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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Suliman Third, Garcia Romo Fifth Amid Superb NCAA Men’s 1500-Meter Final
6/11/2021 | Track and Field
<i class="icon-stats"></i> Live Results<i class="icon-pencil"></i> Day One Recap<i class="icon-pencil"></i> Day Two Recap<i class="icon-pencil"></i> Preview & Links<i class="icon-info-circled"></i> Championship Info
Ole Miss Received 10 Points from Duo, Rebels Finished T-30th Overall
EUGENE, Ore. – Waleed Suliman and Mario Garcia Romo did in the NCAA men's 1500-meter final what they have all season long for the Ole Miss track & field team: perform under pressure on the highest stage. The Rebel duo combined for 10 NCAA points after finishing third and fifth, respectively, in what turned out to be a spectacularly competitive final on Day Three of the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on Friday.
There was an abundance of hype surrounding the 1500-meter final, and the field lived up to the billing, putting on a thrilling show for the limited capacity crowd at the newly renovated Hayward Field. The final included the collegiate record holder Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame, noted freshman speedster Eliud Kipsang of Alabama, and another top freshman in Cole Hocker of home team Oregon. Suliman and Garcia Romo were seeded fourth and fifth, respectively, entering the final, and both were in the running at the top of the pack on Friday.
With one lap to go, nine of the 12 finalists were all within one second of each other, but that was going to change very quickly. Suliman had the fastest split on the 1100-meter lap at 56.51, and took a gutsy shot at taking the lead at the bell, but then Hocker and Nuguse kicked into overdrive. Suliman held on for as long as he could, splitting 54.22 over his final 400 meters, but Oregon's Hocker dropped an explosive 52.23 final lap to win at 3:35.35 – the second-fastest time in NCAA meet history and the fourth-fastest in NCAA history overall. Nuguse's kick was just as furious at 52.67, but was not enough to catch Hocker at 3:35.60.
Suliman took third at 3:37.30, tying with Craig Engels' 2017 finish as the best ever by a Rebel in the 1500-meter. On the year, Suliman has now earned two First-Team All-American honors and scored 12 total NCAA points across the indoor and outdoor seasons following another third place finish this indoor season in the mile.
Garcia Romo was right in the thick of that mad dash to the finish as well, running a fast final lap of his own in 55.11 to finish fifth at 3:38.66. His fifth-place finish stands as the fourth-best in the event in Ole Miss history behind Suliman and Engels' third-place finishes and Robert Domanic's fourth-place finish in 2018.
This was just the latest in a long line of accomplishments for Garcia Romo, who has had a splendid year across the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. He ends with 12 total NCAA points after his fifth-place finish today, third-place finish in 3K indoors and his role on the NCAA Indoor runner-up distance medley relay squad – also finishing with three First-Team All-American honors. Garcia Romo was dynamite on the cross country course as well, finishing as an All-American and also winning the SEC individual title as part of the first 1-2-3 SEC podium sweep in Ole Miss history.
Combined on the track this indoor and outdoor season, the Rebel duo of Suliman and Garcia Romo finish the year with 24 total NCAA points, four First-Team All-American nods, three SEC titles and 43 total SEC points scored.
Also competing on Day Three was All-American jumper Allen Gordon, who completed his historic double attempt at the national meet in the high jump. Gordon finished 14th overall at 2.15m/7-00.50, earning his second nod as a Second-Team All-American this weekend after an 11th-place finish in the long jump on Wednesday. Gordon is the first Rebel to have ever attempted the long jump/high jump double, and the first Ole Miss jumper to double since Olympian Ricky Robertson in 2012.
The Rebel men finished tied for 30th place in the final team standings thanks to the 10 points scored by Suliman (6) and Garcia Romo (4) on Friday. Ole Miss will conclude its stay in Oregon on Saturday, when Jalani Davis competes in the women's discus final at 4:35 p.m. CT.
