March 5, 2013

OXFORD, Miss. - Three Ole Miss Rebels have been accepted to compete in four different events at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, held this Friday and Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.

Representing the No. 23-ranked Ole Miss men will be senior Ricky Robertson in the high jump and triple jump and sophomore Sam Kendricks in the pole vault.

Freshman Asia Cooper will run in the women's 60 meters.

New this indoor season, the NCAA accepted the top 16 ranked athletes in the country in each individual event to the national meet. It will take place at the Randal Tyson Track Center, the same venue that hosted the SEC Indoor Championships two weeks ago.

Robertson ranks third nationally in the high jump (7-6) and eighth in the triple jump (52-8.25). Impressively, he would have also qualified for NCAAs in the long jump if he had submitted an entry, as he ranks 15th in that event (25-2.75).

The Hernando, Miss., native will be making his fourth straight appearance at the NCAA indoor meet. He was the high jump runner-up in 2010 and 2011, and he participated in both the high jump and triple jump last year. Between his indoor and outdoor careers, Robertson is a six-time All-American, six-time SEC champion and holds two school records.

Kendricks ranks eighth among NCAA pole vaulters (18-1.75). The Oxford, Miss., native is making his first NCAA indoor appearance. He was a second team All-American last year after placing 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Just a sophomore, he already owns both the indoor and outdoor school pole vault records.

Cooper has burst onto the college scene as a rookie and ranks ninth in the women's 60 meters (7.31). The Jackson, Miss., native is the top-ranked freshman in the country and placed fifth at the recent SEC Indoor Championships. Her season-best time of 7.31, which was converted from 7.29 due to altitude in Albuquerque, ranks her third-best in school history.