The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, January 11
Birmingham, Ala.
10 AM
Ole Miss
at
Blazer Invite
Rebels Shine at Blazer Invite to Open 2019 Indoor Season
1/11/2019 | Track and Field
Peyton Weissmann One of Four Rebel Vaulters Ever to Clear 17 Feet Indoors and Outdoors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ole Miss men's and women's track & field got off to a solid start to the 2019 indoor season at UAB's Blazer Invite on Friday, highlighted by an individual title from sophomore Peyton Weissmann in the pole vault and a slew of other impressive performances from both Rebel newcomers and returnees alike.
"I am pleased with the overall performances," said Ole Miss head coach Connie Price-Smith. "We have a very young team, and it was nice to see them compete so well. We still have a lot of things to work on, but today was a good start."
Weissmann – a native of Grapevine, Texas – had a day to remember, winning the pole vault at a new indoor best of 5.20m (17-00.75). Weissmann memorably cleared the same height at the SEC Outdoor Championships as a freshman in 2018, but entering Friday his indoor best was just 4.83m (15-10.00). His vault today pushes him from eighth to third on the all-time Ole Miss indoor list, and he is now one of just four Rebels to ever clear 17 feet both indoors and outdoors, joining Kyle Wallace, Baker Vinci and Olympic bronze medalist, Sam Kendricks. Weissmann also stands at No. 5 on the NCAA Indoor qualifying list as of Friday.
Ole Miss is without NCAA Champion and All-American thrower Janeah Stewart for the first time in two years, but sophomore Shey Taiwo looks poised to pick up the torch after a strong opening performance in the weight throw. Taiwo threw a PR 20.83m (68-04.25) to finish third overall, improving on her standing in third place all-time at Ole Miss and putting her No. 8 on the current NCAA list.
Taiwo finished behind Ole Miss volunteer coach Jeneva Stevens, who won at 22.86m (75-00.00) by breaking Janeah Stewart's old facility record, and Tennessee's Stamatia Scarvelis, who finished as the top collegian with an NCAA-leading 22.54m (73-11.50).
It was a dynamite day on the track for the Rebels as well, with both the men's and women's 60-meter dash crews setting the stage for a strong indoor season. Junior Andrew Raspo finished runner-up in the men's 60-meter, running a career-best 6.81 in the final to put him 12th all-time at Ole Miss and into a tie for No. 15 on the NCAA list.
Sophomore newcomer Elijah Dryer didn't disappoint in his Rebel debut, finishing sixth in the final. He ran that same 6.81 in the semifinal round to put him tied for 12th with Raspo.
Freshman Brandee Presley made her presence felt in her first career meet as a Rebel, finishing fifth in the semifinals at 7.47 after running the fastest qualifying round time of the day at 7.46. Presley's 7.46 already launches her all the way to No. 11 at Ole Miss and No. 7 on the NCAA list entering today.
Junior Kieshonna Brooks advanced to the final in the women's 60-meter hurdles, running 8.69 in the prelims before finishing sixth in the final at 8.60 – coming close to her career-best 8.55 run at the SEC Indoor Championships last season.
Two underclassmen Rebel men nearly took down two long-standing school records in non-standard events on Friday. Sophomore John Rivera Jr. ran the 600-meter for the first time in his collegiate career and nearly came away with the record, finishing runner-up with his time of 1:19.09. His time was less than one second off the 1991 record of 1:18.75 set by Thomas Johnson.
In the 1000-meter race, freshman Dalton Hengst came within two seconds of the 1985 school record of 2:24.68 set by Doug Smith, finishing as the top collegian at 2:26.23 for second overall.
Junior transfer James Burnett also had a strong debut, finishing third in the 300-meter dash at 34.00 seconds. Burnett was the NJCAA runner-up in the 400-meter dash last year, running 46.25.
Freshman Jayda Eckford finished eighth overall in the women's edition of the 300-meter, winning her heat at a time of 38.80.
Senior Maddie McHugh, a two-time SEC Indoor bronze medalist in the 800-meter, got her final indoor season started off right as well with a fifth-place finish in the 600-meter at 1:33.13.
