Ole Miss Track & Field Set for NCAA East Regional

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tickets to the national meet are on the line when Ole Miss track & field will face a stout field at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round Championships, this year held at North Florida's Hodges Stadium from May 23-25. A total of 29 Rebel student-athletes will compete in 32 events. The Rebel women led the way with 18 entries from 16 athletes, while the Rebel men tallied 14 entries among 13 athletes.

TEAM NOTES
• To qualify for this first round of the NCAA Championships, student-athletes must have finished the season ranked within the top-48 of their individual events or as a member of a top-24 relay team on their respective regional qualifying list (East or West), which was released by the NCAA on Thursday. The top-12 athletes in the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon in the East and West automatically receive entry to the national meet. From there, the top-12 finalists in each event at each regional meet advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the University of Texas on June 5-8.

• In four years at Ole Miss, head coach Connie Price-Smith has averaged 30.5 athletes and 32.3 entries at the regional meet, and from there she has sent an average of 12 athletes and 10 entries to the national meet. In her tenure, she has mentored two NCAA Outdoor Champions (Raven Saunders, shot put, 2016; Janeah Stewart, hammer, 2018), 31 First or Second-Team All-Americans (18 women, 13 men) and brought the Rebels three national top-25 team finishes outdoors – with the Rebel men tying for 14th in 2017 and the women taking 20th in 2018 and 22nd in 2016.

• Ole Miss ranks in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad top-10 in six events: men's 1500-meter (No. 3, 3:42.24 avg.), women's 3000-meter steeplechase (No. 4, 10:33.09 avg.), men's 800-meter (No. 5, 1:48.99 avg.), men's triple jump (No. 6, 14.68m/48-02.00 avg.), women's hammer (No. 8, 57.90m/190-00 avg.) and women's 10K (No. 8, 34:43.17 avg.).

• Fans will be able to watch the action live on FloTrack, which is a paid subscription service.

WOMEN'S NOTES
• This is the fourth consecutive season under Price-Smith that the Rebel women have notched at least 15 entries to the national meet. Under her leadership, the Rebel women have averaged at least 5.0 entries that qualify through to the national meet.

• Leading the way for the Rebel women are the school record women's 4x100-meter relay team of Kelly Rowe, Jayda Eckford, Kaira Simmons and Brandee Presley, who enter with the sixth-best time in the East at 43.76. Ole Miss has qualified for the national meet in the women's 4x100-meter relay in each of the last four seasons. This quartet finished sixth at the SEC Championships and came within one hundredth of a second of topping the reigning NCAA Champions, LSU, in Baton Rouge on April 27 (43.75).

• Senior Lindsey Murray also enters the regional meet as the sixth-best in the East in the pole vault. Murray, a six-time NCAA qualifier across the indoor and outdoor seasons during her career, owns a season-best of 4.31m (14-01.75) – less than two inches off her school record and career best of 4.35m (14-03.25) that earned her an SEC bronze medal in 2018.

• The Rebel women will have a handful doubling in Jacksonville, with freshman Tedreauna Britt throwing in both the discus (17th, 53.45m/175-04) and shot put (39th, 15.41m/50-06.75), sophomore Shey Taiwo throwing in the hammer (17th, 63.87m/209-06) and discus (36th, 50.61m/166-00), freshman Jayda Eckford running on the 4x100-meter relay and in the 200-meter dash (18th, 23.24), junior Kieshonna Brooks competing in both the 100-meter hurdles (25th, 13.43) and long jump (32nd, 6.18m/20-03.50) and freshman Brandee Presley running on both the relay and in the 100-meter dash (43rd, 11.56).

• Tedreauna Britt was the top freshman finisher in the discus at the SEC Championships, finishing seventh. Her qualifying mark came from her outdoor season debut at the Trailblazer Challenge, the fourth-best throw in school history.

• Shey Taiwo, a Second-Team All-American indoors in the weight throw, enters the Easy Regional with the second-best throw in Ole Miss history behind NCAA Champion Janeah Stewart's record of 72.92m (239-03), the 10th-best throw in NCAA history that made Stewart the No. 4 collegiate hammer thrower all-time last June.

