The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men’s Track Punches Six More Tickets on Day Three of NCAA East Regional
5/28/2021 | Track and Field
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Rebel Men Hold Eight NCAA Entries, Their Most Since 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss men's track & field put together another splendid series of performances, punching an additional six tickets to the NCAA Championships following an excellent Day Three of the NCAA East Regional on Friday.
All-American duo Mario Garcia Romo and Waleed Suliman did in the 1500-meter quarterfinals what they have done all season: take care of business. Suliman and Garcia Romo went 1-2 in Heat One to earn automatic spots to the national meet in Eugene, with Suliman crossing in 3:38.89 (sixth overall) and Garcia Romo nearly at the same time at 3:38.92 (seventh overall).
They both displayed some masterful teamwork to stave off any would-be challengers, trading the lead at multiple times and helping block traffic. Things tightened up down the final straightaway, as the top seven finishers all finished within one second of each other, but key strategic moves helped keep the Rebels at the front of the pack.
This will be the third straight NCAA meet that Ole Miss will have multiple representatives in the men's 1500, as well as the fourth time in the last five opportunities. In those last five opportunities, Ole Miss has scored 16 total points in the men's 1500 – led by a third-place finish from Craig Engels in 2017 and a fourth-place finish by Robert Domanic in 2018. This will be the second trip for Suliman, who qualified in 2019, and the first NCAA Outdoor visit for Garcia Romo, who teamed up with Suliman and the rest of the Ole Miss distance squad for a bevy of All-American awards this past indoor season.
Ole Miss had an excellent day in the 800-meter as well on Friday, punching two more tickets and coming heartbreakingly short of a third. John Rivera Jr. was first, earning an AQ spot as the third-place finisher in Heat One at 1:49.03 (10th overall). Rivera hit the gas with 200 to go to jump into one of the top-three qualifying spots, and he was able to hold off a handful of nearby runners looking to relegate him to time qualifier status. This is Rivera's second career trip to the outdoor national meet in the 800-meter after finishing 13th in 2019.
Heat Two, however, was far from simple. Teammates Baylor Franklin and Everett Smulders were sitting in good position with about 100 meters left coming out of the final turn, when Dartmouth's Tim Zepf tripped and caused a pile-up, taking out an advancing Smulders in the process. Franklin escaped the chaos inside on the rail, and was able to take the second auto-qualifier spot in the heat at 1:48.21 (sixth overall).
A lengthy review of the collision was conducted, but the results stood as-is, leaving Smulders on the outside looking in after it appeared he was closing in on one of the other AQ spots next to Franklin.
This is the first time Ole Miss will have multiple representatives in the 800-meter at the outdoor national meet since 2015, when Craig Engels finished 10th and current assistant coach Holland Sherrer took 24th. Additionally, this is the first career outdoor trip for Franklin, who first raced at an NCAA meet indoors this past March in the 800-meter (12th place).
All-American senior Allen Gordon's quest for an elusive triple boarding pass to the NCAA Championships came up short, but not before punching his second ticket to Eugene after a sublime outing in the high jump. With the sun near its apex and in sweltering Florida heat, Gordon was one of three flawless high jumpers that tied for the East Region title following a career day.
Gordon was perfect on all four of his bars, culminating with a new outdoor PR clearance of 2.19m (7-02.25) that rattled as he sailed over it, but the bar held firm to punch his national ticket one more time. That height pushes him into a tie with Branden Greene for third all-time at Ole Miss, which is coincidental since Gordon is also the first Rebel to qualify for the outdoor national meet in the high jump since Greene's 2016 trip to Oregon.
Gordon had about an hour to rest before he began in the triple jump to try for a third NCAA bid, but he would have needed to PR by nearly one foot amid a strong East Region field, as he ended up 32nd at 15.16m/49-09.00 (+1.0).
Although he wasn't able to pull of the ultra-rare high jump/long jump/triple jump trifecta, Gordon will still be making history as the first Rebel to double at the NCAA Outdoor meet in the long jump and high jump. Furthermore, he is the first Rebel jumper to double outdoors in general since Olympian Ricky Robertson did so in the high jump and triple jump in 2012. Even though his triple jumping is over for the outdoor season, Gordon can still rest knowing he was the lone jumper in the NCAA outdoors in 2021 to have collectively hit 7' 2.25" in the high jump, 25' 11.5" in the long jump and 51' 6.5" in the triple jump.
