BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WTVA/Ole Miss Athletics) - For the second Saturday in a row, Ole Miss competed at Birmingham's new CrossPlex Indoor Track and Field Facility, this time putting together another impressive performance at the Auburn Invitational.
"It's not really easy to compare this meet to last weekend's as several people competed in different events," Rebels head coach Joe Walker said. "But it was another meet where people competed well and there were some new people who stepped up for us."
The No. 19 Rebel men got dominant performances from a variety of their athletes Saturday.
Junior All-American Ricky Robertson won the high jump with a mark of 7-04.25, which automatically qualifies him to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. He currently ranks second in the nation in the high jump. He also earned a second-place finish in the long jump with a jump of 24-05.50, which ranks him 15th in the nation.
Junior Isiah Young ran a time of 21.50 in the 200 meters, which ranks him in the school's Top Five all-time in the event. He earned third place with his run on Saturday, second among collegiate competitors.
Oxford native Sam Kendricks, in only his second collegiate meet, achieved a height of 17-00.75 in the pole vault to tie him for second best ever in that event in school history. Despite only being a freshman, Kendricks currently holds a national ranking of No. 17 in the pole vault.
Walker was very pleased with the effort displayed by sophomore Kentrell Sanders Saturday. The Miami native won the triple jump with a distance of 50.00.75, which ranks him among the top 25 in the country this year.
On the women's side, senior Logan Waites, junior Sofia Hellberg-Jonsen and sophomore Kayleigh Skinner all turned in outstanding performances.
Waites finished eighth in the mile run with a career-best time of 4:51.96 to become only the second woman in school history to break the 5-minute mark in the indoor mile and rank second in the school record books.
Skinner turned in a mile time of 5:01.06 to also move into the school's top five in school history.
After winning the 800 meters last weekend at the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener, Hellberg-Jonsen finished third in the event Saturday clocking a personal-best time of 2:11.25. At this time, she ranks 16th in the country in the event.
Also competing Saturday were two familiar Rebel faces: Former Rebel All-American and World Champion long jumper Brittney Reese along with fellow former men's All-American Jonathan Juin.
Reese, who is a frontrunner to win an Olympic gold medal this summer in the London Games, won the long jump with a leap of 22-00.25. Juin also claimed his event, the 200 meters, with a time of 21.38.
The Rebels are now done traveling to Birmingham this season but will travel to Lexington on Friday to compete in next weekend's Kentucky Invitational.
