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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women’s Track & Field Opens at No. 8 in Week One USTFCCCA National Rating Index
1/24/2022 | Track and Field
Tied for Second-Best Indoor Ranking in Program History
NEW ORLEANS – Ole Miss women's track & field has opened its 2022 indoor campaign with a forceful statement, jumping all the way to No. 8 in the first USTFCCCA National Rating Index of the season released on Monday afternoon.
The No. 8 slot stands tied for the second-best ever for the Rebel women indoors, tying with a Week Seven appearance at No. 8 in 2017 and a preseason No. 8 ranking in 2018, and behind only a No. 7 ranking in Week One of the 2008 indoor season. This is the seventh top-10 appearance for the Rebel women indoors, as well as the 37th total appearance in the indoor rankings in general since it began in 2008. Additionally, this is the Rebel women's 14th ranking in the last 15 releases after being ranked for the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 indoor regular seasons. Under seventh-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, Ole Miss has notched 29 of those 37 total appearances.
Ole Miss is led by an extraordinary one-two punch by All-American weight throwers Shey Taiwo and Jasmine Mitchell, who own two of the top three throws in the world this season and are currently combining for 47.38 of the 79.05 total points by Ole Miss in the rating index.
Taiwo (25.16 points) set the world lead at the Vanderbilt Invitational last weekend, winning at a massive three-and-a-half foot PR of 24.11m/79-01.25 to become the No. 7 performer in NCAA history on the 16th-best throw ever by a collegian. Taiwo beat out two-time reigning U.S. champion and former Rebel NCAA Champion, Janeah Stewart, who notched the world's second-best throw this year at 23.77m/78-00.00.
Taiwo's big heave came on her first attempt of the competition for the second straight week, and in addition to making her the No. 7 performer in NCAA history it puts her No. 3 in SEC history and just one centimeter off Stewart's 2018 Ole Miss record of 24.12m/79-01.75. All four of her legal throws would have been a PR and all would have put her within the NCAA top-11 all-time entering competition. Additionally, her throw recorded last week on Jan. 21 stands as the second-best in NCAA history this early in the season, ranking only behind Brittany Riley's 24.23m/79-06.00 on Dec. 7, 2007.
Mitchell, meanwhile, is contributing 22.22 points toward the Rebel ranking by herself on the third-best throw in the world this year at 23.62m/77-06.00, a large PR that makes her the No. 11 performer in NCAA history. Mitchell finished behind Taiwo at the 2021 NCAA Championships in fourth place for First-Team All-American honors, but beat her out for the 2021 SEC title – the fourth in the last five years for the Ole Miss women.
Ole Miss is also receiving a very large sum from All-American junior Sintayehu Vissa, who dismantled her own school record in the mile at Vanderbilt last weekend. Vissa won at an eight-second PR of 4:32.70 in just her second mile race since transferring from Division II Saint Leo, shattering her previous Ole Miss record of 4:40.99 also set at Vanderbilt last season in her first mile competition as a Rebel.
Vissa's time currently ranks second in the NCAA and is worth 20.62 points in the rating index, and furthermore, Vissa's time stands as the second-best ever run by an Italian indoors, trailing only Gabriella Dorio's 4:28.90 run on March 10, 1982.
Other Rebels contributing include Jalani Davis in both the weight throw (13th, 21.29m/69-10.25, 3.34 points) and shot put (13th, 16.70m/54-09.50, 3.27 points), Lyndsey Reed in the pole vault (13th, 4.25m/13-11.25, 3.44 points), Anna Elkin in the mile (21st, 4:42.08, 0.88 points) and Skylar Boogerd in the 3K (27th, 9:29.22, 0.13 points).
The Ole Miss men, meanwhile, sit outside the top-25 at No. 36 overall. The Rebel men are currently led by senior John Rivera Jr., who is tied for the NCAA lead in the 800-meter at 1:47.48, which is good for 22.10 of their 29.84 total points in the index this week.
The USTFCCCA's National Rating Index is a computer rating system that uses an algorithm that emphasizes individual performances, assigning a point value to each individual performance that contributes to a team total to assess a team's national ranking.
Ole Miss men's and women's track & field returns to the road this week for the Indiana Relays, held at IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse on Jan. 28-29. Additionally, All-American senior Mario Garcia Romo will head to the Big Apple as the only collegiate athlete in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile, held at the 114th Millrose Games at New York City's historic Armory on Jan. 29 live on NBC at 3:20 p.m. CT.
No. 8 Ole Miss Women • USTFCCCA Week 1 Rating Index • 79.05 Points
1. Shey Taiwo – Weight Throw – 24.11m/79-01.25 – 25.16 Points
2. Jasmine Mitchell – Weight Throw – 23.62m/77-06.00 – 22.22 Points
2. Sintayehu Vissa – Mile – 4:32.70 – 20.62 Points
13. Lyndsey Reed – Pole Vault – 4.25m/13-11.25 – 3.44 Points
13. Jalani Davis – Weight Throw – 21.29m/69-10.25 – 3.34 Points
13. Jalani Davis – Shot Put – 16.70m/54-09.50 – 3.27 Points
21. Anna Elkin – Mile – 4:42.08 – 0.88 Points
27. Skylar Boogerd – 3K – 9:29.22 – 0.13 Points
No. 36 Ole Miss Men • USTFCCCA Week 1 Rating Index • 29.84 Points
1. John Rivera Jr. – 800-Meter – 1:47.48 – 22.10 Points
14. James Young – Mile – 3:57.81 – 2.66 Points
15. Everett Smulders – 800-Meter – 1:49.22 – 2.06 Points
15. Shane Bracken – Mile – 3:58.36 – 2.00 Points
20. Dereck Elkins – Mile – 3:59.46 – 0.92 Points
29. Michael Coccia – Mile – 4:01.10 – 0.08 Points
35. Montel Johnson – Weight Throw – 20.26m/66-05.75 – 0.01 Points
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
The No. 8 slot stands tied for the second-best ever for the Rebel women indoors, tying with a Week Seven appearance at No. 8 in 2017 and a preseason No. 8 ranking in 2018, and behind only a No. 7 ranking in Week One of the 2008 indoor season. This is the seventh top-10 appearance for the Rebel women indoors, as well as the 37th total appearance in the indoor rankings in general since it began in 2008. Additionally, this is the Rebel women's 14th ranking in the last 15 releases after being ranked for the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 indoor regular seasons. Under seventh-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, Ole Miss has notched 29 of those 37 total appearances.
