The University of Mississippi Athletics
Colozzo, Gordon Punch National Tickets on Day One of NCAA East Regional
5/26/2021 | Track and Field
Ole Miss Also Tallied Nine Quarterfinals Qualifiers on the Track
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss men's track & field had a nearly flawless first day of the NCAA East Regional, punching two tickets to the national meet and setting itself up for even more with nine quarterfinals qualifiers following Day One action on Wednesday.
Senior Cole Colozzo stared down what could have been his last competition as a Rebel and instead took advantage of the opportunity, punching his first career ticket to the national meet in the process. The fifth-year Rebel native of Stuart, Florida, was able to escape a contentious East Region pole vault competition, finishing sixth at a season-best 5.25m (17-02.75) and benefiting from back-to-back first-attempt clearances at 5.15m (17-02.75) and his final bar of 5.25m (17-02.75). Colozzo broke with the formchart in a big way, as he entered ranked 39th among entrants in the East Region.
Colozzo is the first Rebel to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men's pole vault since Olympian Sam Kendricks did in 2014 when he won the national title. Wednesday's heroics by Colozzo avenge a narrow miss on his last try in 2019, when he just missed qualifying for the national meet in 15th place.
Speaking of narrow misses, his teammate Peyton Weissmann came up heartbreakingly short of joining him in Eugene, falling just two spots shy in 14th place at that same height of 5.25m (17-02.75). Weissmann fell short on total misses, needing a second attempt on each of his clearances at 5.00m (16-04.75), 5.15m (16-10.75) and that final 5.25m (17-02.75). Weissmann almost put that issue to bed with a second-attempt success at 5.35m (17-06.50), but he nicked the bar on his way down.
All-American senior Allen Gordon punched his first of hopefully three tickets to Oregon on Wednesday, finishing fifth in the long jump at his second attempt distance of 7.65m/25-01.25 (+0.9). Gordon hit that exact distance on his final attempt for good measure, solidly putting him into the national meet for the fifth time in his career. This is the second time he has qualified in outdoors in the long jump (2019), and indoors he qualified in the long jump in 2020 and both the long jump and high jump this past spring for the 2021 indoor championships.
This is just the start for Gordon, though, who is scheduled to also compete in the high jump and triple jump on Friday. He is the only jumper in the NCAA this outdoor season to have jumped 7' 1.75" in the high jump, 25' 11.50" in the long jump and 51' 6.50" in the triple jump.
Ole Miss had a tremendously successful day on the track, advancing nine out of 10 possible entries to quarterfinal races on Friday. Leading that charge is a massive delegation from the Ole Miss distance squad, which punched seven of those nine quarterfinal tickets on Wednesday.
Mario Garcia Romo led a group of four qualifiers in the first round men's 1500-meter races, punching an AQ ticket to the quarterfinal after winning Heat Two at 3:42.80 – the second-best time overall. Fellow All-American Waleed Suliman did the same in the first heat, winning at 3:43.75 (sixth overall). Cade Bethmann earned an AQ spot after finishing third in Heat Four at 3:44.47 (17th overall). In that same heat, Dalton Hengst dug deep down the final stretch, even diving at the finish line to snare one of the last time qualifier spots at 3:44.97 (23rd overall) to make his second career quarterfinal appearance in as many attempts.
Ole Miss went a perfect 3-for-3 in the men's 800-meter first round races on Wednesday night. John Rivera Jr. led the trio with a win in Heat Four at 1:48.46 (fourth overall), while Baylor Franklin also snagged an AQ spot following a late charge to finish second in Heat Six at 1:49.70 (17th overall). Everett Smulders, meanwhile, claimed a time qualifier spot from Heat Three at 1:49.36 (13th overall).
Elijah Dryer continued to light the track on fire, yet again recording a career-best in the men's 200-meter dash. Dryer earned an AQ spot to the quarterfinal after finishing third at 20.84 (+2.1) in Heat Five, a new PR that moves him up to No. 11 on the all-time Ole Miss list. This was Dryer's third consecutive 200-meter race that ended up in a PR stretching back to the SEC Championships prelims on May 13.
Also making his first regional quarterfinal was hurdler Kenney Broadnax, who avenged a near miss his freshman year in 2019 by clocking the fastest time qualifier slot of the night at a sizeable PR time of 13.77 (+2.2). That time ranked 15th overall in first round action on Wednesday, and improves upon Broadnax's spot at No. 5 all-time at Ole Miss.
