The Rebel cross country teams opened their season in strong fashion at the Memphis Twilight Classic on Sept. 5. Despite the long offseason and many new faces, Ole Miss showed out under the lights with a 34 point team win for the Rebel women, and a 56 point runner-up finish for the men.
The women’s five kilometer race began at 9:20 p.m., but the late start did not affect the Rebels and their race plan. New coach Cory Leslie told The Daily Mississippian that they planned to start fast and make moves together as a team.
“We wanted to get out hard and be aggressive early on,” Leslie said. “This was kind of like a workout, but also a chance for us to compete. I really wanted them to get out hard and feel what that race pace was, and feel that shock to the system.”
Near the end of the 5K, the Rebel pack remained relatively intact. Transfer Alicia Finnis was the first Rebel across the line. She finished third with a time of 17:28.02.
Next for the Rebels came returners Adie Luna, Addy Mitchell and Brooke Preputnick, who finished fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively. Rounding out the Rebel scorers in 11th place was Tennessee transfer Jillian Candelino.
The men’s four-mile race began at 10 p.m. The Rebels planned to execute the same pack strategy, but with a deep field, the Rebels were forced to adapt as the race broke up.
“Over the last half mile, for the most part we won a lot of those little battles that are important,” Leslie said. “I think especially as we head into bigger meets and bigger challenges ahead, winning one little battle can be 10 points at the next meet. I think for us, mission accomplished today.”
Zack Gilbertson led the way for the Rebels with his sixth place finish, and Ky Hehir, who missed the 2026 track season, finished 10th.
Rounding out the Rebel scorers was John Shoemaker in 11th place, Owen Kelley in 13th, and freshman Luke Hurley finished 16th in his Rebel debut.
Notably, the Rebels were without some of last years’ stars, Kidus Misgina and Leah Penick. However, they still got the job done, and Leslie said the team can only improve at future meets.
“We were able to build a lot of momentum and it served as a good launch point,” Leslie said. “Now every meet matters a good deal, and we’re going to see a lot more talent … (and) add a couple of key pieces here at Gans Creek in three weeks, it’s going to make a difference and I think it just makes us a little bit deeper on both sides.”
Full results from the Memphis Twilight race can be found here. Next up for the Rebels is the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25 in Columbia, Mo. SEC Network will broadcast the race.
Until then, Leslie said the team will continue training hard, and be ready to put on a show for Rebel fans.
“I hope we give them a reason to be excited about what we’re building and what the future holds,” Leslie said. “The support of the fans, the community and everybody in Oxford goes a long way, and I think that’s how you outperform what you are ranked. I think with that support we’re going to be able to surprise a lot of people.”