• Jayda Eckford's qualifying time in the 200-meter dash of 23.24 into a -0.1 headwind ranks as the fourth-best 200-meter time in Ole Miss history, and it was the second-best collegiate time at the LSU Invite on April 27 behind Tiger SEC Champion Sha'Carri Richardson's 22.78.

• Kieshonna Brooks finished ranked 19th in the heptathlon in the East Region, but qualified with both of her personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump. Brooks finished fifth in the heptathlon at the SEC Championships for the second straight year.

• Sophomore Lisa Vogelgesang scored at SECs in the steeplechase for the second straight year, running a season-best 10:17.14 that puts her at No. 16 in the East entering this weekend. As a freshman, Vogelgesang won silver in the steeplechase at the SEC Outdoor Championships at her PR of 10:06.00, the second-best time in school history and the No. 14 time ever run by a German U20 athlete. Vogelgesang represented her native Germany in the 2018 U20 World Championships in Finland, advancing to the final in the women's steeplechase.

• Sophomore Clio Ozanne-Jaques became the second Rebel to ever earn runner-up honors in the women's 10K, earning silver medal honors at the SEC Championships. She qualified with her 10K best of 33:42.06 from the Raleigh Relays in March, the second-best time in Ole Miss history and the 16th-best seed time in the East.

• Earlier this season, the Australian native took down Mary Alex England's 2017 school record in the 5K, running 16:05.55 in the elite section of the women's 5K at Mt. SAC on April 19.

• Ozanne-Jaques represented Australia at the 2018 U20 World Championships in Finland in the 5K.

• Victoria Simmons also had a successful trip to NC State in March, running the fifth-best time in school history at 34:24.00 that wound up as the 36th-best time in the East.

• Sophomore Maddie King had qualifying times in both the 1500-meter (4:21.51, 37th) and steeplechase (10:22.37, 28th), but opted to focus on the 1500. King's PR in the 1500 ranks No. 4 all-time at Ole Miss.

• Senior Annika Larsson qualified for the NCAA East Regional for the second time in her career after a PR to score in the women's hammer at the SEC Championships, finishing seventh at 60.36m (198-00).

• Anna Elkin and Chelsea Drum both qualified in the 5K from times they ran out west, with Elkin's 16:26.68 (No. 43) coming at the Mt. SAC Relays, while Drum's 16:27.66 (No. 45) at the Bryan Clay Invite. This is the first career regional trip for both sophomores.

• Senior Alex Enright snagged the No. 44 spot in the women's javelin at her school record toss of 45.50m (149-03).

MEN'S NOTES
• In four years under Price-Smith, the Rebel men have averaged 14.25 men's entries to the regional meet and 5.0 entries through to the national meet.

• Ole Miss will send a deep and talented squad in the 1500-meter with five Rebels representing. Sophomore and reigning SEC Champion Waleed Suliman enters with the second-best time in the East at 3:38.72 – the third-best time in school history. Other Rebel men qualified in the 1500 include sophomore Cade Bethmann (fourth, 3:41.65), freshman Dalton Hengst (11th, 3:43.92), freshman Mario Garcia Romo (20th, 3:44.69) and senior Derek Gutierrez (34th, 3:45.29). No other school will have more than three represented in the men's 1500.

• Suliman's win in the 1500-meter at the SEC Championships was the fourth in a row for the Rebel men, making Ole Miss the first school since Arkansas won five straight from 1996-2000 to win at least four 1500-meter titles consecutively.

• Suliman's seed time came in the men's invite 1500-meter at the Bryan Clay Invite, running in the fast heat and clocking the NCAA's sixth-fastest time of 3:38.72. The top-six times nationally this year came from that heat. Suliman's time ranks as a PR and sits third all-time at Ole Miss behind Robert Domanic's record 3:36.33 from the 2018 Bryan Clay Invite (No. 9 in NCAA history) and Craig Engels' 3:37.66 from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. Suliman is also the reigning SEC Indoor mile champion, making Ole Miss the first school in SEC history to win five consecutive men's mile titles.

• Dalton Hengst was the top freshman finisher in the men's 1500 at the conference meet, finishing fifth overall.