Daniel Viveros nearly punched his first ticket to the national meet in his first ever trip to the East Regional, but fell a few inches short following a career day in the men's shot put. Viveros launched a 6-inch PR of 18.56m (60-10.75) in the second flight, which at the time ranked third, but he fell down to 14th place – two places shy of qualifying – following the third and fourth flights of competition. However, the future looks bright for Viveros, who now ranks second all-time at Ole Miss in the shot put after his first outdoor season as a Rebel – trailing only All-American Brian Williams' 2018 school record of 18.85m (61-10.25)
Up next on Thursday it's the women's turn, with the Rebels getting things started on Day Two in the women's hammer at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Day One National Qualifiers
Cole Colozzo – Men's Pole Vault
Allen Gordon – Men's Long Jump
Day One Quarterfinalists
Cade Bethmann – Men's 1500-Meter
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
Elijah Dryer – Men's 200-Meter Dash
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Dalton Hengst – Men's 1500-Meter
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Everett Smulders – Men's 800-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Men's 200-Meter Dash – First Round
14. Elijah Dryer – 20.84 (+2.1) – AQ, PR, No. 11 all-time
Men's 800-Meter – First Round
4. John Rivera Jr. – 1:48.46 (AQ)
13. Everett Smulders – 1:49.36q
17. Baylor Franklin – 1:49.70 (AQ)
Men's 1500-Meter – First Round
2. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:42.80 (AQ)
6. Waleed Suliman – 3:43.75 (AQ)
17. Cade Bethmann – 3:44.47 (AQ)
23. Dalton Hengst – 3:44.97q
29. Michael Coccia – 3:46.43
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – First Round
15. Kenney Broadnax – 13.77 (+2.2) – PR, No. 5 all-time
Men's Pole Vault
6. Cole Colozzo – 5.25m/17-02.75 – NCAA Qualifier, SB
14. Peyton Weissmann – 5.25m/17-02.75 – SB
Men's Long Jump
5. Allen Gordon – 7.65m/25-01.25 (+0.9) – NCAA Qualifier
Men's Shot Put
14. Daniel Viveros – 18.56m/60-10.75 – 6-inch PR, No. 2 all-time
Men's Hammer
33. Joseph Benedetto – 59.48m/195-02
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Senior Cole Colozzo stared down what could have been his last competition as a Rebel and instead took advantage of the opportunity, punching his first career ticket to the national meet in the process. The fifth-year Rebel native of Stuart, Florida, was able to escape a contentious East Region pole vault competition, finishing sixth at a season-best 5.25m (17-02.75) and benefiting from back-to-back first-attempt clearances at 5.15m (17-02.75) and his final bar of 5.25m (17-02.75). Colozzo broke with the formchart in a big way, as he entered ranked 39th among entrants in the East Region.
Colozzo is the first Rebel to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men's pole vault since Olympian Sam Kendricks did in 2014 when he won the national title. Wednesday's heroics by Colozzo avenge a narrow miss on his last try in 2019, when he just missed qualifying for the national meet in 15th place.
Speaking of narrow misses, his teammate Peyton Weissmann came up heartbreakingly short of joining him in Eugene, falling just two spots shy in 14th place at that same height of 5.25m (17-02.75). Weissmann fell short on total misses, needing a second attempt on each of his clearances at 5.00m (16-04.75), 5.15m (16-10.75) and that final 5.25m (17-02.75). Weissmann almost put that issue to bed with a second-attempt success at 5.35m (17-06.50), but he nicked the bar on his way down.
All-American senior Allen Gordon punched his first of hopefully three tickets to Oregon on Wednesday, finishing fifth in the long jump at his second attempt distance of 7.65m/25-01.25 (+0.9). Gordon hit that exact distance on his final attempt for good measure, solidly putting him into the national meet for the fifth time in his career. This is the second time he has qualified in outdoors in the long jump (2019), and indoors he qualified in the long jump in 2020 and both the long jump and high jump this past spring for the 2021 indoor championships.
This is just the start for Gordon, though, who is scheduled to also compete in the high jump and triple jump on Friday. He is the only jumper in the NCAA this outdoor season to have jumped 7' 1.75" in the high jump, 25' 11.50" in the long jump and 51' 6.50" in the triple jump.
