Two Track And Field Rebels Crowned SEC Champions

GAINESVILLE, Fla. The Ole Miss track and field team featured two SEC champions and one runner-up as the Rebels concluded competition Sunday afternoon at the SEC Outdoor Championships from Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium. 

Senior Wale Odetunde was crowned SEC champion in the triple jump after placing first with an NCAA regional distance of 51-08.50.  Odetunde becomes the first Rebel to be the SEC triple jump champion since Alvin Haynes accomplished the feat in 1992.  He also tallied a point for the Rebels in the long jump by placing eighth with an NCAA regional mark of 24-04.50. 

Sprinter LaJada Baldwin earned the distinction of SEC champion in the 400 meters by racing to an NCAA regional time of 51.95 en route to a first place finish.  Her time is a new personal best mark and the second fastest in school history, surpassing a mark she previously held with a time of 52.51. 

Baldwin’s title gives the Rebels back-to-back SEC champions in the 400 meters as former Ole Miss standout Kenyata Coleman won the event last season with a school record time of 52.09. 

Sophomore Sofie Persson was the runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles following a second place finish with an NCAA regional time of 57.96, marking the second fastest time in school history.  Persson finished in first place of the preliminaries and qualified for the finals by posting an NCAA regional mark of 59.02.

Also in the 400 meter hurdles, junior Jasmine Dacus collected two points for the Rebels and earned a seventh place finish with an NCAA regional time of 59.60.  Her mark was a new personal best and the fourth fastest in school history. 

Middle distance runner Britney Barnard placed ninth in the 800 meter preliminaries and qualified for the finals with an NCAA regional time of 2:07.78.  Barnard went on to improve her standing and time by taking eighth in the finals with a mark of 2:07.65. 

The women’s 4x100 meter relay team of Kadeshia Fortune, Baldwin, Dacus and Kristin Bridges finished in fourth place with an NCAA regional time of 45.46.  The 4x400 meter relay team of Dacus, Persson, Barnard and Baldwin placed seventh with a time of 3:44.56. 

Bridges also set a new personal best time in the 200 meters as she took 11th place with a time of 24.00. 

In field events, Ole Miss picked up seven points as a pair of Rebels scored in the hammer throw.  Sophomore Juliana Smith tallied five points by finishing fourth with an NCAA regional distance of 185-09.00.  Junior Davina Orieukwu collected two points by placing seventh following a mark of 170-05.00. 

Orieukwu also placed fifth in the shot put with an NCAA regional distance of 51-03.75 to finish the meet with a total of six points.  Senior Marlee Kevech took fifth and tallied four points following her NCAA regional distance of 143-11.00. 

Sophomore Rachel Jenkins picked up a point in the long jump by finishing eighth with a leap of 19-00.50.  Jenkins also finished in 10th place in the triple jump with a distance of 39-01.25.  Freshman Aria Gaines was the top finisher for Ole Miss in the triple jump by taking eighth with a mark of 40-02.25. 

The women finished in 10th place with a total of 44 points and had an opportunity to finish as high as eighth place, but a string of bad luck in the 4x400 meter relay cost the Rebels a few spots in the overall standings. 

After holding third place for the majority of the event, Ole Miss was knocked down midway through the race and wasn’t able to recover in time to maintain that finish.  Therefore, the team lost a chance for an additional four more points than the two it scored for finishing seventh. 

On the men’s side, sophomore Lee Ellis Moore set a school record in the 400 meter hurdles with an NCAA regional time of 50.01 on his way to a fourth place finish.  Moore actually set the school record Friday by posting a time of 50.03 in the preliminaries.  Heading into the weekend, Donavan Bassett held the school record with a time of 50.35 set in 1993. 

Freshman Carson Blanks finished in sixth place in the 400 meter hurdles with an NCAA regional and personal best time of 51.05.  It was also the fourth fastest time in school history. 

Senior Kyle Lewis picked up three points for the Rebels by finishing in sixth place in the 5000 meters with an NCAA regional time of 14:10.00. 

The 4x400 meter relay team comprised of Michael Coleman, Matt Daniels, Christopher Bush and Moore turned in a sixth place finish with an NCAA regional time of 3:09.23. 

