The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, March 7
Boston, Mass.
All Day
Ole Miss
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NCAA Indoor Championships
Robinson-O’Hagan Wins NCAA Shot Put Title, Ole Miss Women Notch Program Record Finish
3/9/2024 | Track and Field
BOSTON – Ole Miss track & field put a bow on the indoor season in spectacular fashion, winning its second national title in three days and recording the best finish in program history to close out the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday.
Both Rebel squads finished within the top-15 for the third straight season, with the Ole Miss women setting a new combined program record with a fifth-place showing, and the Rebel men notching a program-record fourth-straight top-15 indoor finish in a tie for 15th place.
The Rebel women did so by scoring a combined program record 30 points, which bested the previous records of 29 points and sixth place from the 2022 indoor meet. The men, meanwhile, received all 14 of its points from sophomore Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, who claimed his first NCAA title on Saturday in the shot put.
Ole Miss now stands beside Arkansas as the lone schools nationwide to place both its men's and women's teams within the top-15 indoors in each of the last three seasons.
"Truly proud of everybody and the way they competed," said ninth-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, who is now responsible for five of the eight top-10 team finishes in Ole Miss history. "I'm just ecstatic about the fifth-place finish, that's the best finish that we've ever had. And that was a top-15 finish just for Tarik by himself on the men's side."
For Robinson-O'Hagan, this day was a long time coming. The Rhode Island native cut his teeth as one of the best boys high school throwers in U.S. history not far from where he stood in the ring today, and he made sure to stamp his name into the collegiate record books with authority – and in front of his family – on Saturday.
Robinson-O'Hagan was in command of the competition from the second he stepped in the ring for his first toss of 20.57m/67-6 and until his last, when he unleashed a behemoth 21.05m/69-00.75 despite having already sealed his status as the first Rebel to ever win an NCAA men's shot put title.
The strategy between Robinson-O'Hagan and Ole Miss throws coach John Smith was to come out hard and prove to the field he's not messing around.
"I have been practicing throwing at 66 (feet) really consistently these past few days, so I already knew that was gonna be a throw I could get out there," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "But I wanted to get it on the first throw. Coming out hot is what we wanted to do. I've been trying to all season and I've been coming up short on the first throws. But today, it was game time. The adrenaline's rushing, what I've been practicing, everything came at the right time and came out big as a first-throw PR."
That first attempt ended up giving him a near two-foot lead heading into the final, but Arkansas' Roje Stona made it interesting in the fourth round, pulling to within four inches at 20.48m/67-02.25. That added pressure only added fuel to the fire by the time Robinson-O'Hagan's final attempt came about, and what resulted was that mammoth winning blast beyond 21 meters.
"Me and (Coach Smith) were talking and we're like, it's building up, all you have to do is hit one," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "My adrenaline was rushing really bad, and once (Stona) didn't hit it, it was kind of an adrenaline, pressure-free throw. You always hit (those) big throws, you have to take advantage of those, and I definitely did going out."
The victory was even more sweet for Robinson-O'Hagan for two reasons: his (self-admitted) disappointing fifth-place finish in the weight throw Thursday night, and the fact that he was able to win in front of his parents and on friendly turf in Boston.
"Coming back in today, I knew it had to be mine after (the weight throw)," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "All the anger, all the suffering from training and going through it just to place fifth after I worked so hard knowing what I could throw and I didn't. I came in the shot, and it was another ballgame. That's the event I lock-in the most at."
"Being at Ole Miss, my parents don't get to watch me at all," Robinson-O'Hagan continued. "So seeing my mom two days ago was really good, but losing in front of her has always been a pain. Last time she saw me I lost in high school, so not getting a W in front of her is not a special situation. But today, my parents were here. Having them see the real me there in competition where I'm bringing the dog out, that's a good experience because they're probably gonna talk about it for the next year."
In addition to becoming the first Rebel to ever win a men's shot put title – indoors or outdoors – Robinson-O'Hagan is also the first underclassman to win the men's shot title indoors since current world record holder Ryan Crouser did so as a sophomore at Texas in 2014. Among sophomores all-time, Robinson-O'Hagan's winning bomb ranks sixth.
