Ole Miss Track & Field Claims 10 Berths to NCAA Indoor Championships

Ole Miss track & field tied for the second-most entries to the indoor national meet in program history, earning 10 total berths to the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships on the initial qualifying lists released by the NCAA late Tuesday night.

Medical scratches can be applied until next Tuesday, but Ole Miss will have at least these 10 qualifying entries at the indoor national meet, which will be held March 10-11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ole Miss received six women’s entries from just three athletes, with the senior trio of Jalani Davis (shot put, weight throw), McKenzie Long (60-meter dash, 200-meter dash) and Jasmine Mitchell (shot put, weight throw) all slated to double for the Rebels in Albuquerque.

Davis – the current NCAA leader in the weight – recently won the SEC weight throw title at a one-foot PR and meet record 24.63m/80-09.75, moving her to No. 5 in collegiate history and making her the first woman in world history to break 80 feet in the weight and 60 feet in the indoor shot put. Davis also qualified in the shot put, ranking No. 5 at her SEC runner-up mark and two-foot PR of 18.43m/60-05.75 that ranks No. 15 in collegiate history. In her career, Davis has now doubled at an NCAA meet three times after doing so indoors in 2022 and tripling outdoors in 2021 in the shot put, hammer and discus.

Reigning NCAA weight throw runner-up Jasmine Mitchell has punched her fourth career ticket indoors in the weight in as many tries, currently ranking No. 3 at 24.06m/78-11.25. Mitchell was the runner-up last year to teammate Shey Taiwo, throwing the No. 3 mark in collegiate history at 24.94m/81-10. Mitchell also qualified in the shot put, ranking No. 15 at 17.42m/57-2. Davis and Mitchell are the only throwers in the NCAA this year both beyond 17 meters in the shot put and 24 meters in the weight throw.

McKenzie Long used a superb showing at the SEC Indoor Championships to punch both of her national tickets, ranking No. 3 entering NCAAs at her SEC runner-up and school record 200-meter time of 22.67, and snagging the final spot in the 60-meter dash at her PR of 7.22. These are the first two career national tickets for Long, who transferred to Ole Miss from NC State this season. Long is only the second Rebel woman to ever double in the 60 and 200, joining All-American Teneeshia Jones, who did so three times from 1999-2001.

Freshman phenom Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan leads the way for the Ole Miss men, earning national berths in both the weight throw and shot put. Robinson-O’Hagan enters ranked No. 3 in the weight throw at his SEC runner-up and collegiate freshman record of 23.62m/77-6, and No. 13 in the shot put at 19.73m/64-08.75. At both of those distances, Robinson-O’Hagan is the lone thrower on the planet this season to throw 64 feet in the shot and 77 feet in the weight throw, as well as only the fifth in collegiate history and the first freshman to ever do so.

Robinson-O’Hagan is the first Rebel to qualify in the men’s weight throw since Stacy Andrews in 2003, the first in the shot put indoors since Brian Williams in 2017, and he is the first to ever double in those events.

All-American senior Baylor Franklin has booked a return trip to the indoor national meet, entering ranked No. 7 in the 800-meter at his indoor PR of 1:46.74. This is the fourth career national berth for Franklin, his second indoors and first since finishing 12th in the 800-meter in 2021.

Franklin could also be a member of Ole Miss’ distance medley relay team, which has now punched its ticket to nationals for the fifth year in a row, as well as the seventh time in the last eight years. Franklin ran a 2:51 opening 1200-meter leg on the Rebels’ qualifying DMR time from Notre Dame two weeks ago at 9:21.89, joined by freshman Cade Flatt on the 400-meter leg (0:47), All-American senior Tiarnan Crorken on the 800 (1:46) and senior Anthony Camerieri on the mile anchor (3:54).

Click HERE for more information on the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Ole Miss Women’s Qualifiers (6 entries, 3 athletes)

1. Jalani Davis – Weight Throw – 24.63m/80-09.75

3. McKenzie Long – 200-Meter Dash – 22.67

3. Jasmine Mitchell – Weight Throw – 24.06m/78-11.25

5. Jalani Davis – Shot Put – 18.43m/60-05.75

15. Jasmine Mitchell – Shot Put – 17.42m/57-2

16. McKenzie Long – 60-Meter Dash – 7.22

Ole Miss Men’s Qualifiers (4 entries, 6 athletes)

3. Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan – Weight Throw – 23.62m/77-6

7. Baylor Franklin – 800-Meter – 1:46.74

8. Distance Medley Relay – 9:21.89

13. Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan – Shot Put – 19.73m/64-08.75

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports