Ole Miss track & field will be represented by 11 student-athletes in 11 total events on the highest stage of the collegiate track season at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which returns to Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas from June 7-10.
The finest athletes in Division I will descend upon Austin this week for the four-day meet, which is split into men’s competition (June 7 & 9) and women’s competition (June 8 & 10). To get to this point, student-athletes needed to qualify for their respective NCAA Regional Preliminary Round Championship (East or West), and then needed to finish within the top-12 of their events at the regional meet in order to punch their ticket to Texas. Athletes competing in either the decathlon or heptathlon needed only to finish within the top-12 nationally by the end of the regular season.
Those 24 total athletes will not only be competing for team or individual national championships, but also to grasp one of the coveted top-eight scoring spots for First-Team All-American status. Places nine through 16 receive Second-Team All-American honors, and the remaining eight competitors receive Honorable Mention All-American distinction.
This marks the eighth time that the national meet has been held at Texas, and just the second time since 2012 that the NCAA Championships have not been held at Oregon’s Hayward Field (the other being in 2019 at Texas). Texas has hosted the NCAA Outdoor meet six times prior to 2019 (1957, ‘74, ‘80, ‘85, ‘92, 2004).
In eight years at Ole Miss, head coach Connie Price-Smith has mentored three NCAA Outdoor Champions (Raven Saunders, shot put, 2016; Janeah Stewart, hammer, 2018; Sintayehu Vissa, 1500-meter, 2022), 61 outdoor First or Second-Team All-Americans (39 women, 22 men) and brought the Rebels four national top-25 team finishes outdoors – with the Rebel men tying for 14th in 2017 and the women tying for 19th in 2022, finishing 20th in 2018 and 22nd in 2016.
Four of the seven all-time NCAA top-10 finishes in Ole Miss history have come within the last two calendar years: 2023 women’s indoor (10th), 2022 women’s indoor (T-6th), 2022 men’s indoor (T-10th), 2021 men’s indoor (10th), 2013 men’s outdoor (8th), 2001 men’s indoor (10th) and 1991 men’s indoor (9th).
Ole Miss has a strong history at the national meet, regardless of season. Across both indoor and outdoor, Ole Miss boasts 25 NCAA Champions, 302 First or Second-Team All-American honors, while as a team Ole Miss has tallied 35 top-25 team finishes and scored 751.5 total national points. Under Price-Smith both indoors and outdoors, the Rebels have 11 NCAA Champions, 143 First or Second-Team All-Americans, 12 NCAA top-25 team finishes and a total of 271 NCAA points scored.
Competition will begin with the Rebel men on Wednesday and the women on Thursday, with action on Friday and Saturday based on finals qualifying for the track events on the first two days. Ole Miss will be looking to advance men’s runners to Friday in the 800-meter and 110-meter hurdles races, while the Rebel women’s potential for finals on Saturday rests on the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 3000-meter steeplechase and the 4×100-meter relay.
See below for more detailed information on the national qualifiers and the NCAA Championships. Fans can watch all four days of action live, with the evening track sessions live on ESPN2 each night of competition, as well as dedicated individual live streams for the field events on ESPN+.
OLE MISS AT THE NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men’s Entries (5 entries, 4 athletes)
Tiarnan Crorken – Men’s 800-Meter
Baylor Franklin – Men’s 800-Meter
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan – Men’s Shot Put
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan – Men’s Hammer
Ahmad Young Jr. – Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles
Women’s Entries (6 entries, 7 athletes)
McKenzie Long – Women’s 100-Meter Dash
McKenzie Long – Women’s 200-Meter Dash
Jasmine Mitchell – Women’s Shot Put
Shey Taiwo – Women’s Hammer
Kristel van den Berg – Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase
Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay (McKenzie Long, Gabrielle Matthews, Jayda Eckford, Ariyonna Augustine)
BROADCAST SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES CT)
All events outside of the live network windows will have a dedicated live stream on ESPN+. A full broadcast schedule can be found HERE.
