The University of Mississippi Athletics
Track & Field Ready for 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest
8/18/2023 | Track and Field
<i class="icon-info-circled"></i> Meet Info<i class="icon-tv"></i>Broadcast Schedule<i class="icon-calendar"></i> Results/Schedule
Competition Runs August 19-27
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Four former Rebel greats and two current Ole Miss track & field athletes will represent their home countries at the 2023 World Athletics Outdoor Championships, which begin Saturday in Hungary and run through August 27.
Ole Miss senior and reigning NCAA Indoor weight throw champion Jalani Davis makes her World Championships debut as a member of Team USA's delegation in the women's shot put. Incoming Rebel transfer Akilah Lewis will also be present in Budapest, running on her native Trinidad & Tobago's women's 4x100-meter relay team.
Of the former Rebels in competition, Ole Miss sports a powerful lineup of NCAA Champions Mario Garcia Romo in the men's 1500-meter (Spain) and Sintayehu Vissa in the women's 1500-meter (Italy), All-American Brian Williams in the men's discus (Team USA), and fellow All-American John Rivera Jr. in the men's 800-meter (Puerto Rico).
This is the third straight World Championships roster for Williams, who also made Team USA in 2019 (Doha) and 2022 (Eugene). This is also the second straight trip for Garcia Romo and Vissa, with Garcia Romo finishing fourth in the World final of the 1500-meter in 2022 at an all-dates collegiate record of 3:30.22 – his first major international final following his illustrious Ole Miss career.
The World Outdoor Championships date back unofficially to 1976, with the official first championship meet held in Helsinki in 1983. The meet was then held every four years until 1991, when it moved to a two-year cycle in between the Summer Olympic Games – with the lone exception since being last year's world meet, which was delayed from 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1983, the World Championships have been held in: Rome (1987); Tokyo (1991); Stuttgart, Germany (1993); Gothenburg, Sweden (1995); Athens, Greece (1997); Seville, Spain (1999); Edmonton, Canada (2001); Saint-Denis, France (2003); Helsinki (2005); Osaka, Japan (2007); Berlin (2009); Daegu, South Korea (2011); Moscow (2013); Beijing (2015); London (2017); Doha, Qatar (2019); and Eugene, Oregon (2022).
Below is a full competition schedule, as well as individual previews on each Rebel in Budapest. Fans can catch all the action on a combination of NBC, CNBC and USA Network on television, and streaming via Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App.
OLE MISS QUALIFIERS
Team USA
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put
Brian Williams – Men's Discus
Italy
Sintayehu Vissa – Women's 1500-Meter
Puerto Rico
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Spain
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Trinidad & Tobago
Akilah Lewis – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
COMPETITION/BROADCAST SCHEDULE (All Times Central)
Saturday, August 19
6:15 AM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Qualifying – Sintayehu Vissa – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
12:02 PM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Qualifying – Mario Garcia Romo – TV: NBC / CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
12:09 PM CT – Men's Discus Qualifying (Group A) – Brian Williams
Sunday, August 20
10:05 AM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Semifinal – Sintayehu Vissa (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
10:30 AM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Semifinal – Mario Garcia Romo (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Monday, August 21
1:30 PM CT – Men's Discus Final – Brian Williams (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Tuesday, August 22
12:20 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Qualifying – John Rivera Jr. – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
2:31 PM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Final – Sintayehu Vissa (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Wednesday, August 23
2:15 PM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Final – Mario Garcia Romo (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Thursday, August 24
1:50 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Semifinal – John Rivera Jr. (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Friday, August 25
1:00 PM CT – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Qualifying – Akilah Lewis – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Saturday, August 26
3:25 AM CT – Women's Shot Put Qualifying – Jalani Davis