The indoor season is in full swing now, and the Rebels will return next week at the Vanderbilt Invite on Jan. 18-19.
Other Notable Performances:
Women's 60-Meter Dash:
9. Kelly Rowe – 7.57p
11. T'Aja Cameron – 7.58p
Men's 60-Meter Dash:
10. Jaqaun Webb – 6.94p – 6.93q
Men's 600-Meter:
5. Griffin Riley – 1:21.03
6. Baylor Franklin – 1:21.03
9. Christian Yancey – 1:23.30
Men's 1000-Meter:
9. Shamar Tucker – 2:32.04
Women's Mile:
4. Lexi King – 5:10.06
8. Morgan Claire Rose – 5:21.17
Men's 60-Meter Hurdles:
9. Kenney Broadnax – 8.33p – 10th all-time
Women's Pole Vault:
5. Nicole Kallenberger – 3.80m (12-05.50)
Men's High Jump:
6. Allen Gordon – 2.05m (6-08.75)
Men's Long Jump:
10. Demond Fleming – 6.54m (21-05.50)
Women's Long Jump:
6. Kaira Simmons – 5.46m (17-11.00)
Women's Triple Jump:
7. Kaira Simmons – 11.60m (38-00.75)
Women's Shot Put:
10. Tedreauna Britt – 14.34m (47-00.75) – 5th all-time,
14. Leah Klein – 13.88m (45-06.50) – 3-foot PR, 8th all-time
Women's Weight Throw:
13. Annika Larsson – 17.26m (56-07.50) – PR, 7th all-time
17. Kendall Chavarria – 16.86m (55-03.75) – PR, 9th all-time
20. Leah Klein – 16.18m (53-01.00) – 5-foot PR, 13th all-time
28. Tedreauna Britt – 15.28m (50-01.75) – 14th all-time
Men's Weight Throw:
7. Joseph Benedetto – 18.24m (59-10.25) – 10th all-time
9. Chris Long – 17.84m (58-06.25) – 3-foot PR, 12th all-time
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
"I am pleased with the overall performances," said Ole Miss head coach Connie Price-Smith. "We have a very young team, and it was nice to see them compete so well. We still have a lot of things to work on, but today was a good start."
Weissmann – a native of Grapevine, Texas – had a day to remember, winning the pole vault at a new indoor best of 5.20m (17-00.75). Weissmann memorably cleared the same height at the SEC Outdoor Championships as a freshman in 2018, but entering Friday his indoor best was just 4.83m (15-10.00). His vault today pushes him from eighth to third on the all-time Ole Miss indoor list, and he is now one of just four Rebels to ever clear 17 feet both indoors and outdoors, joining Kyle Wallace, Baker Vinci and Olympic bronze medalist, Sam Kendricks. Weissmann also stands at No. 5 on the NCAA Indoor qualifying list as of Friday.
Ole Miss is without NCAA Champion and All-American thrower Janeah Stewart for the first time in two years, but sophomore Shey Taiwo looks poised to pick up the torch after a strong opening performance in the weight throw. Taiwo threw a PR 20.83m (68-04.25) to finish third overall, improving on her standing in third place all-time at Ole Miss and putting her No. 8 on the current NCAA list.
Taiwo finished behind Ole Miss volunteer coach Jeneva Stevens, who won at 22.86m (75-00.00) by breaking Janeah Stewart's old facility record, and Tennessee's Stamatia Scarvelis, who finished as the top collegian with an NCAA-leading 22.54m (73-11.50).
It was a dynamite day on the track for the Rebels as well, with both the men's and women's 60-meter dash crews setting the stage for a strong indoor season. Junior Andrew Raspo finished runner-up in the men's 60-meter, running a career-best 6.81 in the final to put him 12th all-time at Ole Miss and into a tie for No. 15 on the NCAA list.
Sophomore newcomer Elijah Dryer didn't disappoint in his Rebel debut, finishing sixth in the final. He ran that same 6.81 in the semifinal round to put him tied for 12th with Raspo.