Day One – Men (Wed., June 7)
Hammer Live Stream: 2:30 p.m. CT
ESPN2: 6:30 p.m. CT
Shot Put Live Stream: 8:30 p.m. CT
Day Two – Women (Thurs., June 8)
Hammer Live Stream: 3:30 p.m. CT
ESPN2: 7:30 p.m. CT
Shot Put Live Stream: 9:30 p.m. CT
Day Three – Men (Fri., June 9)
ESPN2: 8 p.m. CT
Day Four – Women (Sat., June 10)
ESPN2: 8 p.m. CT
COMPETITION SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES CT)
Day One (Wednesday, June 7)
2:30 PM CT – Men’s Hammer Final – Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Flight 2) – ESPN+
7:32 PM CT – Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Semifinal – Ahmad Young Jr. (Heat 3, Lane 2) – ESPN2
8:14 PM CT – Men’s 800-Meter Semifinal – Tiarnan Crorken (Heat 1, Lane 8), Baylor Franklin (Heat 3, Lane 6) – ESPN2
8:30 PM CT – Men’s Shot Put Final – Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Flight 2) – ESPN+
Day Two (Thursday, June 8)
3:30 PM CT – Women’s Hammer Final – Shey Taiwo (Flight 2) – ESPN+
7:32 PM CT – Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay Semifinal (Heat 2, Lane 9) – ESPN2
8:02 PM CT – Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase Semifinal – Kristel van den Berg (Heat 2) – ESPN2
8:46 PM CT – Women’s 100-Meter Dash Semifinal – McKenzie Long (Heat 2, Lane 5) – ESPN2
9:30 PM CT – Women’s Shot Put Final – Jasmine Mitchell (Flight 1) – ESPN+
9:44 PM CT – Women’s 200-Meter Dash Semifinal – McKenzie Long (Heat 2, Lane 7) – ESPN2
Day Three (Friday, June 9)
8:42 PM CT – Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
9:14 PM CT – Men’s 800-Meter Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
Day Four (Saturday, June 10)
8:02 PM CT – Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
8:24 PM CT – Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
8:52 PM CT – Women’s 100-Meter Dash Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
9:37 PM CT – Women’s 200-Meter Dash Final (if qualified) – ESPN2
OLE MISS NCAA QUALIFIERS • BY THE NUMBERS
Team Superlatives
• Tied for fourth-most combined NCAA Outdoor entries (11) in school history
• Tied for sixth-most combined athletes (11) to earn NCAA Outdoor berths
• Tied for the third-most women’s entries (6) and athletes (7)
• Tied for the sixth-most men’s entries (5)
• Six first-time NCAA Outdoor qualifiers: Tiarnan Crorken (men’s 800-meter), McKenzie Long (women’s 100-meter dash; women’s 200-meter dash; women’s 4×100-meter relay), Gabrielle Matthews (women’s 4×100-meter relay), Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (men’s shot put; men’s hammer), Kristel van den Berg (women’s 3000-meter steeplechase), Ahmad Young Jr. (men’s 110-meter hurdles)
• Of those, this is the first overall NCAA berths for Matthews, van den Berg and Young Jr.
• Second time in program history and second year in a row Ole Miss has qualified a men’s and women’s shot putter in the same season
• Eighth straight appearance for Ole Miss in the women’s 4×100-meter relay
• Sixth appearance in the last eight opportunities for Ole Miss in the men’s 800-meter
• Fifth time in the last six opportunities that Ole Miss has notched at least one qualifier in the women’s hammer; have scored 21 points in the event in that span dating back to 2017
• Sixth time in the last seven tries dating back to 2016 that Ole Miss has qualified in the women’s shot put
• Third qualifier in the women’s steeplechase since 2017; had never qualified prior
• Third time with multiple representatives in the men’s 800-meter since 2015
• Third qualifier in the men’s 110-meter hurdles since 2015
• First ever triple attempt in the women’s 100-meter/200-meter/4×100-meter relay (McKenzie Long)
• First ever double in the men’s shot put and hammer (Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan)
• Robinson-O’Hagan is the lone freshman to attempt the shot put/hammer double, and one of just three total alongside Arizona’s Jordan Geist and Kennesaw State’s Isaiah Rogers.
• A win in the men’s shot put would be only the sixth ever by a freshman, and the first since 1999 (Janus Robberts, SMU). Other men’s shot put wins by freshmen came in 1992 (Brent Noon, Georgia), 1988 (Mike Stulce, Texas A&M), 1980 (Michael Carter, SMU) and 1944 (Norm Wasser, NYU).
• A win in the men’s hammer by Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan would be only seventh ever by a freshman, and the first since 2013 (Tomas Kruzliak, Virginia Tech). Other men’s hammer wins by freshmen came in 1999 (Andras Haklitz, ULM), 1998 (Libor Charfreitag, SMU), 1993 (Balazs Kiss, USC), 1976 (Scott Neilson, Washington) and 1971 (Jacques Accambray, Kent State).