1:15 PM CT – Women's Shot Put Final – Jalani Davis (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
1:30 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Final – John Rivera Jr. (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
2:50 PM CT – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Final – Akilah Lewis (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
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Sintayehu Vissa • Women's 1500-Meter • Italy
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • 6:15 a.m. CT
Semifinal: Sun., Aug. 20 • 10:05 a.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Tues., Aug. 22 • 2:31 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Bertiolo, Italy
Season-Best: 4:01.98 • No. 3 Italian History • 2023 Italy No. 2 • June 2, 2023 (Stadio Luigi Ridolfi; Florence, Italy)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 36
World Rank: 31st
Italian Rank: 2nd
Last Italian Medal: N/A
Quick Facts: 2x World Championships qualifier … 2023 Italian champion in the 1500-meter … Broke Italy's all-time indoor mile record at the 2023 Millrose Games in the Women's Wanamaker Mile at 4:24.54, making her the No. 11 women's mile runner in world history indoors … 2022 Italian runner-up in the 1500-meter … Went pro in 2022 with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining … 2022 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the 1500-meter, the first NCAA title on the track in Ole Miss women's history … 2022 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the mile (one of two women to ever earn runner-up indoors) … 4x First-Team All-American, twice in the DMR … 19.75 career NCAA points … First Rebel woman to ever win an SEC title in the mile, 1500 or DMR … First Rebel woman to ever win an individual title on the track at the SEC Indoor Championships; one of six to ever do so outdoors … First Rebel woman to qualify for the NCAA Indoor meet in an individual event higher than 800-meters … First Rebel woman to ever qualify for the NCAA Outdoor meet in the 1500-meter … Broke seven school records in 2022 alone: indoor mile (4:32.70), indoor 3K (9:04.95), indoor DMR (10:56.39), outdoor 800-meter (2:01.06), outdoor 1500-meter (4:08.72; No. 15 NCAA history), outdoor 4x1500-meter relay (17:24.46; No. 14 NCAA history) and outdoor DMR (10:55.61; No. 7 NCAA history) … Set two SEC meet records: indoor DMR and outdoor 1500 … Ended collegiate career No. 15 in NCAA history in the 1500-meter with the 16th-fastest time ever at her SEC-winning 4:08.72 … Ranks 14th all-time in Italian history in the 800-meter (2:01.06; 2022), still the fourth-fastest ever run by an Italian woman on American soil that was the best since Olympic gold medalist Gabriella Dorio's 1:59.53 in the semifinal and 1:59.05 in the final to finish fourth in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles … Her 4:08.72 from the SEC Championships was the fifth-best ever run by an Italian woman on American soil at the time … First women's cross country All-American in Ole Miss history after finishing 33rd in 2021 … 37.75 career SEC points … Born in Ethiopia, spent large part of her childhood and adolescence in Italy … Ran the short sprints and intermediate hurdles before transitioning to distance events … Ran at Division II Saint Leo University.
Mario Garcia Romo • Men's 1500-Meter • Spain
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • 12:02 p.m. CT
Semifinal: Sun., Aug. 20 • 10:30 a.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Wed., Aug. 23 • 2:15 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Salamanca, Spain
Season-Best: 3:29.18 • No. 4 Spanish history • 2023 World No. 6 • 2023 Spain No. 2 • June 15, 2023 (Bislett Games Diamond League Meet; Oslo, Norway)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 11
World Rank: 6th
Spanish Rank: 2nd
Last Spanish Medal: Mohamed Katir, 2022 (Bronze)
Quick Facts: 2x World Championships qualifier … Made the World final in 2022 in his first major international meet following his collegiate career … Finished fourth at an all-dates collegiate record time of 3:30.20 … Ran PR 3:29.18 in the 1500-meter at the Oslo Diamond League Meet in 2023, making him No. 4 on the all-time Spanish list and No. 67 in world history … Ranks No. 2 in Spain and No. 6 worldwide this season in the 1500-meter at that time … Broke the Spanish indoor mile record indoors in 2023, finishing fifth in Men's Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games at 3:51.79 to break the previous record set in 1983 … Mile time ranks him No. 40 on the world all-time list indoors … 3x Spanish national medalist in the 1500-meter, including gold in 2022 … 2022 European Championships bronze medalist