The University of Mississippi Athletics
Track & Field’s McKenzie Long Advances to NCAA 200-Meter Final
3/8/2024 | Track and Field
BOSTON – Ole Miss women's track & field All-American senior McKenzie Long punched her return trip to the NCAA 200-meter dash final after her qualifying performance in the semifinal on Friday night.
Long, who finished fourth in the 200 indoors last season, ran in the first heat – which ended up as the fastest of the evening. Long finished third in that heat in lane three – two lanes away from the nearest runner following a pre-race scratch – and clocked in at 22.60, which ties her season best from the SEC final two weeks ago.
Then, the waiting game began to see if her time would hold as one of the top-eight overall. After three more semifinal heats, though, Long only fell to fifth overall to safely punch her ticket to Saturday night's final.
This is the fourth career NCAA final for Long in the last 12 months since transferring to Ole Miss last season. In addition to her fourth-place finish in the 200-meter indoors in 2023, Long was also the seventh-place finisher in the 60-meter indoors, the ninth-place finisher in the 100-meter outdoors, and the NCAA runner-up in the 200-meter outdoors in Austin last June at 21.88 (+2.5) – the third-fastest by a collegian in all-conditions.
Tonight marked the sixth time in her career that Long has broken 23 seconds in the 200-meter indoors – all six times coming as a Rebel and all six coming at either the SEC or NCAA Championships. Prior to Long's arrival in Oxford in 2023, no Rebel woman had ever run faster than 23.18 indoors.
Long will now be part of a busy final day of action at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the Rebels on Saturday. Long will run in the women's 200-meter final at 6:50 p.m. CT, while the Rebel throwers will return to action across both the men's and women's shot put competitions earlier in the day. Sophomore Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan will open in the men's at 1:45 p.m. CT, while a trio of Rebel women – senior Jasmine Mitchell, freshman Mensi Stiff, and the now two-time defending NCAA weight throw champion Jalani Davis – will throw in their shot put competition at 6:50 p.m. CT.
For more information on the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, visit our meet preview HERE and our What to Watch guide HERE.
Day Two Finals Qualifiers
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash - Semifinals
5. McKenzie Long – 22.60q – Ties SB
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Day One NCAA Champions
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw
Day One First-Team All-Americans
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw, 1st Place
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Weight Throw, 3rd Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Weight Throw, 5th Place
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Women's Weight Throw – Final
1. Jalani Davis – 24.80m/81-04.50 – NCAA Champion, First-Team All-American – Facility Record, No. 4 NCAA Meet History (No. 6 throw)
3. Jasmine Mitchell – 22.15m/72-8 – First-Team All-American
Men's Weight Throw – Final
5. Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – 22.97m/75-04.50 – First-Team All-American
Long, who finished fourth in the 200 indoors last season, ran in the first heat – which ended up as the fastest of the evening. Long finished third in that heat in lane three – two lanes away from the nearest runner following a pre-race scratch – and clocked in at 22.60, which ties her season best from the SEC final two weeks ago.
Then, the waiting game began to see if her time would hold as one of the top-eight overall. After three more semifinal heats, though, Long only fell to fifth overall to safely punch her ticket to Saturday night's final.
This is the fourth career NCAA final for Long in the last 12 months since transferring to Ole Miss last season. In addition to her fourth-place finish in the 200-meter indoors in 2023, Long was also the seventh-place finisher in the 60-meter indoors, the ninth-place finisher in the 100-meter outdoors, and the NCAA runner-up in the 200-meter outdoors in Austin last June at 21.88 (+2.5) – the third-fastest by a collegian in all-conditions.
Tonight marked the sixth time in her career that Long has broken 23 seconds in the 200-meter indoors – all six times coming as a Rebel and all six coming at either the SEC or NCAA Championships. Prior to Long's arrival in Oxford in 2023, no Rebel woman had ever run faster than 23.18 indoors.
Long will now be part of a busy final day of action at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the Rebels on Saturday. Long will run in the women's 200-meter final at 6:50 p.m. CT, while the Rebel throwers will return to action across both the men's and women's shot put competitions earlier in the day. Sophomore Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan will open in the men's at 1:45 p.m. CT, while a trio of Rebel women – senior Jasmine Mitchell, freshman Mensi Stiff, and the now two-time defending NCAA weight throw champion Jalani Davis – will throw in their shot put competition at 6:50 p.m. CT.
For more information on the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, visit our meet preview HERE and our What to Watch guide HERE.
Day Two Finals Qualifiers
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash - Semifinals
5. McKenzie Long – 22.60q – Ties SB
------
Day One NCAA Champions
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw
Day One First-Team All-Americans
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw, 1st Place
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Weight Throw, 3rd Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Weight Throw, 5th Place
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Women's Weight Throw – Final
1. Jalani Davis – 24.80m/81-04.50 – NCAA Champion, First-Team All-American – Facility Record, No. 4 NCAA Meet History (No. 6 throw)
3. Jasmine Mitchell – 22.15m/72-8 – First-Team All-American
Men's Weight Throw – Final
5. Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – 22.97m/75-04.50 – First-Team All-American
Players Mentioned
Throws
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