New Orleans, La. -- The Minnesota State men's track and field team debuted at No. 7 in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II National Championship Preseason Rankings released today.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is represented in the poll by three institutions with MSU being the top-ranked team from the league. The Mavericks are joined by MSU Moorhead (No. 12) and Augustana (No. 18).

The Mavericks opened their season by hosting the Chuck Petersen Open on Dec. 8. MSU had a strong showing, highlighted by senior #Jerrell Hancock#, who set a school record in the 300m dash with a winning time of 33.54 (previous mark was 34.91 by Nate Pieper in 2008), senior #Nicholas Nelson# also earned a first-place finish, winning the 200m dash with a time of 22.25.

Minnesota State will return to action Saturday, Jan. 12, as it hosts the MSU Alumni Open

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