LOOK: From Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to Paris, Ole Miss getting patriotic for July 4th
Ole Miss this year is ringing in the Fourth of July with a football team expected to compete for a national championship next season and three Rebels headed off to Paris for the Olympics.
McKenzie Long will run the 200m for Team USA — one of three events she won a title in at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships last month. The others were the 100m and 4x100m relay.
Long was a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award, which is track and field’s version of the Heisman. She’s one of three former-Rebel Olympians alongside Sam Kendricks and Raven Saunders.
The Games run from July 26-August 11.
“Last year I didn’t win anything,” Long said, in an interview with Citius Mag Podcast on her breakout year. “So, I wanted to come in this year and win it all. That was the main objective; that was the main goal. I knew I could.
“Just crossing that line knowing that I’m an Olympian now is so surreal. I know my mom is smiling cheek-to-cheek. I know she is beyond proud of me, and that’s all I could ever want from her.”
Ole Miss football won a program-record 11 games last season.
The Rebels ranked in the Top 10 in each of the last three.
The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams in 2024-25. Ole Miss is one of five SEC teams On3’s Andy Staples believes will make the field next season.
“It’s going to be a big year,” backup quarterback Walker Howard said this week. He’s the next guest on the Ole Miss Spirit’s ‘Ivey League’ podcast, hosted by third-year star Ole Miss defender Jared Ivey. The episode releases on Monday.
“We’ve got a long year, and we’ve got a great team. We’re bonding really well. We’ve got really good potential, but you’ve got to put it in place, work and get it done.”
The included photos were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.
Tre Harris
Jordan Watkins
Team USA’s women’s Olympic 200m team: Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long
