Ole Miss track heads north to Indiana University for the Indiana Relays, which will be held Jan. 25-26 at Gladstein Fieldhouse.

TEAM NOTES

• Ole Miss will send a well-balanced delegation to Bloomington, including the first women’s pentathlon of the season with Kieshonna Brooks, Haley Hood and Ghania Warren competing.

• The Rebels are coming off a strong weekend at the Vanderbilt Invite, where Ole Miss recorded 14 total marks that rank within the NCAA top-50.

• Ole Miss head coach Connie Price Smith is in her fourth season at the helm. Price-Smith, who was the head women’s coach for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, is in her 18th season overall as a head coach.

• Price-Smith’s coaching staff all returns as well, with associate head coach Andre Scott (jumps, women’s multis), assistant coach Anthony Acklin (sprints, hurdles), assistant coach Brian Porter (pole vault, javelin, men’s multis), assistant coach John Smith (throws) and director of operations Sasha Leeth all returning for their fourth seasons at Ole Miss, with associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy (distance) entering his sixth year as a Rebel.

• Indoors, the Rebels return two Second-Team All-Americans, four Second-Team All-SEC members, and three members from the 2018 SEC All-Freshman team.

WOMEN’S NOTES

• Sophomore Shey Taiwo set a two-foot PR in the weight throw last week at Vanderbilt, finishing as the top collegian at 21.47m (70-05.25). Taiwo currently ranks second in the SEC, No. 8 in the NCAA and No. 8 in the United States this year.

• Taiwo only finished behind former Rebel teammate and NCAA Champion Janeah Stewart (24.17m/79-03.75; U.S. lead, No. 10 World history) and Rebel volunteer coach Jeneva Stevens (23.42m/76-10.00; 3rd U.S.).

• Junior Kieshonna Brooks had a superb weekend at Vanderbilt, setting career-bests in the long jump (6.18m/20-03.50; 14th NCAA) and 60-meter hurdles (8.47; 50th NCAA).

• Sophomores Maddie King and Anna Elkin both ran NCAA top-75 times in the 3K at Vanderbilt, with King running the SEC’s top time this year at 9:40.36 and Elkin the fifth-best in the conference at 9:43.40.

• Also ranking within the NCAA top-75 entering this week is freshman Brandee Presley, whose season-opening 7.46 in the 60-meter dash sits tied for 47th nationally.

 

MEN’S NOTES

• The Rebel men’s distance crew opened the season with a strong performance at Vanderbilt, clocking nine different times that rank within the NCAA top-75.

• Sophomore Waleed Suliman, a returning Second-Team All-American and SEC All-Freshman indoors, ran the NCAA’s second-best 800-meter time this season, winning at 1:49.19 in his season debut. Suliman’s time leads all runners in the SEC.

• Three additional Rebel sophomores also recorded NCAA top-50 times in the men’s 800-meter: John Rivera Jr. (1:50.17; 4th), Griffin Riley (1:50.64; 14th) and Everett Smulders (1:51.93; 31st).

• Ole Miss senior Derek Gutierrez ranks within the NCAA top-15 in two different events. Gutierrez ran what is currently the ninth-fastest 5K nationally at the Hoosier Open back in December at 13:58.82 — his first career 5K. This past weekend at Vanderbilt, Gutierrez ran a career-best 4:03.23 in the mile, currently 11th in the NCAA. He leads the SEC in both races.

• Ole Miss also put on a show in the men’s 3K, notching four times currently within the top-75 from junior Michael Coccia (8:11.52; 19th), freshman Mario Garcia Romo (8:15.40; 43rd), junior Farah Abdulkarim (8:16.35; 49th) and freshman Dalton Hengst (8:18.01; 65th). All four times currently sit within the top-eight spots in the SEC this year.

• Rebels Allen Gordon and Manny Foster had excellent career days in the long jump at Vanderbilt, with Gordon leaping an indoor career-best 7.69m (25-02.75) and Foster an overall PR of 7.64m (25-00.75). Both fall within the top-15 nationally and the top-eight in the SEC, with Gordon sitting 10th in the NCAA and Foster 15th.