• A men’s hammer win for Robinson-O’Hagan (who will be 19 years, six months and 14 days old on June 7) would make him the second-youngest freshman to ever win an NCAA hammer title behind Washington’s Scott Neilson in 1976 (19 years, four months, five days). Other ages for NCAA winning freshmen: Kruzliak (21y, 3m, 29d), Haklitz (21y, 8m, 14d), Charfreitag (20y, 8m, 26d), Kiss (21y, 2m, 13d) and Accambray (21y, 27d).
• A sweep of the men’s and women’s hammer would mark just the third time in meet history alongside Virginia Tech in 2011 (Dorotea Habazin, Alexander Ziegler) and SMU in 2000 (Florence Ezeh, Libor Charfreitag).
Women’s Individual Superlatives
• McKenzie Long (100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay): First career NCAA Outdoor qualifying berths … Third, fourth and fifth overall career NCAA berths after qualifying for first-ever national meet indoors this season in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes … First Rebel woman to ever attempt the 100/200/4×100 triple … Sixth Rebel woman to ever attempt a triple at the outdoor national meet … Third Rebel to ever qualify in the 100-meter dash, first since 2019 … One of two to ever attempt the 100/200 double alongside multiple time All-American Teneeshia Jones, who did so three times from 1999-2001 … Looking to become the first Rebel in combined program history to win an NCAA title outdoors in an event shorter than 800-meters … Looking to become the first Rebel woman ever to score in the 200-meter outdoors.
• Jasmine Mitchell (Shot Put): Second career and second consecutive NCAA Outdoor qualifying berth, both in the shot put … Seventh overall career NCAA ticket.
• Shey Taiwo (Hammer): Second career NCAA Outdoor ticket, both in the hammer … Sixth overall NCAA qualifying berth.
• Kristel van den Berg (Steeplechase): First career NCAA berth … Looking to become the first Rebel woman to ever score in the steeplechase.
• 4×100-Meter Relay: Eighth straight NCAA appearance, 14th total in women’s program history.
Men’s Individual Superlatives
• Tiarnan Crorken (800m): First career NCAA Outdoor ticket … Third career NCAA qualifying berth.
• Baylor Franklin (800m): Third consecutive and third career NCAA Outdoor berth, all in the 800-meter … Fifth overall national meet, all in the 800-meter across both indoor and outdoor competition.
• Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Shot Put, Hammer): First career NCAA Outdoor tickets … Third and fourth national berths overall after qualifying for the shot put and weight throw indoors this year … First Rebel man to ever attempt the double in the shot put and hammer … Lone freshman nationally to be attempting the shot/hammer double one of three total … Looking to become the first Rebel man to ever score in the shot put outdoors … Looking to become the first freshman to win an NCAA Outdoor men’s shot put title since 1999, a men’s hammer title since 2013.
• Ahmad Young Jr. (110m Hurdles): First career NCAA ticket … Looking to become the first Rebel to score in the men’s 110-meter hurdles since John Yarbrough was the NCAA runner-up in 2007.