In Ole Miss history, this is the 13th indoor national title ever by a Rebel, and he is only the second Ole Miss men's field athlete to snag one indoors alongside Olympian Savante' Stringfellow in the long jump in 2001.
On the track, Ole Miss closed the night with a gutsy performance from senior McKenzie Long in the women's 200-meter dash final, who provided a key NCAA runner-up finish to help the Rebel women toward their record ending.
Long came through the line in a season-best 22.51, her second-fastest indoor time ever behind her school record 22.48 at altitude in the NCAA semifinal last season. This is Long's second career NCAA runner-up finish (after doing so outdoors last season), and it marks the best finish ever by a Rebel woman in the 200-meter indoors. It also ranks tied with Sintayehu Vissa (mile, 2022) as the best finish ever by the Rebel women on the track indoors.
A difficult road has led to this moment for Long, whose mother passed away earlier this indoor season. Long has run through that grief, however, punching her ticket to NCAAs in a cathartic bronze medal finish at SECs before her national runner-up performance tonight.
"I have a great coach (assistant coach Holland Sherrer). He's always there for me," Long told reporters afterward. "When I got the phone call, he was there so I could pray and have somebody to lean on during those times. I have a huge support system at Ole Miss. They've really carried me through and allowed me to live the life I used to live, without my mom."
Two days removed from her second straight NCAA title in the weight throw, senior Jalani Davis returned to the ring to provide six crucial points for the Ole Miss women in the shot put. Davis finished third at 18.15m/59-06.75 for First-Team All-America honors, her best-ever finish in the event – indoors or outdoors.
She concludes her career as the Ole Miss women's leader in all-time NCAA Indoor points at 26, which includes a whopping 16 this week to help push the Rebels to fifth in the team standings.
Also competing in the shot put on Saturday included senior Jasmine Mitchell (12th, 16.37m/53-08.50) and freshman Mensi Stiff (16th, 15.62m/51-3), who both earned Second-Team All-America honors.
With indoor now in the rearview, Ole Miss track & field turns its attention to the outdoor season. The Rebels head outside this coming week with a trek to Georgia Tech for the Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 15-16.
Final Women's Team Scores:
1. #1 Arkansas – 55
2. #2 Florida – 50
3. #10 Georgia – 33
4. #5 Oregon – 31
5. #7 Ole Miss – 30 *Program Record*
6. #9 LSU – 29
7. #17 BYU – 28
8. #4 Oklahoma State – 27
8. #6 USC – 27
10. #14 Notre Dame – 26
44 others
Final Men's Team Scores:
1. #2 Texas Tech – 50.5
2. #1 Arkansas – 41
3. #4 Florida – 39
4. #3 Northern Arizona – 31
5. #12 North Carolina – 26
6. #18 Texas A&M – 24
7. #17 Oklahoma State – 23
7. #6 USC – 23
9. #21 Iowa – 21
10. #5 Washington – 20
11. #13 Kentucky – 18
12. #8 Nebraska – 17
12. Virginia Tech – 17
14. #11 Wisconsin – 16
15. #25 Ole Miss – 14
15. #9 Alabama – 14
15. #19 Florida State – 14
15. #14 Georgia – 14
43 others
NCAA Champions
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Shot Put
NCAA Runners-Up
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash
First-Team All-Americans
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw, 1st Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Shot Put, 1st Place
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash, 2nd Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put, 3rd Place
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Weight Throw, 3rd Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Weight Throw, 5th Place
Second-Team All-Americans
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Shot Put, 12th Place
Mensi Stiff – Women's Shot Put, 16th Place
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash – Final
2. McKenzie Long – 22.51 – NCAA Runner-Up, First-Team All-American – SB
Women's Shot Put – Final
3. Jalani Davis – 18.15m/59-06.75 – First-Team All-American
12. Jasmine Mitchell – 16.37m/53-08.50 – Second-Team All-American
16. Mensi Stiff – 15.62m/51-3 – Second-Team All-American
Men's Shot Put – Final
1. Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – 21.05m/69-00.75 – NCAA Champion, First-Team All-American – 2024 Indoor No. 3 U.S., No. 15 World, Ole Miss Record, No. 22 Collegiate History, No. 16 NCAA Meet History
-----
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash - Semifinals
5. McKenzie Long – 22.60q – Ties SB
------
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
Both Rebel squads finished within the top-15 for the third straight season, with the Ole Miss women setting a new combined program record with a fifth-place showing, and the Rebel men notching a program-record fourth-straight top-15 indoor finish in a tie for 15th place.
