom from Aug. 27-28. 

All of volleyball’s home matches, besides those on the SEC Network and ESPNU, will be streamed on SECN+.

All home Mississippi State soccer and volleyball matches are free admission.

 

U.S. Amateur ends for Mendizabal

Valeria Mendizabal’s run at the U.S. Women’s Amateur came to an end in the Round of 32 on Thursday morning when she was defeated in match play by Michigan State’s Valentina Rossi at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York.

Rossi took an early lead on the first tee and extended it to 3-up after five holes. Mendizabal got one hole back with a birdie on Hole 7, but Rossi answered with wins on Holes 8 and 9. Mendizabal would win one more hole, sinking a birdie on the 12th before surrendering the 13th with a bogey.

 Rossi won the match 4-and-3 after 15 holes of play.

 “We are very proud of Val and all she has accomplished this week,” Bulldogs golf coach Charlie Ewing said. “She has an infectious smile that was certainly on display this week. It’s unfortunate that her run came to an end when it did, but it’s great to see her competing at such a high level and enjoying it so much. She represents this university so well, and we are so thankful to have somebody like her in our program.”

Mendizabal shot a dozen birdies across her four days of play. She finished stroke play at even par to tie for 12th place. In the Round of 64, she defeated Kentucky’s Laney Frye, 2-and-1, to advance.