Ole Miss had a tremendously successful day on the track, advancing nine out of 10 possible entries to quarterfinal races on Friday. Leading that charge is a massive delegation from the Ole Miss distance squad, which punched seven of those nine quarterfinal tickets on Wednesday.
Mario Garcia Romo led a group of four qualifiers in the first round men's 1500-meter races, punching an AQ ticket to the quarterfinal after winning Heat Two at 3:42.80 – the second-best time overall. Fellow All-American Waleed Suliman did the same in the first heat, winning at 3:43.75 (sixth overall). Cade Bethmann earned an AQ spot after finishing third in Heat Four at 3:44.47 (17th overall). In that same heat, Dalton Hengst dug deep down the final stretch, even diving at the finish line to snare one of the last time qualifier spots at 3:44.97 (23rd overall) to make his second career quarterfinal appearance in as many attempts.
Ole Miss went a perfect 3-for-3 in the men's 800-meter first round races on Wednesday night. John Rivera Jr. led the trio with a win in Heat Four at 1:48.46 (fourth overall), while Baylor Franklin also snagged an AQ spot following a late charge to finish second in Heat Six at 1:49.70 (17th overall). Everett Smulders, meanwhile, claimed a time qualifier spot from Heat Three at 1:49.36 (13th overall).
Elijah Dryer continued to light the track on fire, yet again recording a career-best in the men's 200-meter dash. Dryer earned an AQ spot to the quarterfinal after finishing third at 20.84 (+2.1) in Heat Five, a new PR that moves him up to No. 11 on the all-time Ole Miss list. This was Dryer's third consecutive 200-meter race that ended up in a PR stretching back to the SEC Championships prelims on May 13.
Also making his first regional quarterfinal was hurdler Kenney Broadnax, who avenged a near miss his freshman year in 2019 by clocking the fastest time qualifier slot of the night at a sizeable PR time of 13.77 (+2.2). That time ranked 15th overall in first round action on Wednesday, and improves upon Broadnax's spot at No. 5 all-time at Ole Miss.
Daniel Viveros nearly punched his first ticket to the national meet in his first ever trip to the East Regional, but fell a few inches short following a career day in the men's shot put. Viveros launched a 6-inch PR of 18.56m (60-10.75) in the second flight, which at the time ranked third, but he fell down to 14th place – two places shy of qualifying – following the third and fourth flights of competition. However, the future looks bright for Viveros, who now ranks second all-time at Ole Miss in the shot put after his first outdoor season as a Rebel – trailing only All-American Brian Williams' 2018 school record of 18.85m (61-10.25)
Up next on Thursday it's the women's turn, with the Rebels getting things started on Day Two in the women's hammer at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Day One National Qualifiers
Cole Colozzo – Men's Pole Vault
Allen Gordon – Men's Long Jump
Day One Quarterfinalists
Cade Bethmann – Men's 1500-Meter
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
Elijah Dryer – Men's 200-Meter Dash
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Dalton Hengst – Men's 1500-Meter
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Everett Smulders – Men's 800-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Men's 200-Meter Dash – First Round
14. Elijah Dryer – 20.84 (+2.1) – AQ, PR, No. 11 all-time
Men's 800-Meter – First Round
4. John Rivera Jr. – 1:48.46 (AQ)
13. Everett Smulders – 1:49.36q
17. Baylor Franklin – 1:49.70 (AQ)
Men's 1500-Meter – First Round
2. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:42.80 (AQ)
6. Waleed Suliman – 3:43.75 (AQ)
17. Cade Bethmann – 3:44.47 (AQ)
23. Dalton Hengst – 3:44.97q
29. Michael Coccia – 3:46.43
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – First Round
15. Kenney Broadnax – 13.77 (+2.2) – PR, No. 5 all-time
Men's Pole Vault
6. Cole Colozzo – 5.25m/17-02.75 – NCAA Qualifier, SB
14. Peyton Weissmann – 5.25m/17-02.75 – SB
Men's Long Jump
5. Allen Gordon – 7.65m/25-01.25 (+0.9) – NCAA Qualifier
Men's Shot Put
14. Daniel Viveros – 18.56m/60-10.75 – 6-inch PR, No. 2 all-time
Men's Hammer
33. Joseph Benedetto – 59.48m/195-02
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
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