The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, November 15
Tallahassee, Fla.
7:30 AM
Ole Miss
vs
NCAA South Regional
Men’s Cross Country Earns NCAA Berth, Winn Qualifies for Nationals
11/15/2024 | Cross Country
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ole Miss men's cross country finished with an automatic team bid for the national meet, while the Rebel women earned an individual at-large berth via Loral Winn at the highly-competitive NCAA South Regional held at Florida State's Apalachee Regional Park on Friday morning.
The Rebel men ran arguably their best race of the season, finishing in second place with 91 points, a mere 11 points behind No. 10 Alabama (80) to secure the auto-bid for nationals. The Ole Miss men also secured a trio of All-Region finishes to add to today's resume.
This is the 10th team qualifying berth in Ole Miss men's history, all coming within the last 11 years since first doing so in 2014. For Ole Miss head coach Adam Smith, this is his second men's berth and his third team bid overall since taking over the reins of the program in 2022.
Returning All-Region junior Toby Gillen led the Rebel men in sixth place at 29:51.1, earning All-Region honors for the second time in his career. He was immediately followed by senior Elyas Ayyoub, who finished seventh with a 27-second PR of 29:53.9 to earn All-Region honors in the 10K.
Senior Aiden Britt was the third Rebel finisher to earn All-Region honors in 13th place at 30:25.8. Junior Maine transfer Evan Thornton-Sherman barely missed out on All-Region, finishing in 27th place at 30:52.0, while senior Benjamin Bayless closed out the Rebel scoring in 38th place with a PR of 31:09.5.
Other Rebel men running on Friday were senior Jack Meijer in 69th place (31:48.2) and junior Gabe Scales in 88th place (32:17.3, PR).
The Ole Miss women, meanwhile, finished in sixth place in the 6K. Entering the race, the Rebel women knew that the South Regional would be a slugfest with five nationally ranked teams fighting for bids to NCAAs.
Returning All-Region senior Loral Winn led the Rebel women with a sixth-place finish at 20:07.7, earning an individual ticket to the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, while also receiving All-Region honors for the third consecutive year. Winn is the third Rebel woman to ever earn an individual qualifying berth alongside Katie Breathitt (2012) and Ryann Helmers (2022), as well as now the eighth overall in combined program history.
The second-best finisher for the Ole Miss women was junior Sophie Baumann, who finished in 23rd place at 20:33.8 for her first career All-Region honor.
Other Rebel women running Friday morning were Beth Arentz (27th, 20:37.6), Emilia Mikszuta (36th, 20:42.7), Madison Hulsey (58th, 21:07.0), Ainhoa Brea (69th, 21:22.0) and Frances Luna (102nd, 22:02.2).
At-large bids will be officially announced Sat., Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. The 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held next Sat., Nov. 23, at Wisconsin.
Men's 10K Team Scores
1. #10 Alabama – 80 *
2. Ole Miss – 91 *
3. Tennessee – 109
4. Florida State – 112
5. Auburn – 143
6. North Florida – 156
20 others
* = NCAA automatic qualifier
Men's Individual Scores
6. Toby Gillen – 29:51.1 – All-Region (2nd career)
7. Elyas Ayyoub – 29:53.9 – All-Region (1st career) – 27-second PR
13. Aiden Britt – 30:25.8 – All-Region (1st career)
27. Evan Thornton-Sherman – 30:52.0
38. Benjamin Bayless – 31:09.5 – PR
69. Jack Meijer – 31:48.2
88. Gabe Scales – 32:17.3 – PR
Women's 6K Team Scores
1. #7 Alabama – 63 *
2. #18 Florida – 79 *
3. #24 Florida State – 106
4. #16 Tennessee – 123
5. #27 Lipscomb – 134
6. Ole Miss – 150
7. Georgia Tech – 180
8. Auburn – 229
9. Vanderbilt – 271
10. Mississippi State – 278
21 others
* = NCAA automatic qualifier
Women's Individual Results
6. Loral Winn – 20:07.7 – NCAA Qualifier, All-Region (3rd career)
23. Sophie Baumann – 20:33.8 – All-Region (1st career)
27. Beth Arentz – 20:37.6
36. Emilia Mikszuta – 20:42.7
58. Madison Hulsey – 21:07.0
69. Ainhoa Brea – 21:22.0
102. Frances Luna – 22:02.2
The Rebel men ran arguably their best race of the season, finishing in second place with 91 points, a mere 11 points behind No. 10 Alabama (80) to secure the auto-bid for nationals. The Ole Miss men also secured a trio of All-Region finishes to add to today's resume.
