The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men’s Cross Country No. 19 in First USTFCCCA National Rankings of 2020
10/27/2020 | Cross Country
Ole Miss Set for SEC Championships at LSU This Friday Morning
NEW ORLEANS – Ole Miss men's cross country comes in at No. 19 in the first edition of the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll Rankings that were released on Tuesday afternoon.
The poll was not conducted during the first month of the shortened 2020 season, but will now be released at least four more times prior to the NCAA Division I Championships that have been rescheduled to March 15, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ole Miss has now been ranked in 34 consecutive men's polls, as well as 40 of the last 45 dating back to 2014. Additionally, the Rebel men have been at least receiving votes in 43 of the last 45 occurrences.
The Rebel men have enjoyed a solid season thus far, finishing second or better in three highly competitive meets. Ole Miss has gone toe-to-toe with No. 3 Arkansas twice, finishing runner-up narrowly in the season opener at LSU on Sept. 19 and again taking second to the Razorbacks at UAB's Blazer Classic on Oct. 16. In between, the Rebels won Louisville's Live in Lou Classic in dominant fashion, besting Charlotte by a 41-point margin on Oct. 3.
Ole Miss has been paced by a steady top pack of three that includes two-time All-American and senior Waleed Suliman, junior Mario Garcia Romo and sophomore Cole Bullock. Garcia Romo has proven to be a consistent threat for the Rebels at the top of results sheet, winning the season-opening SEC Preview by two seconds and coming three tenths of a second shy of a second individual title as the runner-up at the Blazer Classic. For his efforts in the season opener, Garcia Romo was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week.
All three were also instrumental in Ole Miss' repeat SEC title win in 2019, with Suliman leading the way as the third-place finisher and Bullock being named the SEC Freshman of the Year after a ninth-place showing. In all, the Rebels return four All-SEC performers from the championship squad one year ago heading into this Friday's SEC Championships at LSU.
The stage is now set for a third showdown between the Rebels and Razorbacks. Ole Miss has won the last two SEC men's titles in 2018 and 2019, snapping Arkansas' eight-year winning streak in 2018 and becoming the first school not named Arkansas or Alabama to win since 1990.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss is receiving votes in the USTFCCCA National Women's Coaches Poll also released Tuesday. The Rebel women have strung together three steady meets so far, taking runner-up at the SEC Preview and Live in Lou Classic before finishing fourth in a contentious dash to the finish over the last kilometer at the UAB Blazer Classic. Senior Anna Elkin has been the top finisher for Ole Miss in all three meets, running a 5K PR at Louisville (17:00.4) and coming within one second of her 6K PR at UAB (20:32.21).
Ole Miss closes its shortened 2020 season this Friday morning at the SEC Cross Country Championships, hosted by LSU. The meet will air live on SEC Network, with the women's 6K beginning at 9:05 a.m. CT and the men's 8K at 10 a.m. CT.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
The poll was not conducted during the first month of the shortened 2020 season, but will now be released at least four more times prior to the NCAA Division I Championships that have been rescheduled to March 15, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ole Miss has now been ranked in 34 consecutive men's polls, as well as 40 of the last 45 dating back to 2014. Additionally, the Rebel men have been at least receiving votes in 43 of the last 45 occurrences.
The Rebel men have enjoyed a solid season thus far, finishing second or better in three highly competitive meets. Ole Miss has gone toe-to-toe with No. 3 Arkansas twice, finishing runner-up narrowly in the season opener at LSU on Sept. 19 and again taking second to the Razorbacks at UAB's Blazer Classic on Oct. 16. In between, the Rebels won Louisville's Live in Lou Classic in dominant fashion, besting Charlotte by a 41-point margin on Oct. 3.
Ole Miss has been paced by a steady top pack of three that includes two-time All-American and senior Waleed Suliman, junior Mario Garcia Romo and sophomore Cole Bullock. Garcia Romo has proven to be a consistent threat for the Rebels at the top of results sheet, winning the season-opening SEC Preview by two seconds and coming three tenths of a second shy of a second individual title as the runner-up at the Blazer Classic. For his efforts in the season opener, Garcia Romo was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week.
All three were also instrumental in Ole Miss' repeat SEC title win in 2019, with Suliman leading the way as the third-place finisher and Bullock being named the SEC Freshman of the Year after a ninth-place showing. In all, the Rebels return four All-SEC performers from the championship squad one year ago heading into this Friday's SEC Championships at LSU.
The stage is now set for a third showdown between the Rebels and Razorbacks. Ole Miss has won the last two SEC men's titles in 2018 and 2019, snapping Arkansas' eight-year winning streak in 2018 and becoming the first school not named Arkansas or Alabama to win since 1990.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss is receiving votes in the USTFCCCA National Women's Coaches Poll also released Tuesday. The Rebel women have strung together three steady meets so far, taking runner-up at the SEC Preview and Live in Lou Classic before finishing fourth in a contentious dash to the finish over the last kilometer at the UAB Blazer Classic. Senior Anna Elkin has been the top finisher for Ole Miss in all three meets, running a 5K PR at Louisville (17:00.4) and coming within one second of her 6K PR at UAB (20:32.21).
Ole Miss closes its shortened 2020 season this Friday morning at the SEC Cross Country Championships, hosted by LSU. The meet will air live on SEC Network, with the women's 6K beginning at 9:05 a.m. CT and the men's 8K at 10 a.m. CT.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
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Wednesday, October 08