Ole Miss Track & Field Excels at NCAA Indoor Day One with Weight Throw and 60-Meter Highlights

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ole Miss’s track and field team opened the NCAA Indoor Championships with notable performances Friday. Senior Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan secured a third-place finish in the men’s weight throw, earning first-team All-America honors and six points for the Rebels.

Robinson-O’Hagan’s best effort of 23.50 meters (77 feet, 1.25 inches) tied his career best and marked the third time in his collegiate career he has scored at the NCAA meet. His finish matches the best by a Rebel in the event and continues his streak of scoring in all four NCAA appearances. He is also the two-time defending indoor champion in the shot put and aims to become only the fourth man in Division I history to win three consecutive titles.

Junior Akaoma Odeluga also earned first-team All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the women’s weight throw. She recorded a personal best of 23.66 meters (77 feet, 7. half inches), which was second entering the final round. Odeluga was ultimately bumped to fourth after competitors from Illinois and Texas surpassed her. Minnesota’s Anthonett Nabwe won the event with a throw of 25.13 meters (82 feet, 5.50 inches), the third-best in college history.

In the men’s weight throw, sophomore Bryson Smith finished 13th with a mark of 21.64 meters (71 feet, 0 inches). On the track, senior Alicia Burnett qualified for the women’s 60-meter dash final with a time of 7.16 seconds in the semifinals, just one-thousandth of a second shy of automatic qualification but the top time overall.

The Rebels will continue competition Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. Central Time, with Robinson-O’Hagan competing in the men’s shot put. Ole Miss athletes have already secured multiple All-America honors, and the team looks to build on its momentum as the meet progresses.

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