in the 1500-meter … 2021 European U23 Championships silver medalist in the 1500-meter … 6x First-Team All-American, 5x NCAA qualifier … 2022 NCAA Indoor Champion (mile) … First Ole Miss NCAA mile champion, first individual national title on the track by a Rebel since 2005 (Antwon Hicks, 60-meter hurdles) … 2022 NCAA Outdoor runner-up in the 1500-meter … 2021 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the DMR (ran No. 4 time in world history) … 2021 fifth-place finisher in the 1500-meter outdoors; part of Rebel duo with Waleed Suliman (third) that scored 10 combined points … 2021 NCAA Indoor bronze medalist in the 3K … First-Team All-American in the DMR in 2019 (8th place) … 3x NCAA East Region qualifier in the 1500-meter … 30.25 career NCAA points … 2022 SEC Indoor Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year … 5x SEC Indoor track champion (3x DMR, 1x 3K, 1x 1500) … 42.5 career SEC points scored … 2020 NCAA Cross Country All-American … 2021 SEC Cross Country Champion and SEC Cross Country Runner of the Year … 2019 SEC Indoor Freshman Runner of the Year … Ole Miss school record holder indoors in the mile (3:53.36; 2022), 3K (7:47.56; 2022) and DMR (9:20.75; 2021) … Ran anchor on two school record winning teams at the Penn Relays this season, splitting 3:58.36 on the mile leg of a record 9:29.45 DMR team (No. 11 NCAA history) and 1:47.91 on a 7:13.71 record 4x800-meter relay squad (No. 9 NCAA history) … Finished sixth in the 2022 Wanamaker Mile indoors at the prestigious Millrose Games; was the lone collegian in the field, beat out a group of professionals that included four Olympians … Nickname is "The Rocket"
Brian Williams • Men's Discus • Team USA
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • Group A: 12:09 p.m. CT
Final: Mon., Aug. 21 • 1:30 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Warren, Mich.
Season-Best: 63.54m/208-05 • June 17, 2023 (Rathdrum, Idaho)
Overall Career-Best: 66.14m/217-0 • May 6, 2022 (Fullerton, Calif.)
World Athletics Ranking Score: 25
World Rank: 46th
U.S. Rank: 6th
Last U.S. Medal: Mason Finley, 2017 (Bronze)
Quick Facts: 3x World Championship qualifier in the discus … Earned first career U.S. medal to punch ticket to World Championships, throwing what was then a one-foot PR of 65.76m (215-09) for silver at the 2019 U.S. Outdoor Championships … Finished 13th at 2019 World Championships … Finished 15th at 2022 World Championships … First Rebel to ever medal in the discus at the U.S. Championships … 3x All-American … 2x SEC Champion (first to repeat as the SEC discus champion since 2010-11) … Set the discus, indoor shot and outdoor shot school records while at Ole Miss … Was a national champion and 4x All-American while at Iowa Central Community College … 2016 NACAC U23 Champion in the discus.
John Rivera Jr. • Men's 800-Meter • Puerto Rico
Qualifying: Tues., Aug. 22 • 12:20 p.m. CT
Semifinal: Thurs., Aug. 24 • 1:50 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 1:30 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Bradenton, Fla.
Season-Best: 1:45.29 • T-No. 16 Puerto Rico history • 2023 Puerto Rico No. 1 • July 30, 2023 (Washington, D.C.)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 70
World Rank: 58th
Puerto Rican Rank: 1st
Last Puerto Rican Medal: N/A
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … 2023 Puerto Rican national champion in the 800-meter … 5x NCAA qualifier, 5x All-American (2x Second-Team) … 2021 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the DMR (ran 800-meter leg on the No. 4 time in world history, 9:20.75) … 3x NCAA East Region qualifier … Split 1:47.35 on 800-meter leg of NCAA runner-up DMR in 2021 that ran fourth-best time in world history (9:20.75) … Ran on two Ole Miss winning teams at the Penn Relays in 2022 (4x800; DMR).
Akilah Lewis • Women's 4x100-Meter Relay • Trinidad & Tobago
Qualifying: Fri., Aug. 25 • 1 p.m. CT
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 2:50 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Class: Senior
Hometown / Previous School: Arouca, Trinidad & Tobago / Minnesota
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … Multiple time member of Trinidad & Tobago's national team … 3x NCAA qualifier … 4x NCAA West Region qualifier … 2022 U23 Caribbean Games gold medalist in the 4x100-meter relay, silver medalist in the 100-meter dash … 2019 U20 CARIFTA Games silver medalist in both the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay … 2018 U20 CARIFTA Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter dash … Qualifier for the 2018 UAAF U20 World Championships in the 100-meter dash … 2017 U18 CARIFTA Games silver in the 4x100-meter relay … 2016 U18 CARIFTA Games bronze in the 4x100-meter relay.
