Ole Miss Track & Field Excels at Vanderbilt Invitational
NAshville, Tenn. — The University of Mississippi’s track and field teams finished strong at the Vanderbilt Invitational, winning three events and showcasing depth across multiple disciplines, according to meet results released Saturday.
Highlighting the meet was Ole Miss’s performance in the 60-meter dash. Junior Royanah Farmer, a JUCO All-American, posted career-best times in the prelims and semifinals, clocking 7.40 and 7.35 seconds respectively. Despite not competing in the final, her times rank seventh all-time in Ole Miss history. Freshman Myla Reed also advanced to the semifinals in her collegiate debut, running 7.73 in the prelims and a PR of 7.66 in the semis.
On the men’s side, transfer Dekell Minor, a NJCAA All-American from Fort Scott Community College, made an immediate impact. Minor finished third in both the preliminaries and semifinals, running 6.74 and 6.72 seconds, which ranks him seventh in school history. Wesley Todd also set PRs in the 60-meter dash, qualifying with 6.87 and 6.83 seconds before bowing out before the final.
In the distances, senior Joshua Knox finished third in the 400 meters with a time of 48.03 seconds, while senior Cassie Williamson was third in the 800-meter run at 2:07.49. Knox also helped Ole Miss secure its second consecutive victory in the 4×400 relay, crossing in 3:10.53.
Ole Miss also claimed field event victories. Sophomore Lily Beattie cleared 4.15 meters (13-07.25) in the pole vault, improving her indoor season best and ranking sixth in school history. Freshman Bayli Major jumped 12.17 meters (39-11.25) in the triple jump, placing fifth and earning a spot on the school’s all-time top 15 list. In the shot put, senior Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan dominated with a throw of 20.37 meters (66-10).
In the men’s heptathlon, freshman William Numnum finished fifth overall with 4,483 points, the fourth-highest total in Ole Miss history for a collegiate debut. The Rebels will next compete at the Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 30-31, before resuming their indoor season.
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