Six Ole Miss Athletes Qualify For NCAA Track Championships

OXFORD, Miss. Six Ole Miss student-athletes have automatically qualified for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships slated to begin Friday morning at 9:45 a.m. from the University of Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Track Center. 

Juniors Brittney Reese and Britney Barnard, freshman LaJada Baldwin and seniors Sirdonea Davis and Kenyata Coleman will compete for the Lady Rebels, while junior Justin Gunn will compete for the men’s team. 

Reese, who claimed the Commissioner’s Trophy at the SEC Indoor Championships, qualified in the long jump with an automatic and school record mark of 22-06.50 she recorded at the SEC Indoor Championships.  In addition, her long jump mark is an American collegiate record and is the best in the NCAA and United States this season.  Reese enters the weekend currently ranked No. 1 in the long jump.  The Gulfport, Miss., native will also compete in the high jump following her automatic qualifying and school record mark of 6-02.00 she also set at the SEC Indoor Championships.  She is ranked second in the nation in the high jump.  During the course of the year, Reese also posted provisional qualifying time in the triple jump and the 60 meters and had the opportunity to be selected to compete in those events, but will only compete in two due to scheduling. 

Baldwin, who becomes the first woman in school history to compete in an NCAA individual event as a true freshman, is slated to compete in the 400 meters.  Baldwin posted an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the event with a personal best time of 53.42 at the SEC Indoor Championships.  She enters the meet ranked 14th in the nation in the 400 meters. 

In addition to Baldwin, Coleman was also selected to compete in the 400 meters.  Coleman posted her best provisional qualifying time last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational with a mark of 53.67 in the event.  She currently ranks 19th in the nation in the 400 meters. 

The Lady Rebel 4x400 meter relay team of Davis, Coleman, Barnard and Baldwin round out the largest number of women to ever make the meet in Ole Miss history.  The quartet, ranked seventh in the nation, posted a provisional and school record time of 3:35.27 last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational. 

Following a provisional qualifying mark of 25-06.00 in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships, Gunn is scheduled to participate in the event Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.  He enters the meet tied for 10th in the nation in the long jump. 

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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