The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, January 11
Birmingham, Ala.
10 AM
Ole Miss
at
Blazer Invite
Rebel Track & Field Opens 2019 Indoor Season at Blazer Invite
1/10/2019 | Track and Field
<i class="icon-paper"></i> Ole Miss Performance List<i class="icon-stats"></i> Live Results<i class="icon-calendar"></i> Schedule<i class="icon-paper"></i> Heat Sheets
Competition Set to Begin at 10 a.m. CT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ole Miss track & field looks to kick off another successful campaign when it opens the 2019 indoor season at UAB's Blazer Invite on Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The Rebels will be one of 18 teams in men's competition and 20 in women's competition, with six ranked schools in the mix as well.
Ole Miss enters its fourth season under four-time Olympian and 2016 U.S. Olympic women's head coach Connie Price-Smith, who is in her 18th year as a head coach. Price-Smith led the Rebels to even more success in 2018, culminating with another NCAA title courtesy of graduated senior Janeah Stewart in the hammer throw outdoors, as well as the highest women's team finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships in program history.
The Rebels lost a tremendous senior class from the 2018 season, but return a young but strong core in 2019. Most of the stacked Rebel distance squad will sit this weekend out, but the Rebels will still send a strong contingent to Birmingham.
On the women's side, the throws events will once again be a key one to watch for the Rebels, as sophomore Shey Taiwo and junior Kendall Chavarria are coming off stellar seasons in 2018.
Taiwo narrowly missed out on a trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships last year in the weight throw, finishing five spots short at her personal best of 20.82m (68-03.75) – already the third-best throw in program history. Taiwo went on to have a great outdoor season as well, which ended with a trip to the USATF Junior Championships over the summer in which she qualified in all three of her outdoor throwing events. Taiwo's PR in the weight throw ranks 14th among returning marks in the NCAA this year.
Returning to the track for the Rebels is senior Maddie McHugh, who last year put on an exciting finish in the 800-meter finals of the SEC Indoor Championships to secure her second indoor bronze medal in the event. McHugh's PR of 2:05.38 from the 2017 season ranks as the 16th-best among returning 800-meter times nationally.
Junior Kieshonna Brooks broke her outdoor heptathlon record several times in 2018, which also doubles as the national record of her native St. Kitts and Nevis. Indoors this year, Brooks has her sights set on the pentathlon. Her career best of 3,642 from the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships ranks seventh all-time, and she will also look to improve on her 60-meter hurdles time of 8.55 – the fourth-best overall at Ole Miss and the best ever run by a Rebel pentathlete.
Ole Miss will be looking for solid starts out of several highly-touted Rebel women's newcomers as well, including thrower Tedreauna Britt and sprinters Jayda Eckford, Brandee Presley and Kelly Rowe.
The Rebel men, meanwhile, will be paying close attention to two sophomore stars in the field events on Friday: Allen Gordon and Peyton Weissmann.
Gordon, fresh off a trip to the NCAA East Regional outdoors in both the high jump and long jump, will look to improve on his career-best height in the high jump of 2.14m (7-00.50), already the fifth-best indoors in Ole Miss history.
Weissmann has an indoor PR of 4.83m (15-10) in the pole vault from the New Mexico Classic last year (No. 8 all-time), but outdoors he exploded for a massive PR of 5.20m (17-00.75) at the SEC Championships – becoming just the fourth Rebel to ever eclipse 17 feet.
Ole Miss will also keep its eye on a handful of talented men's newcomers, including freshmen thrower Joespeh Benedetto, and transfer sprinters James Burnett (Meridian CC) and Elijah Dryer (Alabama-Huntsville).
Competition will begin for Ole Miss at 10 a.m. CT.