The feel-good story of the day, though, belonged to none other than hurdler Kenney Broadnax. He entered the meet ranked No. 24 on the East Region list, but was still able to clock a PR 13.77 (+2.2) in the first round Wednesday to advance to today's quarterfinal, where he burst through with a huge improvement to 13.65 (+2.2). Broadnax finished fourth in his heat and had to wait for the third trial to finish before finding out his performance was good enough for the second-to-last time qualifier seat on the flight to Eugene.
This is Broadnax's first trip to any NCAA Championship meet, and it is a perfect next chapter in what has been an arduous journey for the junior. Broadnax completed his freshman season on this very track at North Florida in 2019, advancing to the quarterfinal before ultimately finishing 20th overall at what was then a PR of 13.94 (+1.8) to cap a strong first season at Ole Miss. Broadnax opened his 2020 sophomore campaign in impressive fashion, clocking an indoor 60-meter hurdles PR of 7.83, but later in the meet he tore his Achilles – forcing him out for the remainder of the shortened 2020 season.
Following a long rehab, Broadnax returned to the track this season and steadily improved before this incredible stretch over the last month that has seen him drop nearly three tenths off his previous PR. Broadnax is the first Rebel to qualify in the 110-meter hurdles since Robert Semien in 2015.
All told, the Ole Miss men will head to Eugene with its most men's entries since 2015 when combining the six tickets punched on Friday and two from Gordon in the long jump and Cole Colozzo in the pole vault from Day One.
Ole Miss track & field will conclude its stay in Jacksonville on Saturday, when the Rebel women return to the track in search of padding that current combined total of 14 entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Competition is set to begin with the women's discus at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Day Three National Qualifiers
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Allen Gordon – Men's High Jump
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Men's 200-Meter Dash – Quarterfinal
20. Elijah Dryer – 20.92 (+2.6)
Men's 800-Meter – Quarterfinal
6. Baylor Franklin – 1:48.21 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
10. John Rivera Jr. – 1:49.03 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
23. Everett Smulders – 1:57.28
Men's 1500-Meter – Quarterfinal
6. Waleed Suliman – 3:38.89 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
7. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:38.92 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
22. Dalton Hengst – 3:50.75
24. Cade Bethmann – 3:53.45
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – Quarterfinal
11. Kenney Broadnax – 13.65q (+2.2) – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 3 all-time
Men's High Jump
T1. Allen Gordon – 2.19m/7-02.25 – NCAA Qualifier, Tied Facility Record, PR, No. 3 all-time
Men's Triple Jump
32. Allen Gordon – 15.16m/49-09.00 (+1.0)
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Day Two National Qualifiers
Kieshonna Brooks – Women's Long Jump
Jalani Davis – Women's Hammer
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – Women's 10K
Lyndsey Reed – Women's Pole Vault
Shey Taiwo – Women's Hammer
Day Two Quarterfinalists
Jayda Eckford – Women's 200-Meter Dash
Brandee Presley – Women's 100-Meter Dash
Sintayehu Vissa – Women's 800-Meter
Loral Winn – Women's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 100-Meter Dash – First Round
17. Brandee Presley – 11.41q (+1.9)
Women's 200-Meter Dash – First Round
22. Jayda Eckford – 23.48q (+1.2) – SB
24. Brandee Presley – 23.50 (+0.7)
Women's 800-Meter – First Round
23. Sintayehu Vissa – 2:06.07q
Women's 1500-Meter – First Round
18. Loral Winn – 4:20.06q
30. Anna Elkin – 4:22.28
44. Skylar Boogerd – 4:34.39
Women's 10K – Semifinal
4. Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 33:39.80 – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 2 all-time
22. Victoria Simmons – 34:51.47
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles – First Round
40. Kieshonna Brooks – 13.63 (+3.0)
Women's Pole Vault
T1. Lyndsey Reed – 4.27m/14-00.00 – NCAA Qualifier
18. Samara McConnell – 4.07m/13-04.25
Women's Long Jump
10. Kieshonna Brooks – 6.27m/20-07.00 (+1.3) – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 6 all-time
Women's Shot Put
7. Jalani Davis – 16.77m/55-00.25 – NCAA Qualifier
23. Jasmine Mitchell – 15.64m/51-03.75
34. Tedreauna Britt – 15.33m/50-03.50
Women's Hammer
4. Shey Taiwo – 65.93m/216-03 – NCAA Qualifier
10. Jalani Davis – 64.48m/211-06 – NCAA Qualifier
18. Jasmine Mitchell – 60.77m/199-04
45. Deborah Bulai – 53.88m/176-09
-----
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.
