Ole Miss Daily: Track & field's Robinson-O'Hagan scores in hammer in day one of NCAA Outdoor

Ole Miss track & field freshman Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan closed the book on a spectacular first season with the Rebels in fitting fashion, scoring in what turned out to be the toughest NCAA hammer final of all time at Day One of the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday.

Robinson-O’Hagan, who has completely rewritten the Ole Miss record books en route to becoming one of the greatest freshman throwers in collegiate history, finished eighth in an absurd NCAA final that featured the top all-time marks for six of the eight scoring positions – including three who all eclipsed the 75-meter barrier.

He entered his third round attempt outside the top-nine, needing an improvement to even make the final. What Robinson-O’Hagan unleashed instead was a new school record of 71.38m/234-02, breaking his previous record by nearly a half foot. That throw would be his best of the day, and by the end of competition that put Robinson-O’Hagan in eighth place for First-Team All-America honors and one point for the Rebel men in the team scores.

Robinson-O’Hagan’s finish today ties for the best ever by a Rebel in the men’s hammer, joining an eighth-place finish by Dempsey McGuigan in 2016. In addition to his throw being the best ever by the eighth-place finisher at the national meet, Robinson-O’Hagan’s toss today also registers as the best by a freshman at NCAAs since 2018.

He closed the night with a Second-Team honor in the men’s shot put final, finishing 11th at 19.73m/64-08.75. He was the lone freshman attempting the shot put/hammer double, and one of just three throwers overall.

All told, Robinson-O’Hagan’s first year as a Rebel ends with an impressive four First or Second-Team All-America honors, seven NCAA points, 24 SEC points, an SEC title in the hammer and a litany of statistical achievements cementing himself as one of the top all-around throwers nationally.

In between, Ole Miss saw action in two events on the track in the men’s 800-meter and 110-meter hurdles semifinals.

In the 800, All-American senior Tiarnan Crorken advanced to his second career NCAA final, earning a time qualifier spot from Heat One at 1:47.93. Crorken was the fifth-place finisher in the 800-meter indoors in 2022, and he also ran on Ole Miss’ distance medley relay team this past indoor season that finished as NCAA runners-up.

Fellow All-American senior Baylor Franklin saw his collegiate career come to a heartbreaking end in the third heat, as he tripped right at the line and finished 22nd overall at 2:06.61 for Honorable Mention All-America status. Franklin has been a mainstay of the Ole Miss distance program, earning six career tickets to NCAAs, four First or Second-Team All-America awards, scoring 20.5 career SEC points and winning three Penn Relays championships wheels for the Rebels. In his premier event, the 800-meter, Franklin ranks as the second-best in school history both indoors (1:46.74) and outdoors (1:45.65) – trailing only NCAA Champion George Kersh on both lists.

Also racing on Wednesday was senior Ahmad Young Jr., who finished 19th in the 110-meter hurdles semifinal at 13.88 (+1.1) in his first career national meet. Young Jr. earns Honorable Mention All-America distinction, capping off a strong two-year career with the Rebels.

It’s the Rebel women’s turn next on Thursday, with action beginning for Ole Miss with the women’s hammer at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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Ole Miss rifle competes in USA Shooting National Rifle Championships

Ole Miss rifle sent two active members and one incoming freshman to the 2023 USA Shooting National Rifle Championships at Fort Moore, formerly Fort Benning, in Columbus, Georgia. The match was held at the Tommy G. Pool Range Complex from June 1 – 10.

Julianna Hays and M’Leah Lambdin shot air rifle and smallbore, while Gretchen Schleinkofer participated in air rifle.  

The Rebels began the week with two matches of air rifle. Hays and Lambdin scored high marks in the first match, firing a 619.2 and 617.9, respectively. Lambdin stayed consistent with her second match score, tallying a 617.2 for a total of 1235.1. The rising junior finished in 30th place among 85 competitors. Hays fired a 1231.0 in two matches to place just outside the top 40. Schleinkofer shot a 610 and a 603 for a two-match total of 1213. 

In smallbore, Hays started strong shooting a 571 for the first match, putting the rising sophomore in 30th. The next day, she hit a 569 for an 1141 total, moving down to 31st place. Lambdin shot a 566 in match one and a 559 in match two for a combined score of 1125.

Former Rebel and Air Rifle World Champion Ali Weisz finished in the top eight in air rifle and smallbore, which qualifies her for the 2023 Rifle Pan Am Selection Match Two in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brooke Moore joins Ole Miss women’s basketball staff as graduate manager

After joining the Rebels last summer as a graduate transfer and missing this past season due to injury, Brooke Moore is joining the Ole Miss women’s basketball staff as a graduate manager for the 2023-24 season.
 
“I am excited about having Brooke on staff with us,” said head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. “She is a future star in this business and will immediately impact us positively!”
 
The Atlanta, Georgia, native signed with the Rebels in May of 2022 following two years at Purdue. Appearing in 54 games for the Boilermakers, Moore made 19 starts in her two seasons in West Lafayette. During her senior campaign, she reached double-figures in 16 games, including four 20-point performances.
 
Prior to Purdue, Moore played two seasons on The Plains at Auburn, entering as a five-star recruit out of high school. In 46 games with the Tigers, Moore averaged 6.9 points per game while shooting 27.2 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Following a season-ending injury last summer, Moore spent time on the Rebel bench developing her basketball knowledge under the tutelage of McPhee-McCuin.
 
“As I am joining the staff here at Ole Miss as a graduate manager, I am ecstatic and overjoyed for this opportunity,” said Moore. “I am thrilled to work alongside with Coach Yo, the staff and the team during this exciting journey.”