The Rebel women did so by scoring a combined program record 30 points, which bested the previous records of 29 points and sixth place from the 2022 indoor meet. The men, meanwhile, received all 14 of its points from sophomore Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, who claimed his first NCAA title on Saturday in the shot put.
Ole Miss now stands beside Arkansas as the lone schools nationwide to place both its men's and women's teams within the top-15 indoors in each of the last three seasons.
"Truly proud of everybody and the way they competed," said ninth-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, who is now responsible for five of the eight top-10 team finishes in Ole Miss history. "I'm just ecstatic about the fifth-place finish, that's the best finish that we've ever had. And that was a top-15 finish just for Tarik by himself on the men's side."
For Robinson-O'Hagan, this day was a long time coming. The Rhode Island native cut his teeth as one of the best boys high school throwers in U.S. history not far from where he stood in the ring today, and he made sure to stamp his name into the collegiate record books with authority – and in front of his family – on Saturday.
Robinson-O'Hagan was in command of the competition from the second he stepped in the ring for his first toss of 20.57m/67-6 and until his last, when he unleashed a behemoth 21.05m/69-00.75 despite having already sealed his status as the first Rebel to ever win an NCAA men's shot put title.
The strategy between Robinson-O'Hagan and Ole Miss throws coach John Smith was to come out hard and prove to the field he's not messing around.
"I have been practicing throwing at 66 (feet) really consistently these past few days, so I already knew that was gonna be a throw I could get out there," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "But I wanted to get it on the first throw. Coming out hot is what we wanted to do. I've been trying to all season and I've been coming up short on the first throws. But today, it was game time. The adrenaline's rushing, what I've been practicing, everything came at the right time and came out big as a first-throw PR."
That first attempt ended up giving him a near two-foot lead heading into the final, but Arkansas' Roje Stona made it interesting in the fourth round, pulling to within four inches at 20.48m/67-02.25. That added pressure only added fuel to the fire by the time Robinson-O'Hagan's final attempt came about, and what resulted was that mammoth winning blast beyond 21 meters.
"Me and (Coach Smith) were talking and we're like, it's building up, all you have to do is hit one," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "My adrenaline was rushing really bad, and once (Stona) didn't hit it, it was kind of an adrenaline, pressure-free throw. You always hit (those) big throws, you have to take advantage of those, and I definitely did going out."
The victory was even more sweet for Robinson-O'Hagan for two reasons: his (self-admitted) disappointing fifth-place finish in the weight throw Thursday night, and the fact that he was able to win in front of his parents and on friendly turf in Boston.
"Coming back in today, I knew it had to be mine after (the weight throw)," Robinson-O'Hagan said. "All the anger, all the suffering from training and going through it just to place fifth after I worked so hard knowing what I could throw and I didn't. I came in the shot, and it was another ballgame. That's the event I lock-in the most at."
"Being at Ole Miss, my parents don't get to watch me at all," Robinson-O'Hagan continued. "So seeing my mom two days ago was really good, but losing in front of her has always been a pain. Last time she saw me I lost in high school, so not getting a W in front of her is not a special situation. But today, my parents were here. Having them see the real me there in competition where I'm bringing the dog out, that's a good experience because they're probably gonna talk about it for the next year."
In addition to becoming the first Rebel to ever win a men's shot put title – indoors or outdoors – Robinson-O'Hagan is also the first underclassman to win the men's shot title indoors since current world record holder Ryan Crouser did so as a sophomore at Texas in 2014. Among sophomores all-time, Robinson-O'Hagan's winning bomb ranks sixth.
In Ole Miss history, this is the 13th indoor national title ever by a Rebel, and he is only the second Ole Miss men's field athlete to snag one indoors alongside Olympian Savante' Stringfellow in the long jump in 2001.
On the track, Ole Miss closed the night with a gutsy performance from senior McKenzie Long in the women's 200-meter dash final, who provided a key NCAA runner-up finish to help the Rebel women toward their record ending.
