The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, October 26
Auburn, Ala.
9 AM
Ole Miss
vs
SEC Championships
Rebels Head to Auburn for SEC Championships
10/24/2018 | Cross Country
<i class="icon-info-circled"></i> Championship Central<i class="icon-stats"></i> Live Results<i class="icon-paper"></i> SEC Preview<i class="icon-paper"></i> SEC Records
Competition Begins at 9 a.m. CT on Friday with the Women’s 6K
AUBURN, Ala. – Ole Miss men's and women's cross country opens the championship season with an SEC trophy on the line at the 2018 SEC Cross Country Championships, which will be hosted by Auburn on Friday morning.
Both Rebel programs were picked to finish third in the SEC Preseason Poll, with the Ole Miss men coming in behind 2017 runner-up Alabama (10 first-place votes) and eight-time defending champions Arkansas (two first-place votes), while the women fell behind five-time defending champs Arkansas (13 first-place votes) and 2017 runner-up, Georgia (one first-place vote).
Ole Miss in the midst of a cross country renaissance, with both programs recording consistently high conference finishes not seen in the history of Rebel cross country since joining the SEC. Last season, both the Rebel men and women took third place at the SEC Championships, marking the first time in school history that both programs recorded back-to-back top-three finishes at the conference meet.
For the Rebel men, it's actually four straight top-three team finishes, the best streak in program history since the men started running in the SEC in 1967. In that stretch are two runner-up finishes in 2014 and the magical 2016 season that ended with a fourth-place podium finish at the NCAA Championships. Prior to 2014, Ole Miss had only finished third or better three times (1968, second; 1969, third; 1984, third).
The Ole Miss women have recorded the top-two SEC finishes in program history in each of the last two years, taking runner-up honors in 2016 and finishing third last season in 2017.
Despite being picked third in the preseason, both Rebel programs have been favored by the national rankings throughout the season. In the first-ever Cross Country Rating Index (CCRI) unveiled by the USTFCCCA on Wednesday, the Rebel men came in as the top-rated SEC school at No. 14, while the women were the second best at No. 19. In the official USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, Ole Miss enters the weekend ranked No. 21 on the men's side and No. 26 on the women's side.
Owing to those rankings has been a very strong season for two young Ole Miss squads, despite being without key All-Region runners in Anna Braswell and Parker Scott. The No. 26 Rebel women have put together an impressive campaign with a stunning win at the Battle in Beantown on Sept. 21 (after not receiving any national votes for two weeks prior) and an individual win by freshman Ylvi Traxler at the SEC Preview meet at Auburn on Sept. 7. Sophomore All-Region runner Clio Ozanne-Jaques opened her season just two weeks ago at the Pre-National Invitational, running a team-best 6K of 20:59.60 to finish 37th overall, but throughout the year it's been a different Rebel stepping up each week, like with freshman Lisa Vogelgesang and sophomore Maddie King during the team win in Boston.
Other Rebel women traveling this weekend include Anna Elkin, Courtney Hopkins, Maddie McHugh, Nicole Rice and Victoria Simmons.
The No. 21 Rebel men enter this weekend with five of the top-17 recorded 8K times in the conference this season, the top among them being junior Farah Abdulkarim (24:08.50, seventh) and sophomore Waleed Suliman (24:17.50, eighth). The duo were instrumental in a key third-place team finish for the Rebels at the Battle in Beantown, where Abdulkarim – a transfer from Morehead State – opened up some eyes in the cross country world with a powerful fourth-place individual finish among some of the top runners in the nation.
Other Rebel men traveling to Auburn include Cade Bethmann, Michael Coccia, Mario Garcia Romo, Dalton Hengst, Mark Robertson, Ben Savino and Everett Smulders.
Competition begins at 9 a.m. CT with the women's 6K at Auburn's Indian Pines Golf Course.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Ole Miss Women's Conference Roster
Name | Season-Best (6K)
Anna Elkin | 21:49.00
Courtney Hopkins | 21:45.00
Maddie King | 21:59.50
Maddie McHugh | 21:25.30
Clio Ozanne-Jaques | 20:59.60
Nicole Rice | 21:33.10
Victoria Simmons | 21:35.90
Ylvi Traxler | No 6K time
Lisa Vogelgesang | 21:37.30
Ole Miss Men's Conference Roster
Name | Season-Best (8K)
Farah Abdulkarim | 24:08.50
Cade Bethmann | 24:54.50
Michael Coccia | 24:29.90
Mario Garcia Romo | 24:37.70
Dalton Hengst | 25:20.60
Mark Robertson | 24:28.20
Ben Savino | 25:41.40
Everett Smulders | 26:21.90
Waleed Suliman | 24:17.50
SEC Women's Preseason Poll:
1. Arkansas (13) – 13
2. Georgia (1) – 27
3. Ole Miss – 39
4. Mississippi State – 71
5. Vanderbilt – 73
6. Texas A&M – 78
7. Alabama – 87
8. Florida – 92
9. Missouri – 115
9. Tennessee – 115
11. Kentucky – 118
12. Auburn – 126
13. South Carolina – 158
14. LSU – 162
SEC Men's Preseason Poll:
1. Alabama (10) – 12
2. Arkansas (2) – 20
3. Ole Miss – 32
4. Tennessee – 52
5. Kentucky – 56
6. Florida – 66
6. Texas A&M – 66
8. Georgia – 78
9. Missouri – 83
10. Auburn – 98
11. Vanderbilt – 112
12. LSU – 117
Both Rebel programs were picked to finish third in the SEC Preseason Poll, with the Ole Miss men coming in behind 2017 runner-up Alabama (10 first-place votes) and eight-time defending champions Arkansas (two first-place votes), while the women fell behind five-time defending champs Arkansas (13 first-place votes) and 2017 runner-up, Georgia (one first-place vote).
