FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - There were only two Ole Miss Rebels competing on the first day of the NCAA Indoor Championships Friday, but they made the most of their opportunity.
Sam Kendricks shattered his own school record in the pole vault en route to a third-place finish, and Asia Cooper advanced in the women's 60 meters at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
"We had two opportunities tonight, and it worked out well for us in both cases," said head coach Brian O'Neal.
Kendricks, a sophomore from Oxford, Miss., had the biggest performance of his stellar collegiate career to date. He cleared 18-4.5 to shatter his own school record (18-1.75 from earlier this season) and finished third behind Arkansas' Andrew Irwin and Oral Roberts' Jack Whitt.
"Sam came into the national championships and set two school records and two personal bests for an incredible night," O'Neal said. "We have three scoring opportunities on the men's side and we're looking to make the most of each one of those.
"Last year Sam's mark would have won the national meet, so that lets you know tonight was definitely a strong competition."
Kendricks garnered six points for the Ole Miss men, who entered the national meet ranked 23rd. He achieved the highest national indoor pole vault finish in school history, besting a fourth-place result by Baker Vinci in 1985. Kendricks earned 10th place at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships, his best national finish before this weekend.
Cooper earned a spot in Saturday's 60 meter final by running a 7.31, claiming the eighth and last spot. The Jackson, Miss., native is one of two freshmen who advanced to the final at this shortest and fastest race of the national indoor meet. She tied her personal-best time, which she previously set at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque when she actually ran a 7.29 that was converted to 7.31 due to the altitude.
"I'm proud of the way that Asia came in here and competed tonight," O'Neal said. "She was composed. The name of the game was to advance, and she did that. She's back with our trainer, Corbit Franks, getting treatment and getting ready to go tomorrow. We expect her to come out and compete with pride."
Cooper is the second Ole Miss woman ever to advance to the 60 meter final. Teneeshia Jones placed third in 2000 and seventh in 2001.
The women's 60 meter final will take place at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. Fans can watch the ESPN3 live stream here.
Senior Ricky Robertson will compete in the men's high jump (3:30 p.m.) and triple jump (6 p.m.) on Saturday.
WHAT HAPPENED VS. ALABAMA: For the third time in the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss scored first with three runs in the second, then battled back to tie the 5-5 in the seventh, but fell to Alabama 7-5 in 10 innings.... read more
Summer is approaching which means the magazine stands are starting to fill up with preseason football publications. I swung by the convenient store Wednesday, and it looks like Sporting News and Athlon won the war of getting their season previews... read more
Track & Field News published today a comprehensive listing of the best marks in the world and U.S. this year, combining indoors and outdoors (full lists here). Several current and former Ole Miss athletes found themselves on the lists, as... read more
Behind Bobby Wahl and Mike Mayers, sophomore right-hander Sam Smith has quietly put together a stellar season in his own right. The regular third starter in the weekend rotation, the Lake Charles, La., native is 3-0 with a 3.11 ERA... read more
No. 6 Ole Miss (37-20, 15-15 SEC) vs. No. 3 Arkansas (35-19, 18-11 SEC)May 22 | 9:30 a.m. | Hoover, Ala. | Comcast Sports Southeast/ESPN3UM So. RHP Sam Smith (3-0, 3.28 ERA) vs. UA Jr. RHP Barrett Astin (4-4, 2.02... read more
WHAT HAPPENED VS. KENTUCKY: On four days' rest, junior right-hander Mike Mayers pitched a gem, giving up one run (unearned) on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work, as No. 6 seed Ole Miss... read more
Ole Miss (36-20, 15-15 SEC) vs. UK SR LHP Jerad Grundy (6-5, 4.75 ERA)1. LF Tanner Mathis (0-for-7, 3 BB)2, SS Austin Anderson (2-for-6)3. C Stuart Turner (2-for-3, HR, 2 BB)4. 3B Andrew Mistone (5-for-9, 3 2B, 3B)5. CF Auston... read more
No. 6 Ole Miss (36-20, 15-15 SEC) vs. No. 11 Kentucky (30-24, 11-19 SEC) May 21 | 9:30 a.m. | Hoover, Ala. | Fox Sports Net/ESPN3 UM Jr. RHP Mike Mayers (4-5, 3.21 ERA) vs. UK Sr. LHP Jerad Grundy... read more
My name is Austin Miller, and I am the new writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. I graduated with a bachelor's in journalism from Ole Miss less than two weeks ago, and I will be attending graduate school there in the... read more
It was exciting news this week as Rebel favorite Tom Luke returned to the Ole Miss football program as Assistant A.D. for Player Development. A second-generation Rebel and the brother of fellow Ole Miss standout and staffer Matt Luke, Tom... read more
A little more than a year into his first term as Ole Miss Athletics Director, Ross Bjork made his first trip to Starkville this week but did so for a good cause. Bjork and Bulldog AD Scott Stricklin joined forces... read more
Despite losing the All-American twin duo of Marcel and Chris Thiemann and playing in the toughest conference in America, Ole Miss finished the 2013 regular season with a ranking of No. 7 in the nation.The regular season was highlighted by... read more
The Rebels' uniform modifications for the 2013 football season were released during the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. Facebook Photo Gallery Follow me on twitter @CampbellKyle.... read more
Injuries have riddled the Ole Miss football team this spring, and after evaluating the situation this week, the coaching staff determined a full scale scrimmage would not be an option for this year's BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. As a result, the... read more
