Ole Miss Track & Field Completes First Day of Split Events with Record Performances
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. / NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ole Miss track and field kicked off its season with strong performances at Arkansas’s Tyson Invitational and Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge on Friday. The first day of split competitions featured standout efforts in throwing, sprinting, and distance running.
At Arkansas, the women’s weight throw final rivaled NCAA and U.S. finals, with juniors Akaoma Odeluga and Skylar Soli posting career-best marks. Odeluga threw 23.08 meters (75-8.75), finishing sixth, while Soli threw 22.34 meters (73-3.50) in seventh. Both marks rank among the top in the nation this season. Former Rebel Jalani Davis led the field with a career-best 25.47 meters (83-6.75), placing her second worldwide this season and eighth in history. Nyah Edwards added a personal record of 20.81 meters (68-3.25), finishing 10th.
On the men’s side, Mason Hickel threw a personal-best 22.25 meters (73-0), finishing eighth and becoming the second Ole Miss athlete in school history to reach the 73-foot mark. Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan posted a 22.82-meter (74-10.50) throw to finish fifth, with Hickel ranking 13th nationally this season.
On the track at Arkansas, senior Alicia Burnett ran a career-best 7.23 seconds in the 60-meter dash final, finishing fifth and tying for third in school history. Burnett qualified with a 7.32 in prelims, and her time currently ranks 13th in the NCAA.
At Vanderbilt, Ole Miss distance runners excelled, with junior Evan Thornton-Sherman winning the mile in 3:59.67—his first sub-four-minute mile and a school record. Senior Gabe Scales nearly achieved the feat himself, finishing in 4:00.15. Freshman John Shoemaker set a personal best of 4:01.92, shaving four seconds off his previous best.
In the women’s mile, junior Sophie Baumann posted a career-best 4:37.45 to win the race, ranking third in Ole Miss history. Ella Johnson finished eighth with a PR of 4:48.18, earning a spot on the school’s top-15 list. The women’s 5K saw senior Beth Arentz run an indoor PR of 16:14.25, placing fifth all-time at Ole Miss, while senior Aiden Britt won the men’s 5K in 13:43.69, also a school record.
Competition resumes Saturday at Vanderbilt with the women’s 3K at 9:30 a.m. CT, and at Arkansas at 10:30 a.m. CT with the women’s pole vault open section.
Source: Original Article