Jalani Davis • Women's Shot Put • Team USA
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 26 • 3:25 a.m. CT
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 1:15 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Class: Senior
Hometown / High School: Hampton, Va. / Bethel HS
Season-Best: 18.64m/61-2 • 2023 World No. 23 • 2023 U.S. No. 7 • No. 2 Ole Miss history • June 3, 2023 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 25
World Rank: 23rd
U.S. Rank: 7th
Last U.S. Medal: Chase Ealey, 2022 (Gold)
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … U.S. bronze medalist in the shot put … 2023 NACAC U23 gold medalist in the hammer, silver medalist in the shot put … One of two Rebel women to ever eclipse 60 feet in the shot put indoors alongside two-time Olympian Raven Saunders … 2023 NCAA Indoor Champion in the women's weight throw … No. 4 performer in NCAA meet history in weight throw at 24.51m/80-5 … No. 5 in collegiate history, No. 12 world history in weight throw at 24.63m/80-09.75 … First woman in world history to break 80 feet in the weight throw and 60 feet in the shot put indoors … Also the only woman in world history at 80 feet in the weight, 60 feet in the shot put, 184 in the discus and 228 in the hammer … One of three women in collegiate history with multiple 80-foot throws in the same series (Brittany Riley, SIU, 2007; Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss, 2022) … One of three women in collegiate history with multiple 80-foot throws in the same series (Brittany Riley, SIU, 2007; Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss, 2022) ... Owns 11 career 23-meter marks in the weight throw ... Owns four career 24-meter marks in the weight throw, the third-most in collegiate history behind nine each from Riley and Taiwo … 8x NCAA qualifier … 5x All-American … Has doubled at the NCAA meet three times … Tripled at the national meet outdoors in 2021 (was lone thrower of either gender to do so, one of two total in competition) ... 2x SEC Champion (2023, weight throw; 2022, indoor shot put) ... 7x SEC medalist ... 76 career SEC points ... 3x U.S. Outdoor qualifier ... 4x USTFCCCA All-Academic ... Came to Ole Miss as a walk-on.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Ole Miss senior and reigning NCAA Indoor weight throw champion Jalani Davis makes her World Championships debut as a member of Team USA's delegation in the women's shot put. Incoming Rebel transfer Akilah Lewis will also be present in Budapest, running on her native Trinidad & Tobago's women's 4x100-meter relay team.
Of the former Rebels in competition, Ole Miss sports a powerful lineup of NCAA Champions Mario Garcia Romo in the men's 1500-meter (Spain) and Sintayehu Vissa in the women's 1500-meter (Italy), All-American Brian Williams in the men's discus (Team USA), and fellow All-American John Rivera Jr. in the men's 800-meter (Puerto Rico).
This is the third straight World Championships roster for Williams, who also made Team USA in 2019 (Doha) and 2022 (Eugene). This is also the second straight trip for Garcia Romo and Vissa, with Garcia Romo finishing fourth in the World final of the 1500-meter in 2022 at an all-dates collegiate record of 3:30.22 – his first major international final following his illustrious Ole Miss career.
The World Outdoor Championships date back unofficially to 1976, with the official first championship meet held in Helsinki in 1983. The meet was then held every four years until 1991, when it moved to a two-year cycle in between the Summer Olympic Games – with the lone exception since being last year's world meet, which was delayed from 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1983, the World Championships have been held in: Rome (1987); Tokyo (1991); Stuttgart, Germany (1993); Gothenburg, Sweden (1995); Athens, Greece (1997); Seville, Spain (1999); Edmonton, Canada (2001); Saint-Denis, France (2003); Helsinki (2005); Osaka, Japan (2007); Berlin (2009); Daegu, South Korea (2011); Moscow (2013); Beijing (2015); London (2017); Doha, Qatar (2019); and Eugene, Oregon (2022).
Below is a full competition schedule, as well as individual previews on each Rebel in Budapest. Fans can catch all the action on a combination of NBC, CNBC and USA Network on television, and streaming via Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App.
