After the Olympics — which included two silver medal finishes from competitors with connections to Oxford — students expressed their desire to watch more of the sports that stayed on their screens for two weeks.
While Rebel fans get to enjoy basketball, tennis and track — what are the sports that Ole Miss does not have and other SEC schools do?
Rowing
The SEC added rowing — a sport in 150 countries and six continents — as the 22nd sponsored sport on Friday, Aug. 23. Joining the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas are approaching their first SEC Rowing Championship in May 2025.
Last year, both Tennessee and Alabama’s rowing teams competed in the Big 12 Rowing Championship, where the Crimson Tide took third place. Alabama holds its competitions at the Black Warrior River, roughly 40 minutes from campus, and the team has visited rivers, lakes and other bodies of water across five states.
If Ole Miss put together a rowing team, a competition could be held in the state of Mississippi, at locations such as Enid Lake and Sardis Lake.
Swimming and diving
Mississippi State University, Oklahoma and Ole Miss are the only three SEC schools that do not have women’s swimming and diving teams.
Until 2021, Ole Miss had an active women’s SEC swimming and diving team, which competed for many years until the university discontinued the program due to financial considerations. Ole Miss no longer offers men’s or women’s varsity swimming and diving teams in SEC competitions.
Title IX restricts the ability to add another male sport without adding another women’s sport. Considering financial constraints and the focus on other sports, a male swimming and diving team might not be in the cards for the Rebels.
Addison Johnston, a sophomore classics and anthropology major, said she would like to see swimming and diving added to Ole Miss’ slate of sports
“After watching the Olympics, I would love to see our Rebels compete in swimming and diving,” Johnston said.
Gymnastics
Nine SEC teams have women’s gymnastics teams. Over four months, these teams competed for the NCAA championship, where the Louisiana State University Tigers took home their fifth national title.
SEC schools generally have 19 to 40 gymnastics competitions from January to April; the SEC championships are held in March, and the NCAA championships are held in April.
Morgan Toporek, a junior business major, expressed interest in watching gymnastics if it were to become a sport at Ole Miss.
“I would be so excited to go to the meets if we formed a team,” Toporek said.