All-American duo Mario Garcia Romo and Waleed Suliman did in the 1500-meter quarterfinals what they have done all season: take care of business. Suliman and Garcia Romo went 1-2 in Heat One to earn automatic spots to the national meet in Eugene, with Suliman crossing in 3:38.89 (sixth overall) and Garcia Romo nearly at the same time at 3:38.92 (seventh overall).
They both displayed some masterful teamwork to stave off any would-be challengers, trading the lead at multiple times and helping block traffic. Things tightened up down the final straightaway, as the top seven finishers all finished within one second of each other, but key strategic moves helped keep the Rebels at the front of the pack.
This will be the third straight NCAA meet that Ole Miss will have multiple representatives in the men's 1500, as well as the fourth time in the last five opportunities. In those last five opportunities, Ole Miss has scored 16 total points in the men's 1500 – led by a third-place finish from Craig Engels in 2017 and a fourth-place finish by Robert Domanic in 2018. This will be the second trip for Suliman, who qualified in 2019, and the first NCAA Outdoor visit for Garcia Romo, who teamed up with Suliman and the rest of the Ole Miss distance squad for a bevy of All-American awards this past indoor season.
Ole Miss had an excellent day in the 800-meter as well on Friday, punching two more tickets and coming heartbreakingly short of a third. John Rivera Jr. was first, earning an AQ spot as the third-place finisher in Heat One at 1:49.03 (10th overall). Rivera hit the gas with 200 to go to jump into one of the top-three qualifying spots, and he was able to hold off a handful of nearby runners looking to relegate him to time qualifier status. This is Rivera's second career trip to the outdoor national meet in the 800-meter after finishing 13th in 2019.
Heat Two, however, was far from simple. Teammates Baylor Franklin and Everett Smulders were sitting in good position with about 100 meters left coming out of the final turn, when Dartmouth's Tim Zepf tripped and caused a pile-up, taking out an advancing Smulders in the process. Franklin escaped the chaos inside on the rail, and was able to take the second auto-qualifier spot in the heat at 1:48.21 (sixth overall).
A lengthy review of the collision was conducted, but the results stood as-is, leaving Smulders on the outside looking in after it appeared he was closing in on one of the other AQ spots next to Franklin.
This is the first time Ole Miss will have multiple representatives in the 800-meter at the outdoor national meet since 2015, when Craig Engels finished 10th and current assistant coach Holland Sherrer took 24th. Additionally, this is the first career outdoor trip for Franklin, who first raced at an NCAA meet indoors this past March in the 800-meter (12th place).
All-American senior Allen Gordon's quest for an elusive triple boarding pass to the NCAA Championships came up short, but not before punching his second ticket to Eugene after a sublime outing in the high jump. With the sun near its apex and in sweltering Florida heat, Gordon was one of three flawless high jumpers that tied for the East Region title following a career day.
Gordon was perfect on all four of his bars, culminating with a new outdoor PR clearance of 2.19m (7-02.25) that rattled as he sailed over it, but the bar held firm to punch his national ticket one more time. That height pushes him into a tie with Branden Greene for third all-time at Ole Miss, which is coincidental since Gordon is also the first Rebel to qualify for the outdoor national meet in the high jump since Greene's 2016 trip to Oregon.
Gordon had about an hour to rest before he began in the triple jump to try for a third NCAA bid, but he would have needed to PR by nearly one foot amid a strong East Region field, as he ended up 32nd at 15.16m/49-09.00 (+1.0).
Although he wasn't able to pull of the ultra-rare high jump/long jump/triple jump trifecta, Gordon will still be making history as the first Rebel to double at the NCAA Outdoor meet in the long jump and high jump. Furthermore, he is the first Rebel jumper to double outdoors in general since Olympian Ricky Robertson did so in the high jump and triple jump in 2012. Even though his triple jumping is over for the outdoor season, Gordon can still rest knowing he was the lone jumper in the NCAA outdoors in 2021 to have collectively hit 7' 2.25" in the high jump, 25' 11.5" in the long jump and 51' 6.5" in the triple jump.
The feel-good story of the day, though, belonged to none other than hurdler Kenney Broadnax. He entered the meet ranked No. 24 on the East Region list, but was still able to clock a PR 13.77 (+2.2) in the first round Wednesday to advance to today's quarterfinal, where he burst through with a huge improvement to 13.65 (+2.2). Broadnax finished fourth in his heat and had to wait for the third trial to finish before finding out his performance was good enough for the second-to-last time qualifier seat on the flight to Eugene.