OLE MISS QUALIFIERS
Team USA
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put
Brian Williams – Men's Discus
Italy
Sintayehu Vissa – Women's 1500-Meter
Puerto Rico
John Rivera Jr. – Men's 800-Meter
Spain
Mario Garcia Romo – Men's 1500-Meter
Trinidad & Tobago
Akilah Lewis – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
COMPETITION/BROADCAST SCHEDULE (All Times Central)
Saturday, August 19
6:15 AM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Qualifying – Sintayehu Vissa – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
12:02 PM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Qualifying – Mario Garcia Romo – TV: NBC / CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
12:09 PM CT – Men's Discus Qualifying (Group A) – Brian Williams
Sunday, August 20
10:05 AM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Semifinal – Sintayehu Vissa (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
10:30 AM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Semifinal – Mario Garcia Romo (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Monday, August 21
1:30 PM CT – Men's Discus Final – Brian Williams (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Tuesday, August 22
12:20 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Qualifying – John Rivera Jr. – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
2:31 PM CT – Women's 1500-Meter Final – Sintayehu Vissa (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Wednesday, August 23
2:15 PM CT – Men's 1500-Meter Final – Mario Garcia Romo (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Thursday, August 24
1:50 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Semifinal – John Rivera Jr. (if qualified) – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Friday, August 25
1:00 PM CT – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Qualifying – Akilah Lewis – TV: USA Network | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
Saturday, August 26
3:25 AM CT – Women's Shot Put Qualifying – Jalani Davis
1:15 PM CT – Women's Shot Put Final – Jalani Davis (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
1:30 PM CT – Men's 800-Meter Final – John Rivera Jr. (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
2:50 PM CT – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay Final – Akilah Lewis (if qualified) – TV: CNBC | Streaming: Peacock / NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App
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Sintayehu Vissa • Women's 1500-Meter • Italy
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • 6:15 a.m. CT
Semifinal: Sun., Aug. 20 • 10:05 a.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Tues., Aug. 22 • 2:31 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Bertiolo, Italy
Season-Best: 4:01.98 • No. 3 Italian History • 2023 Italy No. 2 • June 2, 2023 (Stadio Luigi Ridolfi; Florence, Italy)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 36
World Rank: 31st
Italian Rank: 2nd
Last Italian Medal: N/A
Quick Facts: 2x World Championships qualifier … 2023 Italian champion in the 1500-meter … Broke Italy's all-time indoor mile record at the 2023 Millrose Games in the Women's Wanamaker Mile at 4:24.54, making her the No. 11 women's mile runner in world history indoors … 2022 Italian runner-up in the 1500-meter … Went pro in 2022 with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining … 2022 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the 1500-meter, the first NCAA title on the track in Ole Miss women's history … 2022 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the mile (one of two women to ever earn runner-up indoors) … 4x First-Team All-American, twice in the DMR … 19.75 career NCAA points … First Rebel woman to ever win an SEC title in the mile, 1500 or DMR … First Rebel woman to ever win an individual title on the track at the SEC Indoor Championships; one of six to ever do so outdoors … First Rebel woman to qualify for the NCAA Indoor meet in an individual event higher than 800-meters … First Rebel woman to ever qualify for the NCAA Outdoor meet in the 1500-meter … Broke seven school records in 2022 alone: indoor mile (4:32.70), indoor 3K (9:04.95), indoor DMR (10:56.39), outdoor 800-meter (2:01.06), outdoor 1500-meter (4:08.72; No. 15 NCAA history), outdoor 4x1500-meter relay (17:24.46; No. 14 NCAA history) and outdoor DMR (10:55.61; No. 7 NCAA history) … Set two SEC meet records: indoor DMR and outdoor 1500 … Ended collegiate career No. 15 in NCAA history in the 1500-meter with the 16th-fastest time ever at her SEC-winning 4:08.72 … Ranks 14th all-time in Italian history in the 800-meter (2:01.06; 2022), still the fourth-fastest ever run by an Italian woman on American soil that was the best since Olympic gold medalist Gabriella Dorio's 1:59.53 in the semifinal and 1:59.05 in the final to finish fourth in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles … Her 4:08.72 from the SEC Championships was the fifth-best ever run by an Italian woman on American soil at the time … First women's cross country All-American in Ole Miss history after finishing 33rd in 2021 … 37.75 career SEC points … Born in Ethiopia, spent large part of her childhood and adolescence in Italy … Ran the short sprints and intermediate hurdles before transitioning to distance events … Ran at Division II Saint Leo University.
