Ole Miss track and field athletes began their weekend with strong performances at two major events: the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee. The split squad competed against some of the top collegiate and professional talent in the country on Friday.
At the Tyson Invitational, the women’s weight throw featured standout results from juniors Akaoma Odeluga and Skylar Soli. Odeluga finished sixth with a personal best of 23.08 meters (75-08.75), while Soli was seventh at 22.34 meters (73-03.50). These marks place them among the top competitors nationally and internationally this season, with Odeluga ranking eighth worldwide and sixth in the United States for 2026.
Former Ole Miss athlete Jalani Davis led the women’s weight throw field, winning with a career-best throw of 25.47 meters (83-06.75). This mark is now second worldwide for this season and ranks eighth all-time globally.
Senior Nyah Edwards also achieved a personal record in the event, placing tenth at 20.81 meters (68-03.25) and moving up to ninth on Ole Miss’s all-time list.
In men’s competition, senior Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan placed fifth in weight throw with a distance of 22.82 meters (74-10.50). Senior Mason Hickel recorded a personal best of 22.25 meters (73-0), finishing eighth and becoming only the second athlete in school history to surpass 73 feet.
On the track, senior Alicia Burnett advanced to the final of the women’s championship division 60-meter dash after running a preliminary time of 7.32 seconds. She then set an Ole Miss career-best time of 7.23 seconds in the final to finish fifth overall, tying her for third fastest in school history and placing her within reach of national qualification at No. 13 on this year’s NCAA list.
At Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge, junior Evan Thornton-Sherman became just the thirteenth Ole Miss runner to break four minutes in the mile with his win at 3:59.67—a new personal best—while senior Gabe Scales finished close behind at 4:00.15.
Junior Sophie Baumann won the women’s mile with a career-best time of 4:37.45, improving her standing as third fastest in program history for that event.
The Rebels closed out Friday night by securing both men’s and women’s titles in the indoor 5K races: Beth Arentz set an indoor personal record at 16:14.25 for fifth all-time at Ole Miss, while Aiden Britt ran an overall best of 13:43.69—also good for fifth on Ole Miss’s all-time list indoors.
Competition will continue Saturday morning at both venues as more Rebel athletes take part across various events.
