Ole Miss Roundup: KD Hill receives 2022 courage award

Ole Miss senior defensive tackle KD Hill has been named the winner of the 2022 Chucky Mullins Courage Award, as announced by Lane Kiffin on Wednesday.

A native of Eufaula, Alabama, Hill becomes the 32nd recipient in the 33-year history of the award. Hill will wear Mullins’ No. 38 number throughout the 2022 season.

The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be able to wear the No. 38,” Hill said. “I will play my hardest with this jersey on and I’ll represent it well, on and off the field.

“I’m just so thankful. Ever since I committed here, one of my goals was to be able to one day wear No. 38. This means so much to me. This is just proof that if you keep grinding and keep working, good things will happen.”

Hill has appeared 34 career games for the Rebels, including 10 starts at nose tackle last season. The two-year starter for the Rebels registered 24 total tackles on the season in 2021, including two tackles for loss.

Hill was selected from among several veteran defensive players by Kiffin and the Rebel coaching staff. The award is presented annually to an Ole Miss upperclassman defensive player that embodies the spirit of Mullins – courage, leadership, perseverance and determination.

Hill, who already graduated from Ole Miss with a bachelor’s in exercise science, has also made a tremendous impact to the Oxford community and is an exemplary role-model on and off the field. He has contributed to the community through both the Ole Miss Athletics program and local organizations.

Along with Ole Miss MBA students, Hill has taken part in the Grove Grocery Mission, which helps raise money for the University of Mississippi Food Pantry. Through the athletics department Hill has engaged in the Adopt-A-Basket program every year, which assists families in need throughout the Lafayette-Oxford-University Community with Thanksgiving baskets.

Hill has made an extraordinary effort to positively impact the education system in the community as well. He has volunteered at both Oxford and Lafayette Elementary as a car buddy, welcoming students to school by opening doors and waving to them to start their day. He has also participated in the Feed the Sip program which helped collect non-perishable food items to donate to elementary schools in Tunica and Quitman County.

Former Chucky Mullins Courage Award recipients are Chris Mitchell, Jeff Carter, Trea Southerland, Johnny Dixon, Alundis Brice, Michael Lowery, Derek Jones, Nate Wayne, Gary Thigpen, Heard, Anthony Magee, Kevin Thomas, Lanier Goethie, Jamil Northcutt, Eric Oliver, Kelvin Robinson, Patrick Willis, Jeremy Garrett, Jamarca Sanford, Marcus Tillman, Kentrell Lockett, Deterrian Shackelford (twice), Jason Jones, Mike Marry, Mike Hilton, John Youngblood, Marquis Haynes, C.J. Moore, Austrian Robinson, Jaylon Jones and Keidron Smith.

Related: Ole Miss nose tackle K.D. Hill epitomizes what the Mullins award is about

Ole Miss Women’s Cross Country No. 16, Men No. 19 in USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings

Ole Miss cross country will have both of its teams nationally ranked to start the 2022 season, with the Rebel women coming in at No. 16 and the men at No. 19 in the USTFCCCA Preseason National Coaches Poll released on Wednesday afternoon.

This marks the fourth time in program history that both teams sit ranked in the preseason poll, with the previous occurrences coming in 2017 (men No. 18, women No. 18), 2019 (men No. 14, women No. 15) and 2021 (women No. 15, men No. 18). Additionally, this is the 36th time both Ole Miss squads have been ranked simultaneously, as well as the 12th time in a row dating back to the end of the 2020 season. On Tuesday, both the Rebel women and men were picked as preseason favorites to win the NCAA South Region, and on Monday the Rebel women were picked to finish third and the men fourth in the SEC Preseason Poll.

This is the 12th straight appearance in the national poll for the Ole Miss women, who have now appeared in the USTFCCCA rankings 37 times in their history. Ole Miss has at least been receiving votes in 29 of the last 30 women’s polls dating back to 2018 and 46 of the last 49 back to 2016.

Meanwhile, this is the 54th total appearance for the Rebel men and their 48th in a row dating back to the 2016 preseason. Additionally, Ole Miss has ranked in 54 of the last 57 men’s polls going back to 2014 and have at least received votes in 57 of the last 59 also back to 2014.

The Rebels are now under the direction of first-year coach Adam Smith, who was announced as the new assistant coach for cross country and track & field by head coach Connie Price-Smith on July 1. In his career as a collegiate cross country coach, Smith has mentored one NCAA Champion, one NCAA runner-up, 13 All-Americans, 44 all-conference performers and six conference champions. As a team, Smith was on staff for the 2015 NCAA Champion men’s team at Syracuse, as well as 10 total NCAA top-25 team finishes (four within the top-10) and six straight conference titles with the Orange.

Smith takes over one of the elite distance programs in the NCAA at Ole Miss, which is one of just four schools nationally to have finished within the top-25 in both men’s and women’s competition each of the last six seasons alongside BYU, Colorado and Stanford. The Rebel women are coming off a program-record 10th-place national finish in 2021, with the men not far behind in 15th place – their third-best finish ever.

The Rebel women lose All-American Sintayehu Vissa after her decision to forego her eligibility and turn pro early, but still return a strong stable of runners – highlighted by returning NCAA All-South Region runners Ryann Helmers and Kristel van den Berg alongside veteran stars Skylar Boogerd and Loral Winn. The Ole Miss women will also feature eight new faces, including three transfers in Beth Arentz (Akron), Jocelyn Long (Notre Dame) and Laura Taborda (Eastern Kentucky).

The Ole Miss men, meanwhile, are also without an All-American in Mario Garcia Romo, but return a deep and talented roster nonetheless. Fellow All-American and senior Cole Bullock will look to lead the Rebels this fall alongside other All-Region runners in Dereck Elkins, Ben Savino and Nick Moulai. Ole Miss will feature six new faces on the men’s side as well, led by transfers Shane Bracken (Saint Leo) and Anthony Camerieri (Miami Ohio).

Ole Miss will open the 2022 cross country season this Saturday, September 3 at the Memphis Twilight.