This is Broadnax's first trip to any NCAA Championship meet, and it is a perfect next chapter in what has been an arduous journey for the junior. Broadnax completed his freshman season on this very track at North Florida in 2019, advancing to the quarterfinal before ultimately finishing 20th overall at what was then a PR of 13.94 (+1.8) to cap a strong first season at Ole Miss. Broadnax opened his 2020 sophomore campaign in impressive fashion, clocking an indoor 60-meter hurdles PR of 7.83, but later in the meet he tore his Achilles – forcing him out for the remainder of the shortened 2020 season.
Following a long rehab, Broadnax returned to the track this season and steadily improved before this incredible stretch over the last month that has seen him drop nearly three tenths off his previous PR. Broadnax is the first Rebel to qualify in the 110-meter hurdles since Robert Semien in 2015.
All told, the Ole Miss men will head to Eugene with its most men's entries since 2015 when combining the six tickets punched on Friday and two from Gordon in the long jump and Cole Colozzo in the pole vault from Day One.
Ole Miss track & field will conclude its stay in Jacksonville on Saturday, when the Rebel women return to the track in search of padding that current combined total of 14 entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Competition is set to begin with the women's discus at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Day Three National Qualifiers
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Allen Gordon – Men's High Jump
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Men's 200-Meter Dash – Quarterfinal
20. Elijah Dryer – 20.92 (+2.6)
Men's 800-Meter – Quarterfinal
6. Baylor Franklin – 1:48.21 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
10. John Rivera Jr. – 1:49.03 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
23. Everett Smulders – 1:57.28
Men's 1500-Meter – Quarterfinal
6. Waleed Suliman – 3:38.89 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
7. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:38.92 – NCAA Qualifier (AQ)
22. Dalton Hengst – 3:50.75
24. Cade Bethmann – 3:53.45
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – Quarterfinal
11. Kenney Broadnax – 13.65q (+2.2) – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 3 all-time
Men's High Jump
T1. Allen Gordon – 2.19m/7-02.25 – NCAA Qualifier, Tied Facility Record, PR, No. 3 all-time
Men's Triple Jump
32. Allen Gordon – 15.16m/49-09.00 (+1.0)
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Day Two National Qualifiers
Kieshonna Brooks – Women's Long Jump
Jalani Davis – Women's Hammer
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – Women's 10K
Lyndsey Reed – Women's Pole Vault
Shey Taiwo – Women's Hammer
Day Two Quarterfinalists
Jayda Eckford – Women's 200-Meter Dash
Brandee Presley – Women's 100-Meter Dash
Sintayehu Vissa – Women's 800-Meter
Loral Winn – Women's 1500-Meter
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 100-Meter Dash – First Round
17. Brandee Presley – 11.41q (+1.9)
Women's 200-Meter Dash – First Round
22. Jayda Eckford – 23.48q (+1.2) – SB
24. Brandee Presley – 23.50 (+0.7)
Women's 800-Meter – First Round
23. Sintayehu Vissa – 2:06.07q
Women's 1500-Meter – First Round
18. Loral Winn – 4:20.06q
30. Anna Elkin – 4:22.28
44. Skylar Boogerd – 4:34.39
Women's 10K – Semifinal
4. Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 33:39.80 – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 2 all-time
22. Victoria Simmons – 34:51.47
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles – First Round
40. Kieshonna Brooks – 13.63 (+3.0)
Women's Pole Vault
T1. Lyndsey Reed – 4.27m/14-00.00 – NCAA Qualifier
18. Samara McConnell – 4.07m/13-04.25
Women's Long Jump
10. Kieshonna Brooks – 6.27m/20-07.00 (+1.3) – NCAA Qualifier, PR, No. 6 all-time
Women's Shot Put
7. Jalani Davis – 16.77m/55-00.25 – NCAA Qualifier
23. Jasmine Mitchell – 15.64m/51-03.75
34. Tedreauna Britt – 15.33m/50-03.50
Women's Hammer
4. Shey Taiwo – 65.93m/216-03 – NCAA Qualifier
10. Jalani Davis – 64.48m/211-06 – NCAA Qualifier
18. Jasmine Mitchell – 60.77m/199-04
45. Deborah Bulai – 53.88m/176-09
-----
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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