June 12, 2012

NEW ORLEANS – Coming off their performances at the national championships, Ole Miss athletes received four Outdoor All-America honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday. The Rebels also received four All-America honorable mentions.

Honors are awarded for performances at the final site of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships occurring the previous weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

Juniors Ricky Robertson and Isiah Young earned first team All-America honors in the high jump and 200 meters, respectively. Young garnered second-team distinction in the 100 meters, while freshman Sam Kendricks also achieved second-team status in the pole vault.

“I’m proud of these athletes for being named All-Americans,” said Rebel head coach Joe Walker, who is in the final days of his 30-year Ole Miss career. “It is a great accomplishment that highlights what a great season each of them has had.”

Honorable mention status was granted to Carson Blanks (400-meter hurdles), Robertson (triple jump), Kristin Bridges (400 meters) and Fabia McDonald (heptathlon).

First-team honors went to athletes who finished in the top eight of their event in Des Moines. Second-team honors went to those who placed 9-16, while honorable mention went to anyone else who qualified for the final site of the championships.

Robertson, who placed sixth in Des Moines, is now a six-time All-American in the high jump, having earned that distinction at every NCAA indoor and outdoor meet of his college career. The Hernando, Miss., native is also a five-time SEC champion in the event and will compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials later this month to attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

After placing fourth in the 200 meters and ninth in the 100, Young receives Outdoor All-America honors for the first time in his career to go with his first team Indoor All-America accolade in the 60 meters this year. He is the first Ole Miss man to ever make All-America in the 100 and 200 meters in the same year.

Kendricks’ 10th-place finish in the pole vault made him the first Rebel freshman to earn All-America status since Robertson in 2010. The Oxford native is the first Ole Miss athlete to be an All-American pole vaulter since Baker Vinci in 1985 (indoor).