Brooke Feldmeier runs at the 2015 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lexington, KY.
Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
Over the weekend, the Ole Miss track and field team traveled a lengthy 12 hours from Oxford to compete in the 106th Drake Relays competition in Des Moines, Iowa.
Despite the tiresome travels and frigid weather, the Rebels did not disappoint at this prestigious meet. The team took four relay titles all together, just one short of the most in school history in 2010. Ole Miss has won at this contest for 10 straight years and they now have 25 Drake Relay titles.
“The weather conditions weren’t conducive to having great marks, but our kids fought hard,” Brian O’Neal, head coach, said. “I’m really proud of them and their efforts.”
Sophomore Jalen Miller won the men’s 100 meters by a mere .11 seconds and set his season’s best time at 10.29. He is now ranked in the NCAA top 20 this year.
The Rebels obtained titles in the men’s 100 meters in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Although Miller helped to continue the Drake Relays 100 meters legacy, this was the first time that Ole Miss took titles in the women’s 4×100-meter relay, women’s 800 meters, and men’s triple jump.
A dynamic squad of freshman Nicole Henderson, freshman Shannon Ray, senior Jhorden Hunter and junior Khadijah Suleman took yet another victory on Saturday in the women’s 4×100 meter relay. Their team remains undefeated through all six meets this season. They are currently ranked seventh in the nation with a season-best time of 44.11.
“My team prepared for this so much at practice. It felt good to win,” Hunter said. “I was trying to be as positive as possible and think that I am better than the circumstances, the weather and wind. To run as a team for the first time and have so much success is awesome.”
Hunter also placed third in the women’s 100 meters with a time of 11.72. Her relay partner followed right behind her in fourth at 11.74.
On Friday, Washington native and freshman Brooke Feldmeier won the women’s 800 meters. Just last meet, she broke the Ole Miss record for the 800 meter with a time of 2.05.29 at the Virginia Challenge, and this time she ran a close 2.05.96.
“It’s awesome. It’s super exciting,” Feldmeier said of her success at Drake Stadium. “There’s a lot of people, so I think it just gets you pumped up. I just wanted to be the best there is and I wanted to prove that to my school and make everyone happy.”
For the men’s triple jump, senior Phillip Young took the crown. Beating his second-place opponent by an entire eight inches, he finished with a leap of 52-8.75. He also placed third in the long jump on Friday with a distance of 24-6.25 and is now first among NCAA jumpers.
The Rebels are ranked in the nation’s top 20 for the men’s hammer throw as well. Redshirt freshman Dempsey McGuigan finished first runner-up with 214-0.
The women’s shuttle team also placed sixth in 59.63, the second best time in school history. The group of senior Fabia McDonald, freshman Britany Kelly, senior Taryn Hartfield, and junior Racquel Moses are showing impressive momentum heading in to next week’s contest.
McDonald finished 1st among NCAA competitors in the heptathlon. She accomplished her season’s best in the high jump with 5-7.75 and long jump 19-7.5.
“I thought we had another solid weekend,” O’Neal said. “We are proud of four Drake Relays titles, and right behind that was a lot of solid efforts by a lot of people. We’ve been making great strides as a team the last few weekends.”
The Rebels’ next contest will be the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on May 2nd as they face off against nationally ranked teams LSU and Florida.