Men's Participating Schools
#7 Alabama
Alabama State
Auburn
Florida Atlantic
FIU
#5 Georgia
Kennesaw State
Miami
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
New Orleans
Ole Miss
Samford
Savannah State
South Alabama
Southern Miss
Tennessee
Troy
Women's Participating Schools
#13 Alabama
Alabama State
Auburn
Florida Atlantic
FIU
#8 Georgia
Jacksonville
Kennesaw State
#25 Miami
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
New Orleans
Ole Miss
Samford
Savannah State
South Alabama
Southern Miss
#17 Tennessee
Troy
UAB
Returning Men's Indoor All-Americans:
Waleed Suliman – Second-Team (DMR, 10th place)
Alvin Westbrook – Second-Team (DMR, 10th place)
Returning Women's Indoor All-SEC
Maddie McHugh – Second-Team (800-Meter, 3rd Place)
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – All-Freshman (5K, 4th place)
Lisa Vogelgesang – All-Freshman (3K, 11th place)
Returning Men's Indoor All-SEC
Waleed Suliman – Second-Team (DMR, 2nd place)
Alvin Westbrook – Second-Team (DMR, 2nd place)
Everett Smulders – Second-Team/All-Freshman (Mile, 3rd Place)
Waleed Suliman – All-Freshman (800-Meter, 4th place)
Men's Competition List
60-Meter: Elijah Dryer, Manny Foster, Andrew Raspo
300-Meter: James Burnett, Alvin Westbrook
600-Meter: Baylor Franklin, Griffin Riley, John Rivera Jr., Christian Yancey
1000-Meter: Dalton Hengst, Shamar Tucker
60-Meter Hurdles: Kenney Broadnax
4x400-Meter Relay (A Squad): James Burnett, Andrew Raspo, Kenney Broadnax, Jaquan Webb
4x400-Meter Relay (B Squad): John Rivera Jr., Baylor Franklin, Griffin Riley, Shamar Tucker
High Jump: Allen Gordon
Pole Vault: Cole Colozzo, Peyton Weissmann
Long Jump: Demond Fleming
Triple Jump: Fraquan Gaines
Weight Throw: Joseph Benedetto, Chris Long
Women's Competition List
60-Meter: T'Aja Cameron, Kelly Rowe, Brandee Presley
300-Meter: Jayda Eckford, Orianna Shaw
600-Meter: Maddie McHugh
Mile: Chelsea Drum, Lexi King, Morgan Claire Rose
60-Meter Hurdles: Kieshonna Brooks, Jeanette Paul, Ghania Warren
4x400-Meter Relay (A Squad): Orianna Shaw, Kelly Rowe, T'Aja Cameron, Kieshonna Brooks
4x400-Meter Relay (B Squad): Jayda Eckford, Brandee Presley, Jeanette Paul, Haley Hood
High Jump: Haley Hood, Ghania Warren
Pole Vault: Sandra Brown, Nicole Kallenberger
Long Jump: Ralesheia Gee, Kaira Simmons
Triple Jump: Kaira Simmons
Shot Put: Tedreauna Britt, Shey Taiwo
Weight Throw: Kendall Chavarria, Shey Taiwo
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
The Rebels will be one of 18 teams in men's competition and 20 in women's competition, with six ranked schools in the mix as well.
Ole Miss enters its fourth season under four-time Olympian and 2016 U.S. Olympic women's head coach Connie Price-Smith, who is in her 18th year as a head coach. Price-Smith led the Rebels to even more success in 2018, culminating with another NCAA title courtesy of graduated senior Janeah Stewart in the hammer throw outdoors, as well as the highest women's team finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships in program history.
The Rebels lost a tremendous senior class from the 2018 season, but return a young but strong core in 2019. Most of the stacked Rebel distance squad will sit this weekend out, but the Rebels will still send a strong contingent to Birmingham.
On the women's side, the throws events will once again be a key one to watch for the Rebels, as sophomore Shey Taiwo and junior Kendall Chavarria are coming off stellar seasons in 2018.
Taiwo narrowly missed out on a trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships last year in the weight throw, finishing five spots short at her personal best of 20.82m (68-03.75) – already the third-best throw in program history. Taiwo went on to have a great outdoor season as well, which ended with a trip to the USATF Junior Championships over the summer in which she qualified in all three of her outdoor throwing events. Taiwo's PR in the weight throw ranks 14th among returning marks in the NCAA this year.
Returning to the track for the Rebels is senior Maddie McHugh, who last year put on an exciting finish in the 800-meter finals of the SEC Indoor Championships to secure her second indoor bronze medal in the event. McHugh's PR of 2:05.38 from the 2017 season ranks as the 16th-best among returning 800-meter times nationally.
Junior Kieshonna Brooks broke her outdoor heptathlon record several times in 2018, which also doubles as the national record of her native St. Kitts and Nevis. Indoors this year, Brooks has her sights set on the pentathlon. Her career best of 3,642 from the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships ranks seventh all-time, and she will also look to improve on her 60-meter hurdles time of 8.55 – the fourth-best overall at Ole Miss and the best ever run by a Rebel pentathlete.
