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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Surging Rebels Head To Prestigious Drake Relays
4/27/2011 | Track and Field
April 27, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - After a strong performance at last weekend's Mississippi Open home meet, the Ole Miss track and field team carries its momentum into the prestigious Drake Relays this Thursday-Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Drake Relays are held at Drake Stadium, which will also be the site of the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 8-11. This is the 102nd edition of the Drake Relays.
"Drake has always been a special meet for us, and we have some of our greatest memories and successes associated with Drake," Rebel head coach Joe Walker said. "We have high hopes for another fine Drake Relay representation by our Ole Miss athletes."
Ole Miss will also take some of its athletes to the Memphis Tiger Invitational this Friday and Saturday, with the majority of events scheduled for Saturday.
The Rebel men vaulted into the No. 14 spot in the USTFCCCA national rankings this week and boast a number of highly ranked athletes in various events.
Leading the way is the 400 meter hurdle tandem of senior Lee Ellis Moore and junior Carson Blanks. Moore ran a season-best 49.82 last weekend to claim the event title, which now ranks him fifth in the nation in the event. Blanks is seventh in the nation with a season-best time of 50.50.
Sophomore Mike Granger and senior Jonathan Juin have been sensational in the short sprints this year, as they both rank top 15 nationally in either the 100 or 200 meters. Granger has a top wind-aided time of 10.22 this season to rank 15th in the 100, while Juin boasts a top wind-aided time of 20.67 in the 200 to rank 11th nationally. Granger is third-best in school history in the 100 (Juin is fifth with a 10.28 last year), and Juin is sixth-best in school history in the 200.
The men's 4x100 meter relay team of Granger, Ras-Len Bully, Caleb Lee and Juin finished second at the Mississippi Open with a season-best time of 39.88, which ranks Ole Miss among the top 20 teams in the nation this year in the event. It is the third-fastest relay time in school history and the first time the squad has cracked 40 seconds this year.
Other Rebel men who rank highly in the national standings are Ricky Robertson in the high jump (10th, 7-02.50), Caleb Lee in the long jump (12th, 25-06.00), Morris Kersh in the triple jump (18th, 51-07.75) and the 4x400 meter relay team (9th-ranked team, 3:06.77).
Senior Sofie Persson and junior Kristin Bridges led the way for the Ole Miss women at the Mississippi Open. Persson, already the school record holder in the 400 meter hurdles, posted a season-best time of 57.77, which moved her to No. 18 in the national rankings. Bridges continued her strong season in the 400 meters by finishing second with another personal best of 53.22, which ranks her 19th in the nation.
Sophomore Katie Breathitt, in her first year with the track team after playing soccer for two years, won the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 11:10.78, shattering the school record by over a minute. It was her first time ever competing in the steeplechase.
Sophomore Brittany Bozeman claimed the women's heptathlon title with a personal-best total of 5,290 points, which ranks her 21st in the nation this year. It also ranks her second in school history in the heptathlon behind former star LaToya McBride. Mary Ashton Nall set several personal bests within the heptathlon and finished second with a score of 5,072, which is a freshman school record and ranks her fourth overall in school history.
Senior Juliana Smith ranks 12th in the nation in the hammer throw thanks to a school-record toss of 202-11 from earlier this year. It is the second-best throw by an SEC athlete this season.
Other Rebels that rank highly in the national standings include Neal Tisher in the pole vault (10th, 13-09.25), Betty Williams in the discus (14th, 176-11) and the 4x400 meter relay team (17th-ranked team, 3:36.62).
This is the final weekend prior to the SEC Championships, which will be held May 12-15 in Athens, Ga.
Following the SEC Championships, the NCAA will select the East region's top 48 athletes in each event (except decathlon, heptathlon and 10,000 meters) to participate at the NCAA East Regional. The performances at the regional will determine who makes the field for the NCAA Championships. The decathlon, heptathlon and 10,000 meter qualifiers will be sent directly to the NCAA Championships.