REBEL HISTORY AT THE NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ole Miss Best NCAA Outdoor Finishes (in events qualified)
Women’s 100-Meter Dash: 5th (2001, Teneeshia Jones)
Women’s 200-Meter Dash: 11th (2019, Jayda Eckford)
Men’s 800-Meter: 1st (1991, George Kersh)
Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles: 2nd (2x, last by John Yarbrough in 2007)
Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase: 15th (2x, both by Shelby Brown in 2017 and 2018)
Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay: 7th (2015)
Women’s Shot Put: 1st (2016, Raven Saunders)
Men’s Shot Put: 9th (2009, Derek McGuire)
Women’s Hammer: 1st (2018, Janeah Stewart)
Men’s Hammer: 8th (2016, Dempsey McGuigan)
Ole Miss NCAA Outdoor Champions (10)
1983 – Ralph Spry, Men’s Long Jump
1991 – George Kersh, Men’s 800-Meter
2000 – Savante’ Stringfellow, Men’s Long Jump
2001 – Savante’ Stringfellow, Men’s Long Jump
2007 – Barnabas Kirui, Men’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase
2013 – Sam Kendricks, Men’s Pole Vault
2014 – Sam Kendricks, Men’s Pole Vault
2016 – Raven Saunders, Women’s Shot Put
2018 – Janeah Stewart, Women’s Hammer
2022 – Sintayehu Vissa, Women’s 1500-Meter
Ole Miss NCAA Outdoor Runners-Up (9)
1990 – George Kersh, Men’s 800-Meter
1993 – Pablo Sierra, Men’s 10K
2005 – Antwon Hicks, Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles
2007 – John Yarbrough, Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles
2007 – Brittney Reese, Women’s Long Jump
2011 – Ricky Robertson, Men’s High Jump
2013 – Isiah Young, Men’s 200-Meter Dash
2021 – Shey Taiwo, Women’s Hammer
2022 – Mario Garcia Romo, Men’s 1500-Meter
Ole Miss NCAA Outdoor Top-25 Finishes (14)
2022 – Ole Miss Women – T-19th (13 points)
2018 – Ole Miss Women – T-20th (14 points)
2017 – Ole Miss Men – T-14th (16 points)
2016 – Ole Miss Women – T-22nd (10 points)
2014 – Ole Miss Men –T-24th (10 points)
2013 – Ole Miss Men – 8th (24 points)
2011 – Ole Miss Men – 19th (13 points)
2008 – Ole Miss Women – T-15th (14 points)
2007 – Ole Miss Men – 12th (18 points)
2001 – Ole Miss Men – T-25th (10 points)
2000 – Ole Miss Men – T-21st (10 points)
1993 – Ole Miss Men – 13th (22 points)
1990 – Ole Miss Men – T-25th (11 points)
1983 – Ole Miss Men – T-22nd (20 points)
TARIK ROBINSON-O’HAGAN • MEN’S HAMMER / SHOT PUT
Hammer Final: Wed., June 7 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Shot Put Final: Wed., June 7 • 8:30 p.m. CT
Class: Freshman
Major: Multi-Disciplinary Studies
Hometown / High School: Woonsocket, R.I. / Woonsocket
Hammer Season-Best: 71.25m/233-09 • 2023 No. 1 NCAA Freshmen, No. 9 NCAA, No. 15 U.S. • Ole Miss record • May 11, 2023 (SEC Outdoor Championships)
Hammer Career-Best: Same
Shot Put Season-Best: 20.07m/65-10.25 • 2023 No. 1 NCAA Freshmen, No. 11 NCAA, No. 15 U.S. • Ole Miss record • May 24, 2023 (NCAA East Regional)
Shot Put Career-Best: Same
Hammer NCAA Seed: 12th
Hammer SEC Finish: 1st
Shot Put NCAA Seed: 6th
Shot Put SEC Finish: 7th
NCAA History: First career NCAA Outdoor meet … 4x NCAA qualifier overall (2x indoor, 2x outdoor) … 6 career NCAA points … 2x All-American … 2023 First-Team All-American indoors in the weight throw (3rd) … Third-place finish indoors in the weight throw was the best by a freshman since 2013 … Set a collegiate freshman NCAA Indoor meet record with his third-place 22.96m/75-4 … Was the first Rebel to ever double in the shot and weight indoors … First Rebel to qualify in the weight since 2003 (Stacy Andrews), first in the indoor shot put since 2017 (Brian Williams).
