AUBURN, Ala. – Ole Miss track & field All-American senior Shey Taiwo opened her final campaign with a flourish, leading the Rebels at Day One of Auburn’s Tiger Track Classic on Friday night.
Inclement weather postponed the start of the meet by four hours, meaning Taiwo had to wait just a bit longer to get her 2023 season underway. Taiwo was granted an extra season of outdoor eligibility after missing most of the 2022 outdoor season due to injury, and she came back with a strong opener late Friday night, winning the women’s hammer at an SEC-leading 66.71m/218-10. That mark also puts her at No. 2 in the NCAA at this early part of the outdoor campaign.
Taiwo last saw action during her historic 2022 indoor season, which ended with her winning the NCAA weight throw title and falling one centimeter shy of the collegiate record and two inches short of the world record. In 2021, Taiwo was the NCAA runner-up in the hammer outdoors at 71.27m/233-10, which sits as the best mark by an active athlete and still ranks her as the No. 10 performer in collegiate history.
Senior Tedreauna Britt also had a solid open in the hammer, finishing fifth at a PR 52.17m/171-02 to improve upon her place at No. 14 in Ole Miss history.
Ole Miss received another win in the field on Friday courtesy of Samara McConnell in the women’s pole vault. McConnell opener her 2023 outdoor season at 4.05m/13-03.50 for the victory.
Other notable finishes by the Rebels on Day One included Keith Robinson in the men’s 200-meter dash (second, 21.64), Luke Etherton in the men’s javelin (second, 50.40m/165-04), Abigail Green in the women’s javelin (third, 38.75m/127-01) and Mason Hickel in the men’s hammer (third, 58.25m/191-01).
Competition resumes for Ole Miss on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CT with the men’s high jump and both the men’s and women’s triple jump.
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION:
Women’s 200-Meter Dash
15. Meg Goebel – 25.89 (0.0)
17. Laurel Fulcher – 26.04 (0.0)
21. Graycyn Yelverton – 26.08 (+0.2)
34. Annie Strong – 27.87 (0.0) – PR
Men’s 200-Meter Dash
2. Keith Robinson – 21.64 (0.0) – PR
8. Tristyn Wooley – 22.15 (0.0)
Women’s Pole Vault
1. Samara McConnell – 4.05m/13-03.50
T6. Remy Guertel – 3.40m/11-01.75
T8. Kathryn Hosp –…
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