• Outdoors as a freshman, Gordon leapt an NCAA wind-legal 7.80m (25-07.25) at a wind speed of 2.5 meters/second.

• Sophomore Peyton Weissmann opened the season with a career-best clearance of 5.20m (17-00.75) in the pole vault, making him one of just four Rebels to have ever cleared 17 feet both indoors and outdoors. He joins Kyle Wallace, Baker Vinci and Olympic bronze medalist, Sam Kendricks. That height currently puts Weissmann tied for 27th nationally and fifth in the SEC.

Rebel Men in the NCAA Top-75

2. Waleed Suliman – 800-Meter – 1:49.19

4. John Rivera Jr. – 800-Meter – 1:50.17

9. Derek Gutierrez – 5K – 13:58.82

10. Allen Gordon – Long Jump – 7.69m (25-02.75)

11. Derek Gutierrez – Mile – 4:03.23

14. Griffin Riley – 800-Meter – 1:50.64

15. Manny Foster – Long Jump – 7.64m (25-00.75)

19. Michael Coccia – 3K – 8:11.52

27. Peyton Weissmann – Pole Vault – 5.20m (17-00.75)

31. Everett Smulders – 800-Meter – 1:51.93

43. Mario Garcia Romo – 3K – 8:15.40

49. Farah Abdulkarim – 3K – 8:16.35

65. Dalton Hengst – 3K – 8:18.01

 

Rebel Women in the NCAA Top-75

8. Shey Taiwo – Weight Throw – 21.47m (70-05.25)

14. Kieshonna Brooks – Long Jump – 6.18m (20-03.50)

36. Maddie King – 3K – 9:40.36

47. Brandee Presley – 60-Meter Dash – 7.46

50. Kieshonna Brooks – 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.47

56. Anna Elkin – 3K – 9:43.40

 

Rebel Men Competing:

60-Meter: Elijah Dryer, Manny Foster, Andrew Raspo, JaQaun Webb

200-Meter: Elijah Dryer, Andrew Raspo, JaQaun Webb

400-Meter: James Burnett, Alvin Westbrook, Christian Yancey

600-Meter: Christian Yancey

800-Meter: Baylor Franklin, Griffin Riley, John Rivera Jr.

Mile: Cade Bethmann, Mario Garcia Romo, Dalton Hengst, Everett Smulders

3K: Derek Gutierrez, Waleed Suliman

60-Meter Hurdles: Kenney Broadnax

4×400-Meter Relay (A): Alvin Westbrook, Kenney Broadnax, Elijah Dryer, Andrew Raspo, James Burnett

4×400-Meter Relay (B): Cade Bethmann, Griffin Riley, Baylor Franklin, John Rivera Jr.

Distance Medley Relay: Everett Smulders, James Burnett, Waleed Suliman, Derek Gutierrez

High Jump: Allen Gordon

Pole Vault: Cole Colozzo

Long Jump: Demond Fleming, Allen Gordon

Triple Jump: Demond Fleming, Fraquan Gaines

Weight Throw: Joseph Benedetto, Chris Long

 

Rebel Women Competing:

60-Meter: T’Aja Cameron, Brandee Presley, Kelly Rowe

200-Meter: T’Aja Cameron, Jayda Eckford, Kelly Rowe, Orianna Shaw

400-Meter: Jayda Eckford, Orianna Shaw

800-Meter: Maddie McHugh

Mile: Shelby Brown, Anna Elkin, Courtney Hopkins, Lexi King, Maddie King, Victoria Simmons, Ylvi Traxler

3K: Clio Ozanne-Jaques

60-Meter Hurdles: Jeanette Paul

High Jump: Hannah LoChiatto

Pole Vault: Sandra Brown, Nicole Kallenberger

Long Jump: Ralesheia Gee, Kaira Simmons

Triple Jump: Ralesheia Gee, Kaira Simmons

Shot Put: Tedreauna Britt, Leah Klein, Shey Taiwo

Weight Throw: Tedreauna Britt, Kendall Chavarria, Leah Klein, Annika Larsson, Shey Taiwo

Pentathlon: Kieshonna Brooks, Haley Hood, Ghania Warren

 

Tyler Wooten

Ole Miss Athletics