In field events, freshman jumper Brian Knight scored a point for the men’s team by taking eighth in the high jump with a distance of 6-06.75. 

Senior Derek McGuire tallied four points for the Rebels in the shot put with an NCAA regional distance of 58-00.25 en route to a fifth place finish. 

Colin Moleton finished in sixth place in the javelin throw and scored three points with an NCAA regional distance of 210-08.00.  Karl Kosman turned in an 11th place finish in the pole vault and recorded the fifth highest height in school history with a mark of 16-00.75. 

The men’s team finished in 11th place with 32.50 total points. 

Ole Miss returns to action May 29-30 when the Rebels travel to Louisville, Ky., to take part in the NCAA MidEast Regional. 

AGATE

MEN

100 Meter Prelims

20. Keith Brown 10.68

27. Eric Williams 10.93

28. Brandon Cook 10.94

 

200 Meter Prelims

18. Michael Coleman 21.45

30. Keith Brown 22.07

32. Eric Williams 22.44

33. Brandon Cook 22.54

400 Meter Prelims

19. Matt Daniels 47.94

21. Christopher Bush 48.19

800 Meter Prelims

23. Gabriel Ngwiri 1:53.78

24. Chad Berry 1:54.01

5000 Meters

6. Kyle Lewis 14:10.00R

1500 Meter Prelims

16. Gabriel Ngwiri 3:55.99

17. Chad Berry 3:58.23

400 Meter Hurdles Prelims

4. Lee Ellis Moore 50.03qR

6. Carson Blanks 51.36qR

14. Ras-Len Bully 54.73

400 Meter Hurdle Finals

4. Lee Ellis Moore 50.01Rsr

6. Carson Blanks 51.05R 4th

4x100 Meter Relay

11. Ole Miss A’ 40.82

4x400 Meter Relay

6. Ole Miss A’ 3:09.23R

High Jump

8. Brian Knight 6-06.75

Long Jump

8. Wale Odetunde 24-04.50R

10. Caleb Lee 23-11.75

20. Ras-Len Bully 22-02.25

Triple Jump

1. Wale Odetunde 51-08.50R

9. Brian Knight 48-04.00

13. Caleb Lee 46-08.75

Shot Put

5. Derek McGuire 58-00.25R

Javelin Throw

6. Colin Moleton 210-08.00R

10. Bryce Willen 199-08.00

Pole Vault

11. Karl Kosman 16-00.75

WOMEN

100 Meter Prelims

11. Kristin Bridges 11.67R

15. Kadeshia Fortune 11.74R

 

200 Meter Prelims

11. Kristin Bridges 24.00

400 Meter Prelims

2. LaJada Baldwin 53.19qR

400 Meter Finals

1. LaJada Baldwin 51.95R

800 Meter Prelims

9. Britney Barnard 2:07.78qR

23. Lindsay Doucett 2:17.30

25. Julie Little 2:18.54

28. Allison Kneip 2:23.08

800 Meter Finals

8. Britney Barnard 2:07.65R

5000 Meters

14. Logan Waites 17:31.45

10000 Meters

18. Anna Adams 42:37.20

400 Meter Hurdle Prelims

1. Sofie Persson 59.02qR

7. Jasmine Dacus 1:00.37qR

400 Meter Hurdle Finals

2. Sofie Persson 57.96R

8. Jasmine Dacus 59.60R

4x100 Meter Relay

4. Ole Miss A’ 45.46R

4x400 Meter Relay

7. Ole Miss A’ 3:44.56

Long Jump

8. Rachel Jenkins 19-00.50

18. Aria Gaines 17-02.25

19. Sugarius Larkin 16-03.25

Triple Jump

8. Aria Gaines 40-02.25

10. Rachel Jenkins 39-01.25

11. Sugarius Larkin 38-03.25

Hammer Throw

4. Juliana Smith 185-09.00R

7. Davina Orieukwu 170-05.00

16. Skylar Carreker 152-04.00

17. Christiana Coleman 150-10.00

Discus Throw

12. Betty Williams 141-09.00

Shot Put

5. Davina Orieukwu 51-03.75R

11. Betty Williams 46-08.00

17. Juliana Smith 43-10.75

Javelin Throw

5. Marlee Kevech 143-11.00R

18. Christiana Coleman 99-08.00

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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