This is the 10th team qualifying berth in Ole Miss men's history, all coming within the last 11 years since first doing so in 2014. For Ole Miss head coach Adam Smith, this is his second men's berth and his third team bid overall since taking over the reins of the program in 2022.
Returning All-Region junior Toby Gillen led the Rebel men in sixth place at 29:51.1, earning All-Region honors for the second time in his career. He was immediately followed by senior Elyas Ayyoub, who finished seventh with a 27-second PR of 29:53.9 to earn All-Region honors in the 10K.
Senior Aiden Britt was the third Rebel finisher to earn All-Region honors in 13th place at 30:25.8. Junior Maine transfer Evan Thornton-Sherman barely missed out on All-Region, finishing in 27th place at 30:52.0, while senior Benjamin Bayless closed out the Rebel scoring in 38th place with a PR of 31:09.5.
Other Rebel men running on Friday were senior Jack Meijer in 69th place (31:48.2) and junior Gabe Scales in 88th place (32:17.3, PR).
The Ole Miss women, meanwhile, finished in sixth place in the 6K. Entering the race, the Rebel women knew that the South Regional would be a slugfest with five nationally ranked teams fighting for bids to NCAAs.
Returning All-Region senior Loral Winn led the Rebel women with a sixth-place finish at 20:07.7, earning an individual ticket to the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, while also receiving All-Region honors for the third consecutive year. Winn is the third Rebel woman to ever earn an individual qualifying berth alongside Katie Breathitt (2012) and Ryann Helmers (2022), as well as now the eighth overall in combined program history.
The second-best finisher for the Ole Miss women was junior Sophie Baumann, who finished in 23rd place at 20:33.8 for her first career All-Region honor.
Other Rebel women running Friday morning were Beth Arentz (27th, 20:37.6), Emilia Mikszuta (36th, 20:42.7), Madison Hulsey (58th, 21:07.0), Ainhoa Brea (69th, 21:22.0) and Frances Luna (102nd, 22:02.2).
At-large bids will be officially announced Sat., Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. The 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held next Sat., Nov. 23, at Wisconsin.
Men's 10K Team Scores
1. #10 Alabama – 80 *
2. Ole Miss – 91 *
3. Tennessee – 109
4. Florida State – 112
5. Auburn – 143
6. North Florida – 156
20 others
* = NCAA automatic qualifier
Men's Individual Scores
6. Toby Gillen – 29:51.1 – All-Region (2nd career)
7. Elyas Ayyoub – 29:53.9 – All-Region (1st career) – 27-second PR
13. Aiden Britt – 30:25.8 – All-Region (1st career)
27. Evan Thornton-Sherman – 30:52.0
38. Benjamin Bayless – 31:09.5 – PR
69. Jack Meijer – 31:48.2
88. Gabe Scales – 32:17.3 – PR
Women's 6K Team Scores
1. #7 Alabama – 63 *
2. #18 Florida – 79 *
3. #24 Florida State – 106
4. #16 Tennessee – 123
5. #27 Lipscomb – 134
6. Ole Miss – 150
7. Georgia Tech – 180
8. Auburn – 229
9. Vanderbilt – 271
10. Mississippi State – 278
21 others
* = NCAA automatic qualifier
Women's Individual Results
6. Loral Winn – 20:07.7 – NCAA Qualifier, All-Region (3rd career)
23. Sophie Baumann – 20:33.8 – All-Region (1st career)
27. Beth Arentz – 20:37.6
36. Emilia Mikszuta – 20:42.7
58. Madison Hulsey – 21:07.0
69. Ainhoa Brea – 21:22.0
102. Frances Luna – 22:02.2
Players Mentioned
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