NEW ORLEANS — The Ole Miss men’s track and field team has held its spot in the national conversation, landing at No. 21 in the Week Four USTFCCCA Track & Field Rating Index released Tuesday morning.
The Rebels totaled 115.23 points in the computer-based ranking system, which uses an algorithm to assign point values to individual performances and then adds them up to build each school’s national score.
It’s the fourth straight week the men’s program has appeared in the outdoor rankings this season — a streak that shows how consistently the Rebs have been competing at a high level across multiple events.
Thrower Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan was the program’s biggest contributor to the team total. He earned 34.89 points with his shot put mark of 20.86 meters (68 feet, 5.25 inches) which ranked first nationally.
He also added 30.21 points in the hammer throw with a toss of 77.62 meters (254 feet, 7 inches) ranking third in the country. Together, Robinson-O’Hagan accounted for 65.10 of Ole Miss’s 115.23 total points — more than half the team’s score on his own.
Triple jumper Sterling Scott was the next biggest contributor, posting a mark of 16.43 meters (53 feet, 10.75 inches) that ranked sixth nationally and added 21.78 points to the Rebels’ total.
The Ole Miss 4×100-meter relay team of Minor, Urrutia, Todd and Wright chipped in 11.22 points with an 11th-ranked time of 38.98 seconds.
That group’s contribution helped round out what’s been a strong combination of field events and track events for the Rebs this spring.
Distance runner Kidus Misgina appeared twice on the scoring sheet. He ranked 22nd in the 5K with a time of 13:31.19 and 30th in the 10K at 28:17.69, combining for 3.29 points.
Bryson Smith added 2.19 points in the hammer with a 22nd-ranked throw of 67.16 meters (220 feet, 4 inches).
Sergio Del Barrio contributed 1.81 points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:38.05 while Arvesta Troupe added 1.29 points in the high jump with a clearance of 2.15 meters (7 feet, 0.75 inches).
Dekell Minor also scored 1.28 points individually with a 25th-ranked time of 10.14 seconds in the 100-meter dash.
Women’s Team Also Represented
The Ole Miss women’s program came in at No. 44 in the same index with 46.67 points. Shot putter Akaoma Odeluga was the driving force behind that score.
She ranked second nationally in the shot put with a mark of 19.23 meters (63 feet, 1 inch) worth 32.65 points and added 4.47 more in the hammer with a throw of 64.56 meters (211 feet, 9 inches) ranked 18th.
The women’s 4×100 relay team of Farmer, Compere, Lockette and Burnett contributed 4.98 points with a 17th-ranked time of 43.65 seconds.
Long jumper Lizzie Hatton added 1.25 points and pole vaulter Lily Beattie contributed 1.02 points with a clearance of 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1.25 inches).
Sprinter Patchnalie Compere also showed up on the scoring sheet twice, earning 0.91 points in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.94 seconds and 0.01 points in the 100-meter dash at 11.35 seconds.
Head coach Connie Price-Smith, now in her 11th year leading the program, has guided the Rebels to 77 of the team’s 141 total outdoor ranking appearances across both the men’s and women’s programs in combined program history — 30 for the men and 47 for the women.
Ole Miss doesn’t compete this week. The Rebs return to action May 2 at the LSU Invite.
