Outdoor Track Season to Heat Up at Virginia Challenge

Photo courtesy Joshua McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss will be among the 35 schools and more than 1,300 track & field athletes participating in this weekend’s Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville.

The two-day meet, which takes place Friday and Saturday at Lannigan Field on the University of Virginia campus, will be the Rebels’ biggest test of the outdoor season so far.

“The Virginia Challenge will be our biggest challenge to date,” head coach Brian O’Neal said. “Across all of our different disciplines, it will be the deepest fields and most competitive fields we’ve had this season. What we’re looking for is to go in there and compete, and I think if we do that, everything else will fall into place.”

Many of the nation’s top athletes, returning All-Americans and conference champions will be on display in Charlottesville. Top-25 ranked men’s teams No. 22 Virginia will compete alongside the likes of Ole Miss, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Eastern Michigan. The women’s side features No. 18 Michigan State, No. 21 Virginia Tech, No. 22 North Carolina, No. 25 Michigan against the likes of Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, NC State, Georgetown, Syracuse, Ohio State, Harvard, Iona, Ohio State and Pittsburgh.

Both days of the meet will have events throughout the day, capped by top performers in featured events each evening. Friday’s schedule begins at 9 a.m. CT, with Friday’s “Main Event” starting at 5:45 p.m. CT. Saturday’s schedule starts at 8 a.m. CT, with Saturday’s “Main Event” beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

Ole Miss will send nearly all of its top athletes to a meet for the first time this outdoor season and should see some high-level performances to build upon an already solid start to the campaign.

Friday “Main Event” competitors for Ole Miss include the men’s and women’s 4×100-meter relays; Phillip Young(men’s triple jump); Holland Sherrer and Dameon Morgan (men’s 800 meters); Brooke Feldmeier and Britt Ummels (women’s 800 meters); Jalen Miller (men’s 100 meters); Shannon Ray, Jhorden Hunter, Khadijah Suleman and Nicole Henderson (women’s 100 meters); and Kiannah Alexander (women’s 400 meters).

Saturday “Main Event” competitors for Ole Miss include Robert Semien (110-meter hurdles); Craig Engels, Will Spiers and Derek Gutierrez (men’s 1500 meters); Britt Ummels, Shelby Brown and Feldmeier (women’s 1500 meters); women’s 4×400-meter relay; Trevor Gilley (men’s 5000 meters); Mark Robertson and Taylor Caldwell(men’s 10,000 meters); and Mary Alex England (women’s 10,000 meters).

Below is a list of the highest ranked Ole Miss athletes so far this outdoor season.

Ole Miss Athlete, Event, Mark (NCAA Rank, SEC Rank)

Phillip Young, triple jump, 52-2.75 (12, 5)

Jalen Miller, 100m, 10.34 (17, 6)

Dempsey McGuigan, hammer, 212-7 (17, 4)

Craig Engels, 800m, 1:48.27 (19, 7)

Holland Sherrer, 800m, 1:48.63 (26, 8)

Robert Semien, 110m hurdles, 13.98 (28, 7)

Trevor Gilley, 1500m, 3:45.60 (41, 7)

Adam Aguirre, high jump, 6-10.75 (45, 6)

Branden Greene, high jump, 6-10.75 (45, 6)

Nathan Loe, hammer, 202-3 (47, 10)

Shannon Ray, 100m, 11.41 (8, 3)

4x100m relay, 44.55 (8, 4)

Kierra White, long jump, 20-1 (30, 14)

Jhorden Hunter, 100m, 11.58 (36, 12)
Racquel Moses, 400m hurdles, 59.55 (37, 11)

Fabia McDonald, long jump, 19-8.25 (47, 16)

For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissTrack and on Facebook at Ole Miss Track. And follow Coach O’Neal at @CoachBrianOneal.