The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, October 27
Columbia, S.C.
9 AM
Ole Miss
vs
SEC Championships
Cross Country Set for 2023 SEC Championships
10/26/2023 | Cross Country
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Ole Miss men's and women's cross country will look to make some noise at the conference meet, with both Rebel squads set to run in the 2023 SEC Cross Country Championships at South Carolina's Charwood Golf Club on Friday morning.
SEC Network will begin its live coverage at 9 a.m. CT, with competition beginning at 9:08 a.m. CT with the men's championship 8K race and followed by the women's championship 6K race at 9:50 a.m. CT. The Rebel men will look to shake up the formchart against three ranked teams, while the No. 18 Ole Miss women will be among five ranked teams vying for the conference crown alongside No. 7 Florida, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 13 Alabama and No. 23 Tennessee.
The Rebel men were picked to finish fourth in the preseason and have been hampered by injuries throughout the season, but if last year is any indication, that hardly matters once the gun goes off. Last year, Ole Miss was also picked fourth but was right in the thick of the closest men's conference meet since 1994 and the closest in SEC history among four teams, as just six points separated champions Alabama (59) from Tennessee (64), Arkansas (64) and the Rebels (65).
Ole Miss lost its top finisher from a year ago in All-SEC performer Anthony Camerieri, but the Rebels reloaded in the transfer portal to help accompany All-American senior Cole Bullock in his final year as a Rebel. Ole Miss added talented transfers Toby Gillen (Saint Louis), Cruz Gomez (Texas) and Jack Meijer (Wisconsin), who all have been immediate contributors for the Rebels all year long. Those four all enter this week ranked within the top-13 in the conference in the 8K.
Meijer has led the Rebel pack in each of his three races at Ole Miss, finishing fifth at both the Southern Showcase on Sept. 15 and Loyola's Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational on Sept. 29, before also leading the Rebels at Wisconsin's Nuttycombe Invitational in 30th place. Those three, as well as talented junior Aiden Britt, will help compliment Cole Bullock, who normally does his best work at the conference meet. Bullock is a four-time All-SEC performer in cross country, and he owns a career average finish of 7.8 at the conference meet – including a runner-up finish in 2020 as part of an Ole Miss 1-2-3 sweep atop the podium.
The No. 18 Ole Miss women return almost its entire championship roster from a year ago, and that familiarity has helped the Rebels run together all season long. Ole Miss is currently averaging a scoring spread of just 53.5 seconds over its last three meets, helped greatly by the senior leadership of Skylar Boogerd, Ryann Helmers, Loral Winn and Kristel van den Berg.
Ole Miss' first full race of the season at the Southern Showcase put that team aspect on display, with all five Rebel scorers finishing within the top-14 spots and within just 24 seconds en route to the team win. The Rebels followed up with a hard-fought runner-up finish with current No. 24 Furman at the Lakefront Invitational, where Ole Miss received two spectacular races from Winn and Helmers. Two weeks later, the Rebels proved its worth on a national stage in the high-powered Nuttycombe Invitational, where Ole Miss finished 12th overall and beat out 10 other ranked schools – including two within the top-10 at the time (No. 8 Washington, No. 10 Colorado).
Winn and Helmers enter ranked within the top-10 in the SEC in the 6K thanks to their sub-20 times at Loyola on Sept. 29. Winn finished third overall at 19:53.0, while Helmers was fourth at 19:55.7. The Rebel duo are the only runners in recorded women's history at Ole Miss with multiple career sub-20 times in the 6K, with Winn holding two such times and Helmers a program record three – including the fastest at 19:37.15 from the SEC Championships last season.
Fans can watch the action live on SEC Network beginning at 9 a.m. CT. For more information on the 2023 SEC Cross Country Championships, visit South Carolina's meet hub HERE.
Ole Miss Men's Conference Roster • 8K: 9:08 AM CT
Name • Season-Best (8K)
Aiden Britt • 24:04.4 (21st SEC)
Cole Bullock • 23:43.6 (10th SEC)
Toby Gillen • 23:50.8 (11th SEC)
Cruz Gomez • 23:45.9 (13th SEC)
Jack Meijer • 23:43.5 (9th SEC)
Miles Phillips • 26:34.9
Chase Rose • 24:40.4
Gabe Scales • 24:44.9
Ole Miss Women's Conference Roster • 6K: 9:50 AM CT
Name • Season-Best (6K)
Beth Arentz • 21:57.0
Sophie Baumann • 21:42.4
Skylar Boogerd • 20:10.0 (10th SEC)
Ryann Helmers • 19:55.7 (8th SEC)
Madison Hulsey • 21:28.4
Hannah Ielfield • 20:37.2
Jo-Lauren Keane • No time
Jocelyn Long • 20:58.9
Sarah Schiffmann • 20:24.6 (16th SEC)
Kristel van den Berg • 20:27.0 (17th SEC)
Loral Winn • 19:53.0 (6th SEC)
SEC Men's Preseason Poll
1. #13 Tennessee (5) – 20
2. #8 Arkansas (5) – 21
3. #22 Alabama (2) – 23
4. Ole Miss – 43
5. Texas A&M – 60
6. Kentucky – 64
7. Auburn – 67
8. Florida – 74
9. Missouri – 92
10. Georgia – 98
11. LSU – 110
12. Vanderbilt – 120
SEC Women's Preseason Poll
1. #7 Florida (13) – 13
2. #11 Arkansas (1) – 26
3. #13 Alabama – 45
4. #18 Ole Miss – 53
5. #23 Tennessee – 54
6. LSU – 94
7. Kentucky – 102
T8. Auburn – 104
T8. Texas A&M – 104
10. Vanderbilt – 114
11. South Carolina – 120
12. Missouri – 122
13. Georgia – 161
14. Mississippi State – 162
SEC Network will begin its live coverage at 9 a.m. CT, with competition beginning at 9:08 a.m. CT with the men's championship 8K race and followed by the women's championship 6K race at 9:50 a.m. CT. The Rebel men will look to shake up the formchart against three ranked teams, while the No. 18 Ole Miss women will be among five ranked teams vying for the conference crown alongside No. 7 Florida, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 13 Alabama and No. 23 Tennessee.
