Ole Miss’ Kendricks, Tobin Nab SEC Weekly Honors

After their record-setting performances in Albuquerque and Seattle last week, Ole Miss junior Sam Kendricks and freshman Sean Tobin have received weekly honors from the Southeastern Conference.
Kendricks was named SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, and Tobin received SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week honors from the league office on Tuesday.
Kendricks smashed his own school record, set a collegiate meet record and moved up to No. 9 all-time in NCAA indoor history with his nation-leading vault of 18-8.25 at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque. His jump ranks him No. 1 in the NCAA, No. 1 among Americans and No. 13 in the world this year.
The junior from Oxford, Miss., defeated a strong field of vaulters that included Akron’s Shawn Barber and UCLA’s Michael Woepse. He beat Woepse, the runner-up, by almost eight inches.
Kendricks’ previous school indoor record was 18-4.75, set earlier this year at the UAB Blazer Invitational.
In his five indoor meets this year, Kendricks has set five meet records and two facility records, and has eclipsed 18 feet four times.
For his efforts, Kendricks was also named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honorable mention this week.
Tobin, running his first mile as an Ole Miss Rebel, burst onto the national scene by becoming the first person in school history to break four minutes with his time of 3:59.91 that won the men’s late division race at the Husky Classic in Seattle.
In addition to breaking the school record, Tobin’s lifetime-best 3:59.91 ranks him 21st in the NCAA and second among SEC runners this year.
This is the sixth SEC weekly award of Kendricks’ career. In his first two seasons as an Ole Miss Rebel, he earned three All-America selections, two All-SEC distinctions, a World University Games gold medal and the 2013 NCAA outdoor pole vault title.
Tobin garners his first SEC weekly award.
Both athletes will help lead the 19th-ranked Ole Miss men into the SEC Indoor Championships, which take placeFeb. 27-March 1 in College Station, Texas.
— Ole Miss Sports Information