After an outstanding performance at the SEC Indoor Tournament where the Ole Miss track and field men’s team placed at fourth overall and the women’s team at seventh place, the NCAA Indoor Championships will welcome 10 entries from the Rebels to compete this week. The teams garnered seven male entries and three female entries.
For the men’s competition, distance runner Mario Garcia Romo qualified for the men’s 3K and distance running medley alongside Waleed Suliman, who will also compete in the men’s mile and 3K. The other medley runners will be Everett Smulders and Marcus Dropik.
Jumper Allen Gordon qualified for both the men’s high jump and long jump, while distance runner Baylor Franklin will take on the 800-meter race.
For the women, weight throwers Jasmine Mitchell and Shey Taiwo qualified for the women’s weight throwing competition, while distance runners Loral Winn, Toni Glatz, Sintayehu Vissa and Maddie King qualified for the medley race.
The Rebels landed rankings for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday with the men at No. 11 and the women at No. 17 for the Pre-Championship Indoor Rating Index poll. The Rebels will enter the NCAA tournament within the top-25 teams. This marks the 36th time for both teams in the polls since 2008.
In addition to the recent team rankings, associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy was named USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year on March 4. This marked his eighth consecutive year at Ole Miss and sixth year as associate head coach for Rebels distance programs. The coach has won the honor four times after winning the indoor seasons for men in 2016 and 2017.
Vanhoy’s team won six SEC medals and set two SEC meet records in their stint at the SEC Tournament on Feb. 25-27.
In its last tournament, the Rebels won several SEC titles, as the team gathered 12 titles throughout the duration of the SEC Indoor Championship. These medals include twice gold medalist Garcia Romo in the men’s 3K and distance medley, twice gold medalist Suliman in the men’s mile and distance medley, silver medalist John Rivera Jr. in the men’s 800 meter and two-time title winner Smulders with a gold medal in the distance medley and bronze medal in the men’s mile.
Other winners include Dropik who earned a gold medal in the men’s distance medley race, freshman Cole Bullock with a gold medal in the men’s 5K, and Gordon with a tied bronze medal in the men’s high jump.
Meanwhile, the women garnered two medalists in the women’s weight throw competition, as All-American weight throwers Mitchell and Taiwo earned a gold medal and silver medal, respectively.
The SEC competition will begin on March 11 and will last until March 13, with all three days being all-day events in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fans will be able to watch the action on ESPN.