Quick Facts: Only freshman attempting the shot put/hammer double, one of three attempting overall (Jordan Geist, Isaiah Rogers) … First Rebel man to ever attempt the shot/hammer double … Second Rebel to ever qualify in the men’s hammer, third ever in the shot put outdoors … Looking to become the first Rebel man to ever score in the shot put outdoors … Looking to become the first freshman to win an NCAA Outdoor men’s shot put title since 1999, a men’s hammer title since 2013 … A win in the hammer would make him the second youngest NCAA hammer champion, youngest since 1976 (Scott Neilson, Washington) … A win in the shot put would be the first by a freshman since 1999 (Janus Robberts, SMU) … Owns Ole Miss records indoors in the shot put (19.73m/64-08.75) and weight throw (23.62m/77-6), outdoors in the shot put (20.07m/65-10.25) and hammer (71.25m/233-09) … First Rebel to break 63 feet outdoors in the shot put and 64 feet indoors … One of two throwers worldwide at 71 meters in the hammer and 20 meters in the shot put alongside Arizona’s Jordan Geist … First freshman in available records (since at least 2009) to eclipse both 20 meters in the shot put and 71 meters in the hammer … 2023 SEC Outdoor hammer champion … First Rebel to ever win an SEC hammer title, man or woman … First freshman to win SEC men’s hammer since 2016 (Anders Eriksson, 2016) … First collegiate freshman to break 71 meters in the hammer since 2018 when two freshmen did so: LSU’s Jake Norris (73.24m/240-04) and Florida’s Thomas Mardal (72.20m/236-11) … Broke the collegiate freshman record in the weight throw at SECs at 23.62m/77-6 … Owns three of the six 23-meter throws all-time by collegiate freshmen … Ranks No. 7 all-time among collegians in combined weight throw/indoor shot distance (43.35m) … Only thrower globally this year at 75 feet in the weight and 64 in the indoor shot put … One of five collegians ever at 77 feet in the weight and 64 in the shot … Owns a combined distance of 91.32m in the outdoor shot put/hammer … 24 SEC points scored … 2022 World U20 Champion in the shot put, finalist in the hammer … 2022 U.S. U20 Champion in both the shot put and hammer … 2x high school national champion … No. 4 U.S. boys high school history in the junior shot put, No. 3 in the junior hammer and No. 7 in the high school hammer.
AHMAD YOUNG JR. • MEN’S 110-METER HURDLES
Semifinal: Wed., June 7 • 7:32 p.m. CT
Final: Fri., June 9 • 8:42 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Multi-Disciplinary Studies
Hometown / High School / Previous School: Baton Rouge, La. / Langham Creek / Louisiana Tech
Season-Best: 13.54 (+0.6)• No. 3 Ole Miss History • April 22, 2023 (Virginia Challenge)
Career-Best: Same
NCAA Seed: 15th
SEC Finish: DNF
NCAA History: First career NCAA meet.
Quick Facts: Third Rebel to qualify in the 110-meter hurdles since 2015, second since 2021 … Looking to become the first Rebel to score in the men’s 110-meter hurdles since John Yarbrough was the NCAA runner-up in 2007 … Ranks third all-time at Ole Miss outdoors in the 110-meter hurdles (13.54/+0.6), fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (7.82) … 2x NCAA East Region qualifier … 3x C-USA scorer while at LA Tech … SEC Community Service Team for 2022-23.
TIARNAN CRORKEN • MEN’S 800-METER
Semifinal: Wed., June 7 • 8:14 p.m. CT
Final: Fri., June 9 • 9:14 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: General Business
Hometown: Burnley, England
Season-Best: 1:46.82 • 2023 No. 8 Great Britain, No. 5 Ole Miss History • March 30, 2023 (Texas Relays)
Career-Best: 1:46.75 • July 27, 2021 (Longford Park Stadium, Manchester)
NCAA Seed: 18th
SEC Finish: 3rd
NCAA History: First career NCAA Outdoor meet … 3x NCAA Qualifier overall (2x indoors) … 6 career NCAA points scored … 2x First-Team All-American … 2023 NCAA Runner-Up on the Rebel men’s distance medley relay (800-meter leg) … Fifth-place finisher in the 800-meter indoors in 2022.
Quick Facts: Sixth Ole Miss appearance in the 800-meter outdoors in the last eight opportunities … 12 career SEC points scored … 2023 SEC Outdoor bronze medalist in the 800-meter … Ranks fifth in Ole Miss history outdoors in the 800-meter (1:46.82), fifth indoors (1:47.39) … Outdoor collegiate best 1:46.82 came on the same track for the national meet back at the Texas Relays on March 30 … Ran the fastest leg on Ole Miss’ title winning 4×800-meter relay at the Penn Relays back in April at 1:46.70; Ole Miss narrowly missed the Penn Relays record with the fifth-best 4×800 in collegiate history at 7:12.37… Missed 2022 outdoor season due to injury.
BAYLOR FRANKLIN • MEN’S 800-METER
Semifinal: Wed., June 7 • 8:14 p.m. CT
Final: Fri., June 9 • 9:14 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Business Administration (Master’s)
Hometown / High School: Lebanon, Tenn. / Wilson Central HS
Season-Best: 1:47.21 • April 22, 2023 (Virginia Challenge)
Career-Best: 1:45.65 • No. 2 Ole Miss History • June 26, 2022 (U.S. Championships, Final)
NCAA Seed: 22nd
SEC Finish: 4th
NCAA History: 6x NCAA qualifier … 3 career NCAA points scored … 4x All-American … 2023 First-Team All-American indoors in the 800-meter (sixth place) … Second-Team All-American outdoors (13th) and indoors (12th) in 2021 in the 800-meter, 13th outdoors in 2022 in the 800.