• Cade Bethmann also held the East's No. 7 time in the 800 at 1:47.81, but scratched in order to focus on the 1500-meter. Bethmann has qualified for the 1500 for the second consecutive year, alongside Suliman.

• The Rebel men will also have multiple entries in the pole vault with sophomores Peyton Weissmann (eighth, 5.35m/17-06.50) and Cole Colozzo (10th, 5.31m/17-05.00) and 800-meter with sophomores John Rivera Jr. (10th, 1:48.39) and Griffin Riley (14th, 1:48.74).

• Rivera made the final of the SEC men's 800-meter, finishing fifth overall.

• Sophomore Allen Gordon will double for the men, entering as the eighth-best long jumper at 7.89m (25-10.75) and the 21st-best high jumper at 2.16m (7-01.00). Gordon's qualifying mark in the long jump came at the SEC Championships, in which he placed fourth. Gordon qualified in both events as a freshman in 2018 as well.

• Peyton Weissmann and Cole Colozzo have both had superb seasons, as the duo have become the first pair of Rebels to join the 17-foot club in the same season in Ole Miss history. Weissmann, who is also one of just four Rebels to clear 17 feet both indoors and outdoors, opened the outdoor season at home at 5.35m (17-06.50). Colozzo, meanwhile, had a career day at LSU on April 27, becoming the fifth member of the Ole Miss outdoor 17-foot club at 5.31m (17-05.00), a PR of nearly one foot.

• Weissmann finished fourth overall in a historic men's pole vault competition at the SEC Championships, his second consecutive top-five finish.

• Senior Mark Robertson enters with the 16th-best 10K time in the East at his Ole Miss school record from the Raleigh Relays to open the season, running a 49-second PR of 29:00.46 to break Bernard Kuria's 1996 record of 29:07.38. Robertson finished fifth at the SEC Championships in the 10K.

• Freshman hurdler Kenney Broadnax became the sixth Rebel to break the 14-second barrier in the men's 110-meter hurdles in the prelims of the SEC Championships. Broadnax ran 13.99 (+0.9), the sixth-best time in Ole Miss history and the No. 28 seed time.

• Freshman Joseph Benedetto ripped off a five-foot PR at the SEC Championships to punch his ticket to the NCAA East Regional, entering with the No. 39 seed mark of 59.36m (194-09), the seventh-best throw in Ole Miss history.

HEAD COACH CONNIE PRICE-SMITH
• Ole Miss head coach Connie Price-Smith is in her fourth season. Price-Smith, who was the head women's coach for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, is in her 18th season overall as a head coach.

• In four seasons at Ole Miss, Price-Smith has already mentored seven NCAA champions, 61 First or Second-Team All-Americans, 29 SEC Champions and several of the highest SEC and national team finishes ever at Ole Miss -- including the highest SEC Outdoor finish ever for the women in fifth place in 2018.

• Price-Smith's coaching staff all returns as well, with associate head coach Andre Scott (jumps, women's multis), assistant coach Anthony Acklin (sprints, hurdles), assistant coach Brian Porter (pole vault, javelin, men's multis), assistant coach John Smith (throws) and director of operations Sasha Leeth all returning for their fourth seasons at Ole Miss, with associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy (distance) entering his sixth year as a Rebel.

Rebel Women's Qualifiers (18 entries, 16 athletes):
6. 4x100-Meter Relay (Rowe, Eckford, Simmons, Presley) – 43.76
6. Lindsey Murray – Pole Vault – 4.31m (14-01.75)
16. Lisa Vogelgesang – 3000-Meter Steeplechase – 10:17.14
16. Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 10K – 33:42.06
17. Tedreauna Britt – Discus – 53.45m (175-04)
17. Shey Taiwo – Hammer – 63.87m (209-06)
18. Jayda Eckford – 200-Meter Dash – 23.24 (-0.1)
25. Kieshonna Brooks – 100-Meter Hurdles – 13.43 (+3.9)
32. Kieshonna Brooks – Long Jump – 6.18m (20-03.50) +0.8
36. Victoria Simmons – 10K – 34:24.00
36. Shey Taiwo – Discus – 50.61m (166-00)
37. Maddie King – 1500-Meter – 4:21.51
39. Tedreauna Britt – Shot Put – 15.41m (50-06.75)
39. Annika Larsson – Hammer – 60.36m (198-00)
43. Brandee Presley – 100-Meter Dash – 11.56
43. Anna Elkin – 5K – 16:26.68
44. Alex Enright – Javelin – 45.50m (149-03)
45. Chelsea Drum – 5K – 16:27.66

