Sports

Ole Miss Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season at Home with Ole Miss Classic

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss track and field begins its outdoor season this weekend with the Ole Miss Classic at Prefontaine Stadium. The two-day event runs March 20-21, with competitions starting at noon Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, according to university officials.

Fans unable to attend can watch live online via SEC Network+. The event includes a full slate of track and field competitions, with 13 schools participating, including Alabama-Huntsville, Bellarmine, North Alabama, and Texas A&M-Texarkana. A total of 25 teams and 481 athletes are entered, with 751 entries overall.

Ole Miss competes at Prefontaine Stadium, which was renamed in 2025 following a $750,000 donation from supporters Debbie and Andy Prefontaine. Built in 2004 and renovated in 2017, the facility has a seating capacity of 1,500 and features a new locker room opened in 2022. The upgrades contributed to a successful hosting of the 2022 SEC Outdoor Championships, which boosted the local economy by an estimated $2.8 million, according to university reports.

Ole Miss finished its indoor season with both men’s and women’s squads ranking among the top 15 nationally. The women placed 14th at the NCAA championships, with standout performances from Akaoma Odeluga, who was named SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and finished as NCAA runner-up in the shot put. Senior Alicia Burnett also earned national recognition, winning the SEC Women’s 60-meter dash and earning SEC Women’s Runner of the Year.

On the men’s side, senior Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan secured his third consecutive NCAA indoor shot put title and was named SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. His three-peat made him one of only three in Division I history to win three indoor shot put titles in a row. Robinson-O’Hagan scored all 16 points for Ole Miss at the SEC meet and finished his indoor career with seven All-America awards and 50 NCAA points.

Ole Miss is led by 11th-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, who has guided the Rebels to 21 NCAA top-25 team finishes and coached 23 NCAA champions. The program boasts numerous individual honors and record performances, solidifying its status as a national contender. The upcoming outdoor season includes meets at Stanford, LSU, and the SEC and NCAA championships, with athletes aiming for national and regional titles.

Source: Original Article

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