Sam Kendricks competes in the pole vault during a meet earlier this year. Photo: Ignacio Murillo, The Daily Mississippian.
WALNUT, Calif. – A productive weekend for the Ole Miss track & field program finished Saturday with the last day of competition at the Mt. SAC Relays in California and the War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
Members of the 11th-ranked Rebel men’s team posted some of the top marks in the nation this weekend, highlighted by Sean Tobin’s (Clonmel, Ireland) school-record 1,500 meter time of 3:42.07 on Friday. He not only broke a 29-year-old school record, but also ranks No. 5 in the NCAA this year.
“All season long, we’ve relied on our veteran leadership and upperclassmen,” said Rebel head coach Brian O’Neal. “It was good to see our younger guys competing well and improving in their consistency from week to week. They are learning from the older guys what it takes to compete at a consistently high level. I really feel like our team is beginning to gel and come together at the right time.”
On Saturday, veteran jumpers Ricky Robertson (Hernando, Miss.) and Phillip Young (Key West, Fla.) performed well in the “elite” division of the high jump and triple jump, respectively, while competing against some of the top professional and collegiate athletes in those events. Robertson placed second in the high jump with a clearance of 7-3.75, while Young recorded a season-best 51-9.75 in the triple jump that placed ninth and moved him up to ninth in the NCAA this year and ninth in school history.
The Rebels’ 4×400 relay unit of Montez Griffin, Dameon Morgan, Holland Sherrer and Creighton Serrette clocked a season-best 3:09.20 and finished seventh overall in the “elite” competition.
In the “elite” 4×100 relay, the Ole Miss squad of Serrette, Jalen Miller, Kailo Moore and Mike Granger placed fourth in 40.40.
Lining up against several pros and top collegians, Miller, a freshman, placed 14th in the “elite” 100 meter dash with a time of 10.36 on Saturday.
Other highlights from Friday included Robert Domanic’s personal-best time of 14:08.78 in the 5,000, Trevor Gilley’s personal best of 3:47.43 in the 1,500, Kailo Moore’s personal best of 21.07, Robert Semien’s 14.07 in the 110-meter hurdles and Miller’s times of 10.30 and 21.01 in the 100 and 200.
A few of the Rebels’ top athletes, such as NCAA champion pole vaulter Sam Kendricks and long jumper Malcolm Davis, took the week off to rest up as the championship season nears.
Ole Miss also sent several athletes to the War Eagle Invitational this weekend. The highlight came from sophomore Nathan Loe, who won the men’s hammer throw on Friday night with a heave of 200-9. On Saturday, the women were led by Amy McCrory’s fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meter invitational (4:46.10) and Taryn Hartfield’s sixth-place result in the 100-meter hurdle final (13.86).
The Rebels return to action next week as the men travel to the A-State Red Wolves Open in Jonesboro, Ark., and the women compete at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
— Ole Miss Sports Information