Quick Facts: Sixth Ole Miss appearance in the 800-meter outdoors in the last eight opportunities …5x SEC scorer … 20.5 career SEC points scored … Ran 1:47.78 anchor on Ole Miss’ title winning 4×800-meter relay at the Penn Relays; final kick over last 100 meters took Ole Miss from third to first … Split 52.90 on the final lap at the 2022 USA Championships, going from last to fifth at a PR 1:45.65 … Was also a member of Ole Miss’ NCAA qualifying DMR team, splitting 2:51 on the 1200-meter leg at Notre Dame on Feb. 18, earning Ole Miss its qualifying time at 9:21.89 … Ran on two winning relay teams at the Penn Relays last season, running a 1:47.75 second leg of the school record 9:29.45 DMR team (No. 11 NCAA history) and a 1:46.76 second leg on the record 7:13.71 4×800-meter relay team (No. 9 NCAA history) … On Ole Miss’ 2020 SEC title DMR team … Was one of four Rebels to run a sub-4 mile at the Music City Challenge on Feb. 12, 2021, clocking in at 3:59.12 … Both his father and brother played college baseball, and his brother A.J. Franklin was part of the 2019 national title team at Vanderbilt.
SHEY TAIWO • WOMEN’S HAMMER
Final: Thurs., June 8 • 3:30 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Integrated Marketing Communications (Master’s)
Hometown / High School: South Holland, Ill. / Thornwood HS
Season-Best: 67.69m/222-01 • March 24, 2023 (Ole Miss Classic)
Career-Best: 71.27m/233-10 • June 10, 2021 (NCAA Championships) • No. 12 Collegiate History, No. 8 NCAA Outdoor Meet History, No. 2 Ole Miss History
NCAA Seed: 12th
SEC Finish: 3rd
NCAA History: Second career NCAA Outdoor ticket, both in the hammer … 6x NCAA qualifier … 5x All-American … 24 career NCAA points scored … 2022 NCAA Indoor Champion, Weight Throw … 2021 NCAA Runner-Up, Hammer Throw … Still ranks No. 12 in collegiate history and No. 8 in NCAA Outdoor meet history at her runner-up toss of 71.27m/233-10 … Helped lead Rebel women to overall program record team finish indoors in 2022 in a tie for sixth place.
Quick Facts: Fifth time in the last six opportunities that Ole Miss has notched at least one qualifier in the women’s hammer; have scored 21 points in the event in that span dating back to 2017 … 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the hammer (14th place) … No. 2 collegiate history, No. 2 NCAA Indoor meet history and No. 5 world history in the weight throw on her NCAA title winning heave of 25.55m/83-10, one centimeter shy of the collegiate record … Made the Bowerman Award Watch List twice in 2022 … Still owns three of the top-six throws in collegiate history in the weight throw, as well as seven of the top-20 … 4x SEC medalist … 2020 SEC Indoor Champion (weight throw) … 8x SEC scorer … 47 career SEC points … Top-10 at Ole Miss in all five of her throwing events indoors and outdoors … Went to the same high school as teammate Jasmine Mitchell and Rebel NCAA Champion thrower, Janeah Stewart.
WOMEN’S 4X100-METER RELAY
Semifinal: Thurs., June 8 • 7:32 p.m. CT
Final: Sat., June 10 • 8:02 p.m. CT
Qualifying Relay: McKenzie Long, Gabrielle Matthews, Jayda Eckford, Ariyonna Augustine (alternate: Olivia Womack)
Season-Best: 43.43 • Ole Miss Record • May 13, 2023 (SEC Outdoor Championships)
NCAA Seed: 18th
SEC Finish: 4th
NCAA History: Eighth straight NCAA Outdoor qualifying berth … 14th total NCAA ticket in women’s program history.
Leg 1: McKenzie Long
Leg 2: Gabrielle Matthews
Class: Freshman
Major: Freshman Studies
Hometown / High School: Portmore, Jamaica / The Queens School
NCAA History: First career NCAA meet.
Quick Facts: Ole Miss record holder in the 400-meter hurdles (57.04).