Day Three First-Team All-Americans
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter, 3rd Place
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter, 5th Place
Day Three Second-Team All-Americans
Allen Gordon – Men's High Jump, 14th Place
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Men's 1500-Meter Final
3. Waleed Suliman – 3:37.30
5. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:38.66
Men's High Jump Final
14. Allen Gordon – 2.15m/7-00.50
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Day Two First-Team All-Americans
Shey Taiwo – Women's Hammer, 2nd Place
Day Two Second-Team All-Americans
Jayda Eckford – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Toni Glatz – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Brandee Presley – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Olivia Womack – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Hammer, 16th Place
Day Two Honorable Mention All-Americans
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 10K, 17th Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put, 19th Place
Kieshonna Brooks – Women's Long Jump, 21st Place
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 10K Final
17. Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 33:26.86 – School Record
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Semifinals
14. Womack, Presley, Eckford, Glatz – 44.12
Women's Pole Vault
NH Lyndsey Reed
Women's Long Jump
21. Kieshonna Brooks – 6.01m/19-08.75 (+1.1)
Women's Shot Put
19. Jalani Davis – 16.39m/53-09.25
Women's Hammer
2. Shey Taiwo – 71.27m/233-10 – NCAA Runner-Up, 16-foot PR, No. 9 NCAA history, No. 6 NCAA meet history, No. 2 all-time at Ole Miss, No. 6 U.S. 2021, No. 25 World 2021
16. Jalani Davis – 65.52m/214-11 – 2-foot PR, No. 4 all-time at Ole Miss
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Day One Finals Qualifiers
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
Day One Second-Team All-Americans
Allen Gordon – Men's Long Jump, 11th Place
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter, 13th Place
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter, 14th Place
Day One Honorable Mention All-Americans
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles, 21st Place
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Men's 800-Meter Semifinals
13. Baylor Franklin – 1:48.28
14. John Rivera Jr. – 1:48.45
Men's 1500-Meter Semifinals
2. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:37.59 – AQ
8. Waleed Suliman – 3:38.92 – AQ
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles Semifinals
21. Kenney Broadnax – 14.24 (+0.2)
Men's Pole Vault
NH Cole Colozzo
Men's Long Jump
11. Allen Gordon – 7.64m/25-00.75 (+1.9)
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
There was an abundance of hype surrounding the 1500-meter final, and the field lived up to the billing, putting on a thrilling show for the limited capacity crowd at the newly renovated Hayward Field. The final included the collegiate record holder Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame, noted freshman speedster Eliud Kipsang of Alabama, and another top freshman in Cole Hocker of home team Oregon. Suliman and Garcia Romo were seeded fourth and fifth, respectively, entering the final, and both were in the running at the top of the pack on Friday.
With one lap to go, nine of the 12 finalists were all within one second of each other, but that was going to change very quickly. Suliman had the fastest split on the 1100-meter lap at 56.51, and took a gutsy shot at taking the lead at the bell, but then Hocker and Nuguse kicked into overdrive. Suliman held on for as long as he could, splitting 54.22 over his final 400 meters, but Oregon's Hocker dropped an explosive 52.23 final lap to win at 3:35.35 – the second-fastest time in NCAA meet history and the fourth-fastest in NCAA history overall. Nuguse's kick was just as furious at 52.67, but was not enough to catch Hocker at 3:35.60.
Suliman took third at 3:37.30, tying with Craig Engels' 2017 finish as the best ever by a Rebel in the 1500-meter. On the year, Suliman has now earned two First-Team All-American honors and scored 12 total NCAA points across the indoor and outdoor seasons following another third place finish this indoor season in the mile.
Garcia Romo was right in the thick of that mad dash to the finish as well, running a fast final lap of his own in 55.11 to finish fifth at 3:38.66. His fifth-place finish stands as the fourth-best in the event in Ole Miss history behind Suliman and Engels' third-place finishes and Robert Domanic's fourth-place finish in 2018.