Long came through the line in a season-best 22.51, her second-fastest indoor time ever behind her school record 22.48 at altitude in the NCAA semifinal last season. This is Long's second career NCAA runner-up finish (after doing so outdoors last season), and it marks the best finish ever by a Rebel woman in the 200-meter indoors. It also ranks tied with Sintayehu Vissa (mile, 2022) as the best finish ever by the Rebel women on the track indoors.
A difficult road has led to this moment for Long, whose mother passed away earlier this indoor season. Long has run through that grief, however, punching her ticket to NCAAs in a cathartic bronze medal finish at SECs before her national runner-up performance tonight.
"I have a great coach (assistant coach Holland Sherrer). He's always there for me," Long told reporters afterward. "When I got the phone call, he was there so I could pray and have somebody to lean on during those times. I have a huge support system at Ole Miss. They've really carried me through and allowed me to live the life I used to live, without my mom."
Two days removed from her second straight NCAA title in the weight throw, senior Jalani Davis returned to the ring to provide six crucial points for the Ole Miss women in the shot put. Davis finished third at 18.15m/59-06.75 for First-Team All-America honors, her best-ever finish in the event – indoors or outdoors.
She concludes her career as the Ole Miss women's leader in all-time NCAA Indoor points at 26, which includes a whopping 16 this week to help push the Rebels to fifth in the team standings.
Also competing in the shot put on Saturday included senior Jasmine Mitchell (12th, 16.37m/53-08.50) and freshman Mensi Stiff (16th, 15.62m/51-3), who both earned Second-Team All-America honors.
With indoor now in the rearview, Ole Miss track & field turns its attention to the outdoor season. The Rebels head outside this coming week with a trek to Georgia Tech for the Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 15-16.
Final Women's Team Scores:
1. #1 Arkansas – 55
2. #2 Florida – 50
3. #10 Georgia – 33
4. #5 Oregon – 31
5. #7 Ole Miss – 30 *Program Record*
6. #9 LSU – 29
7. #17 BYU – 28
8. #4 Oklahoma State – 27
8. #6 USC – 27
10. #14 Notre Dame – 26
44 others
Final Men's Team Scores:
1. #2 Texas Tech – 50.5
2. #1 Arkansas – 41
3. #4 Florida – 39
4. #3 Northern Arizona – 31
5. #12 North Carolina – 26
6. #18 Texas A&M – 24
7. #17 Oklahoma State – 23
7. #6 USC – 23
9. #21 Iowa – 21
10. #5 Washington – 20
11. #13 Kentucky – 18
12. #8 Nebraska – 17
12. Virginia Tech – 17
14. #11 Wisconsin – 16
15. #25 Ole Miss – 14
15. #9 Alabama – 14
15. #19 Florida State – 14
15. #14 Georgia – 14
43 others
NCAA Champions
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Shot Put
NCAA Runners-Up
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash
First-Team All-Americans
Jalani Davis – Women's Weight Throw, 1st Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Shot Put, 1st Place
McKenzie Long – Women's 200-Meter Dash, 2nd Place
Jalani Davis – Women's Shot Put, 3rd Place
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Weight Throw, 3rd Place
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – Men's Weight Throw, 5th Place
Second-Team All-Americans
Jasmine Mitchell – Women's Shot Put, 12th Place
Mensi Stiff – Women's Shot Put, 16th Place
REBELS IN DAY THREE COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash – Final
2. McKenzie Long – 22.51 – NCAA Runner-Up, First-Team All-American – SB
Women's Shot Put – Final
3. Jalani Davis – 18.15m/59-06.75 – First-Team All-American
12. Jasmine Mitchell – 16.37m/53-08.50 – Second-Team All-American
16. Mensi Stiff – 15.62m/51-3 – Second-Team All-American
Men's Shot Put – Final
1. Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan – 21.05m/69-00.75 – NCAA Champion, First-Team All-American – 2024 Indoor No. 3 U.S., No. 15 World, Ole Miss Record, No. 22 Collegiate History, No. 16 NCAA Meet History
-----
REBELS IN DAY TWO COMPETITION
Women's 200-Meter Dash - Semifinals
5. McKenzie Long – 22.60q – Ties SB
------
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
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
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