The Rebel men were picked to finish fourth in the preseason and have been hampered by injuries throughout the season, but if last year is any indication, that hardly matters once the gun goes off. Last year, Ole Miss was also picked fourth but was right in the thick of the closest men's conference meet since 1994 and the closest in SEC history among four teams, as just six points separated champions Alabama (59) from Tennessee (64), Arkansas (64) and the Rebels (65).
Ole Miss lost its top finisher from a year ago in All-SEC performer Anthony Camerieri, but the Rebels reloaded in the transfer portal to help accompany All-American senior Cole Bullock in his final year as a Rebel. Ole Miss added talented transfers Toby Gillen (Saint Louis), Cruz Gomez (Texas) and Jack Meijer (Wisconsin), who all have been immediate contributors for the Rebels all year long. Those four all enter this week ranked within the top-13 in the conference in the 8K.
Meijer has led the Rebel pack in each of his three races at Ole Miss, finishing fifth at both the Southern Showcase on Sept. 15 and Loyola's Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational on Sept. 29, before also leading the Rebels at Wisconsin's Nuttycombe Invitational in 30th place. Those three, as well as talented junior Aiden Britt, will help compliment Cole Bullock, who normally does his best work at the conference meet. Bullock is a four-time All-SEC performer in cross country, and he owns a career average finish of 7.8 at the conference meet – including a runner-up finish in 2020 as part of an Ole Miss 1-2-3 sweep atop the podium.
The No. 18 Ole Miss women return almost its entire championship roster from a year ago, and that familiarity has helped the Rebels run together all season long. Ole Miss is currently averaging a scoring spread of just 53.5 seconds over its last three meets, helped greatly by the senior leadership of Skylar Boogerd, Ryann Helmers, Loral Winn and Kristel van den Berg.
Ole Miss' first full race of the season at the Southern Showcase put that team aspect on display, with all five Rebel scorers finishing within the top-14 spots and within just 24 seconds en route to the team win. The Rebels followed up with a hard-fought runner-up finish with current No. 24 Furman at the Lakefront Invitational, where Ole Miss received two spectacular races from Winn and Helmers. Two weeks later, the Rebels proved its worth on a national stage in the high-powered Nuttycombe Invitational, where Ole Miss finished 12th overall and beat out 10 other ranked schools – including two within the top-10 at the time (No. 8 Washington, No. 10 Colorado).
Winn and Helmers enter ranked within the top-10 in the SEC in the 6K thanks to their sub-20 times at Loyola on Sept. 29. Winn finished third overall at 19:53.0, while Helmers was fourth at 19:55.7. The Rebel duo are the only runners in recorded women's history at Ole Miss with multiple career sub-20 times in the 6K, with Winn holding two such times and Helmers a program record three – including the fastest at 19:37.15 from the SEC Championships last season.
Fans can watch the action live on SEC Network beginning at 9 a.m. CT. For more information on the 2023 SEC Cross Country Championships, visit South Carolina's meet hub HERE.
Ole Miss Men's Conference Roster • 8K: 9:08 AM CT
Name • Season-Best (8K)
Aiden Britt • 24:04.4 (21st SEC)
Cole Bullock • 23:43.6 (10th SEC)
Toby Gillen • 23:50.8 (11th SEC)
Cruz Gomez • 23:45.9 (13th SEC)
Jack Meijer • 23:43.5 (9th SEC)
Miles Phillips • 26:34.9
Chase Rose • 24:40.4
Gabe Scales • 24:44.9
Ole Miss Women's Conference Roster • 6K: 9:50 AM CT
Name • Season-Best (6K)
Beth Arentz • 21:57.0
Sophie Baumann • 21:42.4
Skylar Boogerd • 20:10.0 (10th SEC)
Ryann Helmers • 19:55.7 (8th SEC)
Madison Hulsey • 21:28.4
Hannah Ielfield • 20:37.2
Jo-Lauren Keane • No time
Jocelyn Long • 20:58.9
Sarah Schiffmann • 20:24.6 (16th SEC)
Kristel van den Berg • 20:27.0 (17th SEC)
Loral Winn • 19:53.0 (6th SEC)
SEC Men's Preseason Poll
1. #13 Tennessee (5) – 20
2. #8 Arkansas (5) – 21
3. #22 Alabama (2) – 23
4. Ole Miss – 43
5. Texas A&M – 60
6. Kentucky – 64
7. Auburn – 67
8. Florida – 74
9. Missouri – 92
10. Georgia – 98
11. LSU – 110
12. Vanderbilt – 120
SEC Women's Preseason Poll
1. #7 Florida (13) – 13
2. #11 Arkansas (1) – 26
3. #13 Alabama – 45
4. #18 Ole Miss – 53
5. #23 Tennessee – 54
6. LSU – 94
7. Kentucky – 102
T8. Auburn – 104
T8. Texas A&M – 104
10. Vanderbilt – 114
11. South Carolina – 120
12. Missouri – 122
13. Georgia – 161
14. Mississippi State – 162
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Who To Watch: Ole Miss Track and Field
Wednesday, October 08