Ole Miss in the midst of a cross country renaissance, with both programs recording consistently high conference finishes not seen in the history of Rebel cross country since joining the SEC. Last season, both the Rebel men and women took third place at the SEC Championships, marking the first time in school history that both programs recorded back-to-back top-three finishes at the conference meet.
For the Rebel men, it's actually four straight top-three team finishes, the best streak in program history since the men started running in the SEC in 1967. In that stretch are two runner-up finishes in 2014 and the magical 2016 season that ended with a fourth-place podium finish at the NCAA Championships. Prior to 2014, Ole Miss had only finished third or better three times (1968, second; 1969, third; 1984, third).
The Ole Miss women have recorded the top-two SEC finishes in program history in each of the last two years, taking runner-up honors in 2016 and finishing third last season in 2017.
Despite being picked third in the preseason, both Rebel programs have been favored by the national rankings throughout the season. In the first-ever Cross Country Rating Index (CCRI) unveiled by the USTFCCCA on Wednesday, the Rebel men came in as the top-rated SEC school at No. 14, while the women were the second best at No. 19. In the official USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll, Ole Miss enters the weekend ranked No. 21 on the men's side and No. 26 on the women's side.
Owing to those rankings has been a very strong season for two young Ole Miss squads, despite being without key All-Region runners in Anna Braswell and Parker Scott. The No. 26 Rebel women have put together an impressive campaign with a stunning win at the Battle in Beantown on Sept. 21 (after not receiving any national votes for two weeks prior) and an individual win by freshman Ylvi Traxler at the SEC Preview meet at Auburn on Sept. 7. Sophomore All-Region runner Clio Ozanne-Jaques opened her season just two weeks ago at the Pre-National Invitational, running a team-best 6K of 20:59.60 to finish 37th overall, but throughout the year it's been a different Rebel stepping up each week, like with freshman Lisa Vogelgesang and sophomore Maddie King during the team win in Boston.
Other Rebel women traveling this weekend include Anna Elkin, Courtney Hopkins, Maddie McHugh, Nicole Rice and Victoria Simmons.
The No. 21 Rebel men enter this weekend with five of the top-17 recorded 8K times in the conference this season, the top among them being junior Farah Abdulkarim (24:08.50, seventh) and sophomore Waleed Suliman (24:17.50, eighth). The duo were instrumental in a key third-place team finish for the Rebels at the Battle in Beantown, where Abdulkarim – a transfer from Morehead State – opened up some eyes in the cross country world with a powerful fourth-place individual finish among some of the top runners in the nation.
Other Rebel men traveling to Auburn include Cade Bethmann, Michael Coccia, Mario Garcia Romo, Dalton Hengst, Mark Robertson, Ben Savino and Everett Smulders.
Competition begins at 9 a.m. CT with the women's 6K at Auburn's Indian Pines Golf Course.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Ole Miss Women's Conference Roster
Name | Season-Best (6K)
Anna Elkin | 21:49.00
Courtney Hopkins | 21:45.00
Maddie King | 21:59.50
Maddie McHugh | 21:25.30
Clio Ozanne-Jaques | 20:59.60
Nicole Rice | 21:33.10
Victoria Simmons | 21:35.90
Ylvi Traxler | No 6K time
Lisa Vogelgesang | 21:37.30
Ole Miss Men's Conference Roster
Name | Season-Best (8K)
Farah Abdulkarim | 24:08.50
Cade Bethmann | 24:54.50
Michael Coccia | 24:29.90
Mario Garcia Romo | 24:37.70
Dalton Hengst | 25:20.60
Mark Robertson | 24:28.20
Ben Savino | 25:41.40
Everett Smulders | 26:21.90
Waleed Suliman | 24:17.50
SEC Women's Preseason Poll:
1. Arkansas (13) – 13
2. Georgia (1) – 27
3. Ole Miss – 39
4. Mississippi State – 71
5. Vanderbilt – 73
6. Texas A&M – 78
7. Alabama – 87
8. Florida – 92
9. Missouri – 115
9. Tennessee – 115
11. Kentucky – 118
12. Auburn – 126
13. South Carolina – 158
14. LSU – 162
SEC Men's Preseason Poll:
1. Alabama (10) – 12
2. Arkansas (2) – 20
3. Ole Miss – 32
4. Tennessee – 52
5. Kentucky – 56
6. Florida – 66
6. Texas A&M – 66
8. Georgia – 78
9. Missouri – 83
10. Auburn – 98
11. Vanderbilt – 112
12. LSU – 117
Players Mentioned
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Who To Watch: Ole Miss Track and Field
Wednesday, October 08