Mario Garcia Romo • Men's 1500-Meter • Spain
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • 12:02 p.m. CT
Semifinal: Sun., Aug. 20 • 10:30 a.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Wed., Aug. 23 • 2:15 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Salamanca, Spain
Season-Best: 3:29.18 • No. 4 Spanish history • 2023 World No. 6 • 2023 Spain No. 2 • June 15, 2023 (Bislett Games Diamond League Meet; Oslo, Norway)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 11
World Rank: 6th
Spanish Rank: 2nd
Last Spanish Medal: Mohamed Katir, 2022 (Bronze)
Quick Facts: 2x World Championships qualifier … Made the World final in 2022 in his first major international meet following his collegiate career … Finished fourth at an all-dates collegiate record time of 3:30.20 … Ran PR 3:29.18 in the 1500-meter at the Oslo Diamond League Meet in 2023, making him No. 4 on the all-time Spanish list and No. 67 in world history … Ranks No. 2 in Spain and No. 6 worldwide this season in the 1500-meter at that time … Broke the Spanish indoor mile record indoors in 2023, finishing fifth in Men's Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games at 3:51.79 to break the previous record set in 1983 … Mile time ranks him No. 40 on the world all-time list indoors … 3x Spanish national medalist in the 1500-meter, including gold in 2022 … 2022 European Championships bronze medalist in the 1500-meter … 2021 European U23 Championships silver medalist in the 1500-meter … 6x First-Team All-American, 5x NCAA qualifier … 2022 NCAA Indoor Champion (mile) … First Ole Miss NCAA mile champion, first individual national title on the track by a Rebel since 2005 (Antwon Hicks, 60-meter hurdles) … 2022 NCAA Outdoor runner-up in the 1500-meter … 2021 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the DMR (ran No. 4 time in world history) … 2021 fifth-place finisher in the 1500-meter outdoors; part of Rebel duo with Waleed Suliman (third) that scored 10 combined points … 2021 NCAA Indoor bronze medalist in the 3K … First-Team All-American in the DMR in 2019 (8th place) … 3x NCAA East Region qualifier in the 1500-meter … 30.25 career NCAA points … 2022 SEC Indoor Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year … 5x SEC Indoor track champion (3x DMR, 1x 3K, 1x 1500) … 42.5 career SEC points scored … 2020 NCAA Cross Country All-American … 2021 SEC Cross Country Champion and SEC Cross Country Runner of the Year … 2019 SEC Indoor Freshman Runner of the Year … Ole Miss school record holder indoors in the mile (3:53.36; 2022), 3K (7:47.56; 2022) and DMR (9:20.75; 2021) … Ran anchor on two school record winning teams at the Penn Relays this season, splitting 3:58.36 on the mile leg of a record 9:29.45 DMR team (No. 11 NCAA history) and 1:47.91 on a 7:13.71 record 4x800-meter relay squad (No. 9 NCAA history) … Finished sixth in the 2022 Wanamaker Mile indoors at the prestigious Millrose Games; was the lone collegian in the field, beat out a group of professionals that included four Olympians … Nickname is "The Rocket"
Brian Williams • Men's Discus • Team USA
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 19 • Group A: 12:09 p.m. CT
Final: Mon., Aug. 21 • 1:30 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Warren, Mich.
Season-Best: 63.54m/208-05 • June 17, 2023 (Rathdrum, Idaho)
Overall Career-Best: 66.14m/217-0 • May 6, 2022 (Fullerton, Calif.)
World Athletics Ranking Score: 25
World Rank: 46th
U.S. Rank: 6th
Last U.S. Medal: Mason Finley, 2017 (Bronze)
Quick Facts: 3x World Championship qualifier in the discus … Earned first career U.S. medal to punch ticket to World Championships, throwing what was then a one-foot PR of 65.76m (215-09) for silver at the 2019 U.S. Outdoor Championships … Finished 13th at 2019 World Championships … Finished 15th at 2022 World Championships … First Rebel to ever medal in the discus at the U.S. Championships … 3x All-American … 2x SEC Champion (first to repeat as the SEC discus champion since 2010-11) … Set the discus, indoor shot and outdoor shot school records while at Ole Miss … Was a national champion and 4x All-American while at Iowa Central Community College … 2016 NACAC U23 Champion in the discus.