Ole Miss will be looking for solid starts out of several highly-touted Rebel women's newcomers as well, including thrower Tedreauna Britt and sprinters Jayda Eckford, Brandee Presley and Kelly Rowe.
The Rebel men, meanwhile, will be paying close attention to two sophomore stars in the field events on Friday: Allen Gordon and Peyton Weissmann.
Gordon, fresh off a trip to the NCAA East Regional outdoors in both the high jump and long jump, will look to improve on his career-best height in the high jump of 2.14m (7-00.50), already the fifth-best indoors in Ole Miss history.
Weissmann has an indoor PR of 4.83m (15-10) in the pole vault from the New Mexico Classic last year (No. 8 all-time), but outdoors he exploded for a massive PR of 5.20m (17-00.75) at the SEC Championships – becoming just the fourth Rebel to ever eclipse 17 feet.
Ole Miss will also keep its eye on a handful of talented men's newcomers, including freshmen thrower Joespeh Benedetto, and transfer sprinters James Burnett (Meridian CC) and Elijah Dryer (Alabama-Huntsville).
Competition will begin for Ole Miss at 10 a.m. CT.
Men's Participating Schools
#7 Alabama
Alabama State
Auburn
Florida Atlantic
FIU
#5 Georgia
Kennesaw State
Miami
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
New Orleans
Ole Miss
Samford
Savannah State
South Alabama
Southern Miss
Tennessee
Troy
Women's Participating Schools
#13 Alabama
Alabama State
Auburn
Florida Atlantic
FIU
#8 Georgia
Jacksonville
Kennesaw State
#25 Miami
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
New Orleans
Ole Miss
Samford
Savannah State
South Alabama
Southern Miss
#17 Tennessee
Troy
UAB
Returning Men's Indoor All-Americans:
Waleed Suliman – Second-Team (DMR, 10th place)
Alvin Westbrook – Second-Team (DMR, 10th place)
Returning Women's Indoor All-SEC
Maddie McHugh – Second-Team (800-Meter, 3rd Place)
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – All-Freshman (5K, 4th place)
Lisa Vogelgesang – All-Freshman (3K, 11th place)
Returning Men's Indoor All-SEC
Waleed Suliman – Second-Team (DMR, 2nd place)
Alvin Westbrook – Second-Team (DMR, 2nd place)
Everett Smulders – Second-Team/All-Freshman (Mile, 3rd Place)
Waleed Suliman – All-Freshman (800-Meter, 4th place)
Men's Competition List
60-Meter: Elijah Dryer, Manny Foster, Andrew Raspo
300-Meter: James Burnett, Alvin Westbrook
600-Meter: Baylor Franklin, Griffin Riley, John Rivera Jr., Christian Yancey
1000-Meter: Dalton Hengst, Shamar Tucker
60-Meter Hurdles: Kenney Broadnax
4x400-Meter Relay (A Squad): James Burnett, Andrew Raspo, Kenney Broadnax, Jaquan Webb
4x400-Meter Relay (B Squad): John Rivera Jr., Baylor Franklin, Griffin Riley, Shamar Tucker
High Jump: Allen Gordon
Pole Vault: Cole Colozzo, Peyton Weissmann
Long Jump: Demond Fleming
Triple Jump: Fraquan Gaines
Weight Throw: Joseph Benedetto, Chris Long
Women's Competition List
60-Meter: T'Aja Cameron, Kelly Rowe, Brandee Presley
300-Meter: Jayda Eckford, Orianna Shaw
600-Meter: Maddie McHugh
Mile: Chelsea Drum, Lexi King, Morgan Claire Rose
60-Meter Hurdles: Kieshonna Brooks, Jeanette Paul, Ghania Warren
4x400-Meter Relay (A Squad): Orianna Shaw, Kelly Rowe, T'Aja Cameron, Kieshonna Brooks
4x400-Meter Relay (B Squad): Jayda Eckford, Brandee Presley, Jeanette Paul, Haley Hood
High Jump: Haley Hood, Ghania Warren
Pole Vault: Sandra Brown, Nicole Kallenberger
Long Jump: Ralesheia Gee, Kaira Simmons
Triple Jump: Kaira Simmons
Shot Put: Tedreauna Britt, Shey Taiwo
Weight Throw: Kendall Chavarria, Shey Taiwo
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
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