Leg 3: Jayda Eckford
Class: Senior
Major: Criminal Justice (Master’s)
Hometown / High School: Clinton, Miss. / Clinton
Overall 200-Meter PR: 22.72 (+2.2) • June 23, 2019 (U.S. U20 prelims)
Wind-Legal 200-Meter PR: 22.98 (+0.6) • June 23, 2019 (U.S. U20 final)
NCAA History: 6x NCAA qualifier … 2022 First-Team All-American (DMR) … 4x Second-Team All-American outdoors … Has been a member of the NCAA qualifying 4×100-meter relay for four consecutive seasons.
Quick Facts: 2019 Pan Am and U.S. U20 silver medalist in the 200-meter dash … 2x member of the SEC Community Service team … Set to complete her master’s in criminal justice in August.
Leg 4: Ariyonna Augustine
Class: Senior
Major: Criminal Justice (Master’s)
Hometown / High School / Previous School: Paramount, Calif. / Long Beach Poly / LSU
Overall 100-Meter PR: 11.40 (+2.2) • April 29, 2023 (LSU Invite)
Wind-Legal 100-Meter PR: 11.48 (+0.3) • March 26, 2021 (Texas Relays)
200-Meter PR: 23.52 (+0.8) • May 23, 2019 (NCAA East Regional)
NCAA History: 2x NCAA qualifier
KRISTEL VAN DEN BERG • WOMEN’S 3000-METER STEEPLECHASE
Semifinal: Thurs., June 8 • 8:02 p.m. CT
Final: Sat., June 10 • 8:24 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Exercise Science (Master’s)
Hometown / High School: Maassluis, The Netherlands / Stedelijk Gymnasium Schiedam
Season-Best: 9:56.56 • Ole Miss Record, No. 7 Dutch History, 2023 No. 2 Netherlands • May 12, 2023 (SEC Outdoor Championships)
Career-Best: Same
NCAA Seed: 24th
SEC Finish: 1st
NCAA History: First career NCAA meet.
Quick Facts: Looking to become the first Rebel woman to ever score in the steeplechase … Third Rebel since 2017 to qualify in the steeplechase … 2023 SEC Outdoor champion in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase; second Rebel to ever win (Shelby Brown, 2018) … 4x SEC scorer … 17.25 career SEC points scored … Ole Miss record holder in the steeple (9:56.56), outdoor 5K (15:54.27) and was also on the Ole Miss record distance medley relay indoors at 10:55.04 … Ranks top-15 at Ole Miss in seven different events … 3x NCAA East Region qualifier … 2021 NCAA All-South Region in cross country … Part of program record SEC and NCAA cross country team finishes in 2021.
MCKENZIE LONG • WOMEN’S 100-METER/200-METER/4X100-METER RELAY
100-Meter Dash Semifinal: Thurs., June 8 • 8:46 p.m. CT
100-Meter Dash Final: Sat., June 10 • 8:52 p.m. CT
200-Meter Dash Semifinal: Thurs., June 8 • 9:44 p.m. CT
200-Meter Dash Final: Sat., June 10 • 9:37 p.m. CT
4×100-Meter Relay Semifinal: Thurs., June 8 • 7:32 p.m. CT
4×100-Meter Relay Final: Sat., June 10 • 8:02 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Criminal Justice (Master’s)
Hometown / High School / Previous School: Ironton, Ohio / Pickerington Central / NC State
Overall 100m PR: 10.80 (+3.5) • Ole Miss Record, 2023 World No. 5 (all-conditions), 2023 U.S. No. 2 (all-conditions), No. 6 Collegiate History All-Conditions • March 31, 2023 (Texas Relays, prelim)
Wind-Legal 100m PR: 11.00 (+0.2) • Ole Miss Wind-Legal Record, 2023 World No. 19, 2023 U.S. No. 9 • April 1, 2023 (Texas Relays, final)
Overall 200m PR: 22.13 (+2.9) • Ole Miss Record, 2023 World No. 7 (all-conditions), 2023 U.S. No. 5 (all-conditions), No. 11 Collegiate History All-Conditions • May 25, 2023 (NCAA East Regional, First Round)
Wind-Legal 200m PR: 22.31 (+1.8) • Ole Miss Wind-Legal Record, 2023 World No. 9, 2023 U.S. No. 6 • April 14, 2023 (Tom Jones Memorial)
NCAA History: First career NCAA Outdoor meet … 5x overall NCAA Qualifier (2x indoor) … Had never qualified for a national meet prior to this indoor season … 2x All-American … 7 career NCAA points scored.
