JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss track & field freshman Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan stole the show at his first career regional meet, punching two tickets to nationals to lead a productive first day for the Rebel men at the NCAA East Regional on Wednesday.
Robinson-O’Hagan kept his superb freshman campaign rolling with two national qualifying performances across the hammer and shot put, highlighted by an unreal field series in the latter that saw him reset his own school record on all three of his attempts. Robinson-O’Hagan is now the first Rebel in men’s history to qualify for NCAAs in both the shot put and hammer in the same season.
He finished third overall in the shot put on his third attempt heave of 20.07m/65-10.25, which not only shatters his previous record of 19.24m/63-01.50 set just two weeks ago at the SEC Championships, but it also makes him the first 65-foot and 20-meter men’s shot putter in Ole Miss history – indoors or outdoors. Robinson-O’Hagan’s full field series included two prior school records of 19.61m/64-4 and 19.99m/65-7, but those proved to be just warmups before eclipsing the 20-meter barrier on his final try. His NCAA berth makes him just the third Rebel man to ever qualify outdoors in the shot put alongside Daniel Viveros (2022) and Derek McGuire (2006, ’09).
Robinson-O’Hagan is also now the first collegiate freshman to break 20 meters in the shot put since 2021, and combined with his SEC winning hammer school record of 71.25m/233-09, he is one of just two throwers worldwide this season at 71 meters in the hammer and 20 meters in the shot put (alongside Arizona senior and multiple-time NCAA Champion Jordan Geist). Among freshmen all-time, Robinson-O’Hagan is the lone freshman to break both barriers since at least 2013 in available yearly records via the USTFCCCA.
Several hours earlier in the hammer, Robinson-O’Hagan took care of business, finishing sixth overall at 69.27m/227-03 to punch his NCAA ticket. He is now just the second Rebel to ever qualify in the men’s hammer, joining All-American Dempsey McGuigan, who qualified twice in 2016 (eighth) and 2017 (10th).
On the track, the Rebel men went 5-for-5 in quarterfinal qualifying chances, advancing two apiece in the 800-meter and 1500-meter races, as well as one in the 110-meter hurdles.
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