The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Head To SEC Outdoor Championships
5/13/2009 | Track and Field
Competition begins Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. (CT) with the women’s heptathlon and concludes Sunday evening at 7:50 p.m. with the finals of the women’s 4x400 meter relay.
Ole Miss enters the meet with several athletes from both the men’s and women’s team who are capable of scoring points for the Rebels. Senior distance runner Kyle Lewis ranks seventh in the SEC and 58th in the nation in the 5000 meters with a top time of 14:03.22 he set at the Mississippi Open. His mark set a new Ole Miss Track and Field Complex record in the event.
Sophomore hurdler Lee Ellis Moore ranks fourth in the conference and ninth in the country in the 400 meter hurdles with his top mark of 50.38 he recorded earlier this season at Percy Beard Track at the Florida Relays. Freshman Carson Blanks is another scoring threat for Ole Miss in the 400 meters as he ranks sixth in the SEC and 33rd in the nation with his time of 51.31 set at the Mississippi Open.
Freshman Brian Knight enters the meet as one of the Rebels’ top jumpers, ranking fourth in the conference and 80th in the nation in the long jump with a distance of 6-10.75. Knight is also 10th in the SEC and 82nd in the country with a mark of 49-06.25 in the triple jump.
In the long jump, freshman Caleb Lee ranks seventh in the league and 18th in the NCAA with his top distance of 25-03.50. Lee is also ninth in the SEC and 73rd in the nation in the triple jump with a mark of 49-08.50. Senior Wale Odetunde leads Ole Miss in the triple jump and ranks third in the conference and 19th in the country with a distance of 51-06.25. He is also a threat in the long jump and ranks 11th in the conference with a mark of 24-05.00.
Javelin throwers Colin Moleton and Bryce Willen are both capable of tallying points for the men’s team as the duo ranks amongst the top-10 in the SEC. Moleton is ninth in the conference and 55th in the nation with a top throw of 211-11.00, while Willen is 10th in the SEC and 56th in the NCAA with a distance of 211-06.00.
Senior Derek McGuire provides Ole Miss with a scoring threat in the shot put as he stands sixth in the SEC and 27th in the nation with a top distance of 59-04.25.
On the women’s side, sprinters Kristin Bridges and Kadeshia Fortune both have the ability to score points for the team in the 100 meters. Bridges is seventh in the SEC and 38th in the nation with a time of 11.54, while Fortune is eighth in the conference and 47th in the NCAA with a mark of 11.60.
Sophomore LaJada Baldwin, who was an outdoor All-America selection last year, ranks second in the SEC and seventh in the nation in the 400 meters with her top time of 52.27 set at the Florida Relays. Middle distance runner Britney Barnard ranks eighth in the conference in the 800 meters with a time of 2:07.36.
Sofie Persson is a scoring threat for the Rebels in three different events. Persson ranks third in the SEC and 40th in the NCAA in the 400 meter hurdles with a top time of 59.46 set at the Ole Miss Invitational. She also ranks eighth in the league in the 400 meters with a time of 54.40, while standing ninth in the 800 meters with a top mark of 2:07.68.
Sophomore jumper Rachel Jenkins is the Rebels’ top long jumper as she ranks third in the SEC and 45th in the nation with a distance of 20-02.50. She also stands ninth in the conference in the triple jump following her mark of 39-11.50 set at the Alabama Relays.
Aria Gaines is another jumper who will have the opportunity to collect points for the Rebels. Gaines ranks fifth in the SEC and 74th in the country in the triple jump with her top mark of 40-06.00 set at the Ole Miss Invitational.
Ole Miss features one of the deepest throwing corps in the conference as three different Rebels are scoring threats in three different events. Sophomore Betty Williams ranks sixth in the SEC and 53rd in the nation in the discus with a distance of 161-11.00. She is also 13th in the SEC in the shot put with a mark of 47-03.50.
In the hammer throw, Juliana Smith ranks fifth in the conference and 38th in the country with a mark of 189-10.00. She also ranks 10th in the league and 78th in the NCAA with a distance of 48-05.25 in the shot put.
Junior Davina Orieukwu, the third of the Rebels throwers, is third in the SEC and fourth in the NCAA in the shot put with a distance of 55-03.00 she posted at the Florida Relays. Orieukwu also ranks seventh in the SEC in the hammer throw with a mark of 172-05.00 set collected at the LSU Alumni Gold meet.
