Ole Miss Men’s Track & Field Qualifies Three for NCAA Championships

Lexington, Kentucky – The University of Mississippi men’s track and field team earned three spots at the upcoming NCAA Championships during the third day of the NCAA East First Round on Friday, according to school officials.

Senior Arvesta Troupe, the reigning NCAA outdoor high jump champion, was the first Rebel to secure a bid. He cleared 2.16 meters (7 feet, 1 inch) to tie for the prelim lead and advance to the national meet. Troupe previously became the first athlete in Ole Miss history to win a national high jump title last June, and he aims to add to his three All-America honors at his final meet as a Rebel.

Ole Miss also qualified its 4×100-meter relay team, which clocked a time of 38.87 seconds to finish fourth in its heat. Dekell Minor, Jordan Urrutia, Wesley Todd, and Tarique Wright advanced as a time qualifier. Their performance marked the first time in school history that the relay team broke 39 seconds, running the fastest time since 2011 and the first consecutive NCAA qualifying appearance in the event since 2014-15.

Jordan Urrutia continued his strong day by competing in the 100 and 200 meters. He ran a personal best of 10.14 seconds in the 100 but narrowly missed qualifying individually. Later, Urrutia advanced in the 200 meters with a wind-legal time of 20.34 seconds, finishing second in his heat and earning a spot in Eugene for the NCAA meet. This marks Ole Miss’s first NCAA men’s 200-meter qualifier since 2013.

Several Rebels narrowly missed qualifying. Max Armstrong finished 13th in the 800 meters in 1:46.67, missing the NCAA cut by less than two-tenths of a second. Ashton Hearn placed 13th in the discus at 57.03 meters (187 feet, 1 inch), and Sterling Scott missed the triple jump by just over two inches, with a mark of 15.77 meters (51 feet, 9 inches).

Ole Miss wrapped up the day with its first regional 4×400-meter relay since 2014, running a time of 3:06.52. The team consisted of Wesley Todd, Carson Turner, Cade Flatt, and Max Armstrong, finishing 10th in school history outdoors. Other competitors included Sergio Del Barrio in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kyle Johnson in the triple jump, and seniors Aiden Britt and Kidus Misgina in their final races in the 5K.

The Rebels will conclude their NCAA East Regional participation Saturday, with the women’s team set to compete in the 4×100-meter relay at 4 p.m. CT.

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