Rebel Men's Qualifiers (14 entries, 13 athletes):
2. Waleed Suliman – 1500-Meter – 3:38.72
4. Cade Bethmann – 1500-Meter – 3:41.65
8. Peyton Weissmann – Pole Vault – 5.35m (17-06.50)
8. Allen Gordon – Long Jump – 7.89m (25-10.75) +0.4
10. John Rivera Jr. – 800-Meter – 1:48.39
10. Cole Colozzo – Pole Vault – 5.31m (17-05.00)
11. Dalton Hengst – 1500-Meter – 3:43.92
14. Griffin Riley – 800-Meter – 1:48.74
16. Mark Robertson – 10K – 29:00.46
20. Mario Garcia Romo – 1500-Meter – 3:44.69
21. Allen Gordon – High Jump – 2.16m (7-01.00)
28. Kenney Broadnax – 110-Meter Hurdles – 13.99 (+0.9)
34. Derek Gutierrez – 1500-Meter – 3:45.29
39. Joseph Benedetto – Hammer – 59.36m (194-09)

Price-Smith Career Regional Qualifiers Under Current Format (since 2010)
226 athletes (98 men, 128 women) | 274 entries (113 men, 161 women)
2019 (at Ole Miss): 29 athletes (13 men, 16 women) | 32 entries (14 men, 18 women)
2018 (at Ole Miss): 29 athletes (13 men, 16 women) | 30 entries (15 men, 15 women)
2017 (at Ole Miss): 32 athletes (10 men, 22 women) | 34 entries (11 men, 23 women)
2016 (at Ole Miss): 32 athletes (17 men, 15 women) | 33 entries (17 men, 16 women)
2015 (at SIU): 19 athletes (10 men, 9 women) | 26 entries (13 men, 13 women)
2014 (at SIU): 13 athletes (6 men, 7 women) | 17 entries (9 men, 8 women)
2013 (at SIU): 13 athletes (5 men, 8 women) | 18 entries (6 men, 12 women)
2012 (at SIU): 15 athletes (7 men, 8 women) | 20 entries (7 men, 13 women)
2011 (at SIU): 17 athletes (6 men, 11 women) | 24 entries (7 men, 17 women)
2010 (at SIU): 27 athletes (11 men, 16 women) | 40 entries (14 men, 26 women)

Price-Smith Career Outdoor National Qualifiers (as a combined head coach)
84 athletes (37 men, 47 women) | 90 entries (37 men, 53 women)
2018 (at Ole Miss): 12 athletes (5 men, 7 women) | 10 entries (5 men, 5 women)
2017 (at Ole Miss): 11 athletes (4 men, 7 women) | 10 entries (4 men, 6 women)
2016 (at Ole Miss): 13 athletes (7 men, 6 women) | 10 entries (6 men, 4 women)
2015 (at SIU): 4 athletes (2 men, 2 women) | 4 entries (2 men, 2 women)
2014 (at SIU): 5 athletes (3 men, 2 women) | 6 entries (3 men, 3 women)
2013 (at SIU): 3 athletes (1 man, 2 women) | 4 entries (1 man, 3 women)
2012 (at SIU): 7 athletes (3 men, 4 women) | 10 entries (4 men, 6 women)
2011 (at SIU): 5 athletes (3 men, 2 women) | 7 entries (3 men, 4 women)
2010 (at SIU): 7 athletes (3 men, 4 women) | 9 entries (3 men, 6 women)
2009 (at SIU): 4 athletes (1 man, 3 women) | 4 entries (1 man, 3 women)
2008 (at SIU): 3 athletes (1 man, 2 women) | 3 entries (1 man, 2 women)
2007 (at SIU): 2 athletes (1 man, 1 woman) | 3 entries (1 man, 2 women)
2006 (at SIU): 5 athletes (2 men, 3 women) | 6 entries (2 men, 4 women)
2005 (at SIU): 3 athletes (1 man, 2 women) | 4 entries (1 man, 3 women)