Freshman Brandee Presley made her presence felt in her first career meet as a Rebel, finishing fifth in the semifinals at 7.47 after running the fastest qualifying round time of the day at 7.46. Presley's 7.46 already launches her all the way to No. 11 at Ole Miss and No. 7 on the NCAA list entering today.
Junior Kieshonna Brooks advanced to the final in the women's 60-meter hurdles, running 8.69 in the prelims before finishing sixth in the final at 8.60 – coming close to her career-best 8.55 run at the SEC Indoor Championships last season.
Two underclassmen Rebel men nearly took down two long-standing school records in non-standard events on Friday. Sophomore John Rivera Jr. ran the 600-meter for the first time in his collegiate career and nearly came away with the record, finishing runner-up with his time of 1:19.09. His time was less than one second off the 1991 record of 1:18.75 set by Thomas Johnson.
In the 1000-meter race, freshman Dalton Hengst came within two seconds of the 1985 school record of 2:24.68 set by Doug Smith, finishing as the top collegian at 2:26.23 for second overall.
Junior transfer James Burnett also had a strong debut, finishing third in the 300-meter dash at 34.00 seconds. Burnett was the NJCAA runner-up in the 400-meter dash last year, running 46.25.
Freshman Jayda Eckford finished eighth overall in the women's edition of the 300-meter, winning her heat at a time of 38.80.
Senior Maddie McHugh, a two-time SEC Indoor bronze medalist in the 800-meter, got her final indoor season started off right as well with a fifth-place finish in the 600-meter at 1:33.13.
The indoor season is in full swing now, and the Rebels will return next week at the Vanderbilt Invite on Jan. 18-19.
Other Notable Performances:
Women's 60-Meter Dash:
9. Kelly Rowe – 7.57p
11. T'Aja Cameron – 7.58p
Men's 60-Meter Dash:
10. Jaqaun Webb – 6.94p – 6.93q
Men's 600-Meter:
5. Griffin Riley – 1:21.03
6. Baylor Franklin – 1:21.03
9. Christian Yancey – 1:23.30
Men's 1000-Meter:
9. Shamar Tucker – 2:32.04
Women's Mile:
4. Lexi King – 5:10.06
8. Morgan Claire Rose – 5:21.17
Men's 60-Meter Hurdles:
9. Kenney Broadnax – 8.33p – 10th all-time
Women's Pole Vault:
5. Nicole Kallenberger – 3.80m (12-05.50)
Men's High Jump:
6. Allen Gordon – 2.05m (6-08.75)
Men's Long Jump:
10. Demond Fleming – 6.54m (21-05.50)
Women's Long Jump:
6. Kaira Simmons – 5.46m (17-11.00)
Women's Triple Jump:
7. Kaira Simmons – 11.60m (38-00.75)
Women's Shot Put:
10. Tedreauna Britt – 14.34m (47-00.75) – 5th all-time,
14. Leah Klein – 13.88m (45-06.50) – 3-foot PR, 8th all-time
Women's Weight Throw:
13. Annika Larsson – 17.26m (56-07.50) – PR, 7th all-time
17. Kendall Chavarria – 16.86m (55-03.75) – PR, 9th all-time
20. Leah Klein – 16.18m (53-01.00) – 5-foot PR, 13th all-time
28. Tedreauna Britt – 15.28m (50-01.75) – 14th all-time
Men's Weight Throw:
7. Joseph Benedetto – 18.24m (59-10.25) – 10th all-time
9. Chris Long – 17.84m (58-06.25) – 3-foot PR, 12th all-time
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
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ 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
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and FieldINTERVIEW: Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan Talks NCAA Shot Three-Peat
Saturday, March 14
HIGHLIGHTS: Alicia Burnett Finishes Fourth in NCAA 60-Meter Final
Saturday, March 14
HIGHLIGHTS: Akaoma Odeluga Finishes NCAA Runner-Up in Shot Put
Saturday, March 14
HIGHLIGHTS: Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan Wins Third Straight NCAA Indoor Shot Put Title
Saturday, March 14