John Rivera Jr. • Men's 800-Meter • Puerto Rico
Qualifying: Tues., Aug. 22 • 12:20 p.m. CT
Semifinal: Thurs., Aug. 24 • 1:50 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 1:30 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Hometown: Bradenton, Fla.
Season-Best: 1:45.29 • T-No. 16 Puerto Rico history • 2023 Puerto Rico No. 1 • July 30, 2023 (Washington, D.C.)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 70
World Rank: 58th
Puerto Rican Rank: 1st
Last Puerto Rican Medal: N/A
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … 2023 Puerto Rican national champion in the 800-meter … 5x NCAA qualifier, 5x All-American (2x Second-Team) … 2021 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the DMR (ran 800-meter leg on the No. 4 time in world history, 9:20.75) … 3x NCAA East Region qualifier … Split 1:47.35 on 800-meter leg of NCAA runner-up DMR in 2021 that ran fourth-best time in world history (9:20.75) … Ran on two Ole Miss winning teams at the Penn Relays in 2022 (4x800; DMR).
Akilah Lewis • Women's 4x100-Meter Relay • Trinidad & Tobago
Qualifying: Fri., Aug. 25 • 1 p.m. CT
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 2:50 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Class: Senior
Hometown / Previous School: Arouca, Trinidad & Tobago / Minnesota
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … Multiple time member of Trinidad & Tobago's national team … 3x NCAA qualifier … 4x NCAA West Region qualifier … 2022 U23 Caribbean Games gold medalist in the 4x100-meter relay, silver medalist in the 100-meter dash … 2019 U20 CARIFTA Games silver medalist in both the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay … 2018 U20 CARIFTA Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter dash … Qualifier for the 2018 UAAF U20 World Championships in the 100-meter dash … 2017 U18 CARIFTA Games silver in the 4x100-meter relay … 2016 U18 CARIFTA Games bronze in the 4x100-meter relay.
Jalani Davis • Women's Shot Put • Team USA
Qualifying: Sat., Aug. 26 • 3:25 a.m. CT
Final: Sat., Aug. 26 • 1:15 p.m. CT (if qualified)
Class: Senior
Hometown / High School: Hampton, Va. / Bethel HS
Season-Best: 18.64m/61-2 • 2023 World No. 23 • 2023 U.S. No. 7 • No. 2 Ole Miss history • June 3, 2023 (Nashville, Tennessee)
Overall Career-Best: Same
World Athletics Ranking Score: 25
World Rank: 23rd
U.S. Rank: 7th
Last U.S. Medal: Chase Ealey, 2022 (Gold)
Quick Facts: First career World Championship meet … U.S. bronze medalist in the shot put … 2023 NACAC U23 gold medalist in the hammer, silver medalist in the shot put … One of two Rebel women to ever eclipse 60 feet in the shot put indoors alongside two-time Olympian Raven Saunders … 2023 NCAA Indoor Champion in the women's weight throw … No. 4 performer in NCAA meet history in weight throw at 24.51m/80-5 … No. 5 in collegiate history, No. 12 world history in weight throw at 24.63m/80-09.75 … First woman in world history to break 80 feet in the weight throw and 60 feet in the shot put indoors … Also the only woman in world history at 80 feet in the weight, 60 feet in the shot put, 184 in the discus and 228 in the hammer … One of three women in collegiate history with multiple 80-foot throws in the same series (Brittany Riley, SIU, 2007; Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss, 2022) … One of three women in collegiate history with multiple 80-foot throws in the same series (Brittany Riley, SIU, 2007; Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss, 2022) ... Owns 11 career 23-meter marks in the weight throw ... Owns four career 24-meter marks in the weight throw, the third-most in collegiate history behind nine each from Riley and Taiwo … 8x NCAA qualifier … 5x All-American … Has doubled at the NCAA meet three times … Tripled at the national meet outdoors in 2021 (was lone thrower of either gender to do so, one of two total in competition) ... 2x SEC Champion (2023, weight throw; 2022, indoor shot put) ... 7x SEC medalist ... 76 career SEC points ... 3x U.S. Outdoor qualifier ... 4x USTFCCCA All-Academic ... Came to Ole Miss as a walk-on.
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/ Track and FieldThe Season: New Heights (2025)
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