NCAA East Regional, Master Schedule (all times CT)
Day One \| Thursday, May 23
Time	Event	Athlete(s)
11:00 a.m.	Men's Hammer	Joseph Benedetto (Flight 1)
	Women's Javelin	Alex Enright (Flight 1)
2:30 p.m.	Men's Long Jump	Allen Gordon (Flight 4)
3:00 p.m.	Women's Hammer	Annika Larsson (Flight 1) Shey Taiwo (Flight 2)
3:30 p.m.	Men's Pole Vault	Cole Colozzo (Flight 2) Peyton Weissmann (Flight 2)
4:30 p.m.	Women's 1500-Meter First Round	Maddie King (Heat 3)
5:00 p.m.	Men's 1500-Meter First Round	Cade Bethmann (Heat 1) Mario Garcia Romo (Heat 1) Derek Gutierrez (Heat 2) Waleed Suliman (Heat 2) Dalton Hengst (Heat 3)
5:30 p.m.	Women's 100-Meter Dash First Round	Brandee Presley (Heat 6)
5:45 p.m.	Women's Long Jump	Kieshonna Brooks (Flight 2)
7:35 p.m.	Men's 800-Meter First Round	John Rivera Jr. (Heat 4) Griffin Riley (Heat 5)
8:00 p.m.	Women's 10K Semifinal	Clio Ozanne-Jaques Victoria Simmons
8:40 p.m.	Men's 10K Semifinal	Mark Robertson
Day Two \| Friday, May 24
11:00 a.m.	Women's Discus	Shey Taiwo (Flight 1) Tedreauna Britt (Flight 2)
3:30 p.m.	Women's 100-Meter Hurdles First Round	Kieshonna Brooks (Heat 5)
4:00 p.m.	Women's Pole Vault	Lindsey Murray (Flight 1)
	Men's 110-Meter Hurdles First Round	Kenney Broadnax (Heat 5)
5:00 p.m.	Women's 100-Meter Quarterfinal	Brandee Presley (Heat 1)
5:45 p.m.	Men's 800-Meter Quarterfinal	Griffin Riley (Heat 1) John Rivera Jr. (Heat 1)
6:30 p.m.	Women's 200-Meter Dash First Round	Jayda Eckford (Heat 4)
7:20 p.m.	Women's 3000-Meter Steeplechase Quarterfinal	Lisa Vogelgesang (Heat 2)
Day Three \| Saturday, May 25
3:00 p.m.	Men's High Jump	Allen Gordon (Flight 1)
4:15 p.m.	Women's Shot Put	Tedreauna Britt (Flight 1)
5:00 p.m.	Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Quarterfinal	--
5:45 p.m.	Men's 1500-Meter Quarterfinals	Waleed Suliman (Heat 1) Dalton Hengst (Heat 2)
6:20 p.m.	Men's 110-Meter Hurdles Quarterfinals	Kenney Broadnax (Heat 2, Lane 2)
6:35 p.m.	Women's 200-Meter Dash Quarterfinals	Jayda Eckford (Heat 1, Lane 8)
7:05 p.m.	Women's 5K Quarterfinal	Chelsea Drum (Heat 1) Anna Elkin (Heat 2)

For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Joseph Benedetto

Cade Bethmann

Tedreauna Britt

Kenney Broadnax

Kieshonna Brooks

Cole Colozzo

Robert Domanic

Chelsea Drum

Jayda Eckford

Anna Elkin

Craig Engels

Alex Enright

Mario Garcia Romo

Allen Gordon

Derek Gutierrez

Dalton Hengst

Maddie King

Annika Larsson

Lindsey Murray

Clio Ozanne-Jaques

Brandee Presley

Griffin Riley

John Rivera Jr.

Mark Robertson

Kelly Rowe

Raven Saunders

Kaira Simmons

Victoria Simmons

Janeah Stewart

Waleed Suliman

Shey Taiwo

Lisa Vogelgesang

Peyton Weissmann

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