Quick Facts: First Rebel woman to ever attempt the 100/200/4×100 triple … Sixth Rebel woman to ever attempt a triple at the outdoor national meet … Third Rebel to ever qualify in the 100-meter dash, first since 2019 … One of two to ever attempt the 100/200 double alongside multiple time All-American Teneeshia Jones, who did so three times from 1999-2001 … Looking to become the first Rebel in combined program history to win an NCAA title outdoors in an event shorter than 800-meters … Looking to become the first Rebel woman ever to score in the 200-meter outdoors … One of seven women worldwide in 2023 and one of two collegians to have wind-legal times at or below 11.00 in the 100-meter dash (11.00) and 22.31 in the 200-meter dash (22.31) … In all-conditions, ranks sixth in collegiate history in the 100-meter dash at her windy 10.80 (+3.5) from the Texas Relays … Also No. 11 in collegiate history in the 200-meter dash in all-conditions at 22.13 (+2.9) … First Rebel woman to break 7.10 in the 60-meter (7.10), 11.00 in the 100-meter (10.80/+3.5; 11.00/+0.2), 23.00 in the indoor 200-meter (22.48) and 22.7 in the 200-meter (22.13/+2.9; 22.31/+1.8) … One of two Rebel women all-time to ever attempt the 60/200 double at NCAA Indoor … First Rebel woman to win the SEC 200-meter title … SEC bronze in the 100-meter the best by a Rebel woman since 2000 … Fourth-place finish at NCAA Indoor in the 200-meter dash the best ever by a Rebel woman … Has set school records in the 60 (7.10), 100 (10.80/11.00), indoor 200 (22.48), outdoor 200 (22.13/22.31), indoor 300m (37.38), 4×100 (43.43) … 3x SEC medalist … 5x SEC scorer … 29.5 career SEC points scored … 2023 SEC Outdoor Champion, 200-meter dash … 2023 SEC Indoor runner-up, 200-meter dash … 6x NCAA East Region qualifier … Left NC State as school record holder in: outdoor 200 (23.00), 4×100-meter relay (44.11), indoor 4×400-meter relay (3:44.51) … 2x U.S. U20 finalist (2019, 100/200) … Set to complete her master’s in criminal justice in August.
JASMINE MITCHELL • WOMEN’S SHOT PUT
Final: Thurs., June 8 • 9:30 p.m. CT
Class: Senior
Major: Multi-Disciplinary Studies
Hometown / High School: Hazel Crest, Ill. / Thornwood HS
Season-Best: 16.97m/55-8.25 • No. 4 Ole Miss History • May 25, 2023 (NCAA East Regional)
Outdoor Career-Best: Same
Overall Career-Best: 17.42m/57-2 • No. 4 Ole Miss history • Jan. 20, 2023 (Vanderbilt Invitational)
NCAA Seed: 19th
SEC Finish: 11th
NCAA History: 8x NCAA qualifier (5x indoors) … 2022 NCAA Runner-Up (Weight Throw) … Second straight NCAA Outdoor ticket in the shot put … Fifth in NCAA meet history in the weight throw at 24.94m/81-10 (No. 3 collegian all-time) … 5x All-American … 19 career NCAA points. … Has qualified for the weight throw four years in a row; has never finished worse than fourth … Second career national meet double (first indoors) … Was one of two nationally (alongside teammate Jalani Davis) to double indoors this year in the women’s weight throw and shot put.
Quick Facts: 2x SEC Champion (weight throw) … 4x SEC medalist (all in weight throw) … Part of first active teammate duo in NCAA history to eclipse 23 meters in the weight throw in the same season (2021), first active duo at 77 feet in the same season (2022), first active trio at 75 feet (2022), first active duo at 79 feet (2022), first active duo at 80 feet (2022) … Along with 2022 NCAA Champion Shey Taiwo (25.55m/83-10), first duo in NCAA history to break 80 feet in same competition … One of four Rebels beyond 79 feet in NCAA history, the most of any school … Ranks No. 3 in NCAA history and No. 8 in world history at her NCAA runner-up toss of 24.94m/81-10 … 55 career SEC points … Went to the same high school as Rebel NCAA Champions and teammates Shey Taiwo and Janeah Stewart.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
