Ole Miss will travel to Auburn University in Alabama, this weekend for its third outdoor track & field meet of the season, the Tiger Track Classic.
The two-day meet began Friday at 2 p.m. with the men’s hammer throw. Other Friday evening events included the women’s hammer, men’s and women’s javelin, men’s and women’s triple jump, and men’s and women’s 5,000 meters. All other events will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. until approximately 6:30 p.m.
In addition to Ole Miss and the host Auburn Tigers, whose women’s team is ranked 21st nationally, there will be other schools competing: Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss and UAB, among others.
“This weekend gives us a chance to match wits against another SEC school in another competitive environment,” head coach Brian O’Neal said. “It’s a little bit of a broken record, but our job is to go in there and compete and understand who we are and who we represent. Let’s make sure at the end of the day that our fans and the Rebel Nation are proud of us and our performances.”
While the entire Ole Miss squad has yet to compete together at an outdoor meet this season the Rebels have already churned out some impressive showings.
The women’s 4×100-meter relay squad of Nicole Henderson, Shannon Ray, Khadijah Suleman and Jhorden Hunter has been victorious in each of the two meets so far, with its time of 44.73 (Alabama Relays) ranking Ole Miss seventh in the country and third in the SEC.
Rebel men who rank among the top 25 in the nation in their event include Robert Semien in the 110-meter hurdles and Nathan Loe in the hammer throw. Ole Miss women who rank top 25 include Hunter in the 100 meters, Kierra White in the long jump and Fabia McDonald in the long jump.
Below is a list of the highest ranked Ole Miss athletes so far this outdoor season.
Ole Miss Athlete, Event, Mark (NCAA Rank, SEC Rank)
Robert Semien, 110m hurdles, 14.21 (23, 5)
Nathan Loe, hammer, 202-3 (25, 7)
Jalen Miller, 100m, 10.50 (26, 8)
Adam Aguirre, high jump, 6-10.75 (28, 3)
Branden Greene, high jump, 6-10.75 (28, 3)
4x100m relay, 44.73 (7, 3)
Kierra White, long jump, 19-10.25 (17, 7)
Jhorden Hunter, 100m, 11.69 (19, 5)
Fabia McDonald, long jump, 19-8.25 (21, 8)
Shannon Ray, 100m, 11.74 (30, 8)
Lanae Newsome, triple jump, 40-6 (31, 6)
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissTrack and on Facebook at Ole Miss Track. And follow Coach O’Neal at @CoachBrianOneal.