Ole Miss is led by an extraordinary one-two punch by All-American weight throwers Shey Taiwo and Jasmine Mitchell, who own two of the top three throws in the world this season and are currently combining for 47.38 of the 79.05 total points by Ole Miss in the rating index.
Taiwo (25.16 points) set the world lead at the Vanderbilt Invitational last weekend, winning at a massive three-and-a-half foot PR of 24.11m/79-01.25 to become the No. 7 performer in NCAA history on the 16th-best throw ever by a collegian. Taiwo beat out two-time reigning U.S. champion and former Rebel NCAA Champion, Janeah Stewart, who notched the world's second-best throw this year at 23.77m/78-00.00.
Taiwo's big heave came on her first attempt of the competition for the second straight week, and in addition to making her the No. 7 performer in NCAA history it puts her No. 3 in SEC history and just one centimeter off Stewart's 2018 Ole Miss record of 24.12m/79-01.75. All four of her legal throws would have been a PR and all would have put her within the NCAA top-11 all-time entering competition. Additionally, her throw recorded last week on Jan. 21 stands as the second-best in NCAA history this early in the season, ranking only behind Brittany Riley's 24.23m/79-06.00 on Dec. 7, 2007.
Mitchell, meanwhile, is contributing 22.22 points toward the Rebel ranking by herself on the third-best throw in the world this year at 23.62m/77-06.00, a large PR that makes her the No. 11 performer in NCAA history. Mitchell finished behind Taiwo at the 2021 NCAA Championships in fourth place for First-Team All-American honors, but beat her out for the 2021 SEC title – the fourth in the last five years for the Ole Miss women.
Ole Miss is also receiving a very large sum from All-American junior Sintayehu Vissa, who dismantled her own school record in the mile at Vanderbilt last weekend. Vissa won at an eight-second PR of 4:32.70 in just her second mile race since transferring from Division II Saint Leo, shattering her previous Ole Miss record of 4:40.99 also set at Vanderbilt last season in her first mile competition as a Rebel.
Vissa's time currently ranks second in the NCAA and is worth 20.62 points in the rating index, and furthermore, Vissa's time stands as the second-best ever run by an Italian indoors, trailing only Gabriella Dorio's 4:28.90 run on March 10, 1982.
Other Rebels contributing include Jalani Davis in both the weight throw (13th, 21.29m/69-10.25, 3.34 points) and shot put (13th, 16.70m/54-09.50, 3.27 points), Lyndsey Reed in the pole vault (13th, 4.25m/13-11.25, 3.44 points), Anna Elkin in the mile (21st, 4:42.08, 0.88 points) and Skylar Boogerd in the 3K (27th, 9:29.22, 0.13 points).
The Ole Miss men, meanwhile, sit outside the top-25 at No. 36 overall. The Rebel men are currently led by senior John Rivera Jr., who is tied for the NCAA lead in the 800-meter at 1:47.48, which is good for 22.10 of their 29.84 total points in the index this week.
The USTFCCCA's National Rating Index is a computer rating system that uses an algorithm that emphasizes individual performances, assigning a point value to each individual performance that contributes to a team total to assess a team's national ranking.
Ole Miss men's and women's track & field returns to the road this week for the Indiana Relays, held at IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse on Jan. 28-29. Additionally, All-American senior Mario Garcia Romo will head to the Big Apple as the only collegiate athlete in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile, held at the 114th Millrose Games at New York City's historic Armory on Jan. 29 live on NBC at 3:20 p.m. CT.
No. 8 Ole Miss Women • USTFCCCA Week 1 Rating Index • 79.05 Points
1. Shey Taiwo – Weight Throw – 24.11m/79-01.25 – 25.16 Points
2. Jasmine Mitchell – Weight Throw – 23.62m/77-06.00 – 22.22 Points
2. Sintayehu Vissa – Mile – 4:32.70 – 20.62 Points
13. Lyndsey Reed – Pole Vault – 4.25m/13-11.25 – 3.44 Points
13. Jalani Davis – Weight Throw – 21.29m/69-10.25 – 3.34 Points
13. Jalani Davis – Shot Put – 16.70m/54-09.50 – 3.27 Points
21. Anna Elkin – Mile – 4:42.08 – 0.88 Points
27. Skylar Boogerd – 3K – 9:29.22 – 0.13 Points
No. 36 Ole Miss Men • USTFCCCA Week 1 Rating Index • 29.84 Points
1. John Rivera Jr. – 800-Meter – 1:47.48 – 22.10 Points
14. James Young – Mile – 3:57.81 – 2.66 Points
15. Everett Smulders – 800-Meter – 1:49.22 – 2.06 Points
15. Shane Bracken – Mile – 3:58.36 – 2.00 Points
20. Dereck Elkins – Mile – 3:59.46 – 0.92 Points
29. Michael Coccia – Mile – 4:01.10 – 0.08 Points
35. Montel Johnson – Weight Throw – 20.26m/66-05.75 – 0.01 Points
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
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