This was just the latest in a long line of accomplishments for Garcia Romo, who has had a splendid year across the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. He ends with 12 total NCAA points after his fifth-place finish today, third-place finish in 3K indoors and his role on the NCAA Indoor runner-up distance medley relay squad – also finishing with three First-Team All-American honors. Garcia Romo was dynamite on the cross country course as well, finishing as an All-American and also winning the SEC individual title as part of the first 1-2-3 SEC podium sweep in Ole Miss history.
Combined on the track this indoor and outdoor season, the Rebel duo of Suliman and Garcia Romo finish the year with 24 total NCAA points, four First-Team All-American nods, three SEC titles and 43 total SEC points scored.
Also competing on Day Three was All-American jumper Allen Gordon, who completed his historic double attempt at the national meet in the high jump. Gordon finished 14th overall at 2.15m/7-00.50, earning his second nod as a Second-Team All-American this weekend after an 11th-place finish in the long jump on Wednesday. Gordon is the first Rebel to have ever attempted the long jump/high jump double, and the first Ole Miss jumper to double since Olympian Ricky Robertson in 2012.
The Rebel men finished tied for 30th place in the final team standings thanks to the 10 points scored by Suliman (6) and Garcia Romo (4) on Friday. Ole Miss will conclude its stay in Oregon on Saturday, when Jalani Davis competes in the women's discus final at 4:35 p.m. CT.
Day Three First-Team All-Americans
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter, 3rd Place
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter, 5th Place
Day Three Second-Team All-Americans
Allen Gordon – Men's High Jump, 14th Place
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Men's 1500-Meter Final
3. Waleed Suliman – 3:37.30
5. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:38.66
Men's High Jump Final
14. Allen Gordon – 2.15m/7-00.50
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Day Two First-Team All-Americans
Shey Taiwo – Women's Hammer, 2nd Place
Day Two Second-Team All-Americans
Jayda Eckford – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Toni Glatz – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Brandee Presley – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Olivia Womack – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay, 14th Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Hammer, 16th Place
Day Two Honorable Mention All-Americans
Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 10K, 17th Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put, 19th Place
Kieshonna Brooks – Women's Long Jump, 21st Place
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 10K Final
17. Clio Ozanne-Jaques – 33:26.86 – School Record
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Semifinals
14. Womack, Presley, Eckford, Glatz – 44.12
Women's Pole Vault
NH Lyndsey Reed
Women's Long Jump
21. Kieshonna Brooks – 6.01m/19-08.75 (+1.1)
Women's Shot Put
19. Jalani Davis – 16.39m/53-09.25
Women's Hammer
2. Shey Taiwo – 71.27m/233-10 – NCAA Runner-Up, 16-foot PR, No. 9 NCAA history, No. 6 NCAA meet history, No. 2 all-time at Ole Miss, No. 6 U.S. 2021, No. 25 World 2021
16. Jalani Davis – 65.52m/214-11 – 2-foot PR, No. 4 all-time at Ole Miss
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Day One Finals Qualifiers
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Waleed Suliman – Men's 1500-Meter
Day One Second-Team All-Americans
Allen Gordon – Men's Long Jump, 11th Place
Baylor Franklin – Men's 800-Meter, 13th Place
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter, 14th Place
Day One Honorable Mention All-Americans
Kenney Broadnax – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles, 21st Place
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Men's 800-Meter Semifinals
13. Baylor Franklin – 1:48.28
14. John Rivera Jr. – 1:48.45
Men's 1500-Meter Semifinals
2. Mario Garcia Romo – 3:37.59 – AQ
8. Waleed Suliman – 3:38.92 – AQ
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles Semifinals
21. Kenney Broadnax – 14.24 (+0.2)
Men's Pole Vault
NH Cole Colozzo
Men's Long Jump
11. Allen Gordon – 7.64m/25-00.75 (+1.9)
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
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