OXFORD, Miss. — The Ouachita track and field teams turned in one of its strongest overall performances of the outdoor season, stacking 10 top-three individual finishes and another three NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the Ole Miss Classic.
The Tigers were highlighted in a dominant victory from sophomore Addi Durand in the women's 800 meters to break her own school record. Durand controlled the race from the front and crossed the finish line first in 2:12.42, securing the lone event win for the Tigers.
Ouachita's sprinters delivered as the women's 4x100-meter relay team of Addrienna Gray, Zyron Brock, Joey Babel and Anna Woolsey placed second with a program-record breaking time of 46.83 in the finals. Babel added a second-place finish in the 400 meter dash with a time of 55.35 to set a new school record, while Woolsey followed in third at 56.30. In the hurdles, Gray added another top-five finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.13, while Bella Maxon followed in sixth at 15.21.
Three seniors turned in top five performances as Katelynn Nachtigal led the distance runners with a third-place finish in the 1500 meter run, coming in at 4:43.78 in the finals. Elise Knight turned in a provisional qualifying performance in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing second overall at 10:55.02. In the field events, Ariana Neal finished fifth in the javelin throw with a mark of 32.27 meters (105 feet, 10 inches).
On the men's side, sophomore Rocco Patrick continued his standout season in the ring, posting a second-place finish in a loaded discus field with a throw of 50.86 meters (166 feet, 10 inches) to establish a new school record. His performance reached a provisional qualifying mark in the discus to reinforce his rise as one the top throwers in the Great American Conference.
Freshman Nathan Bradford added a sixth-place finish in the 200 meter dash with a finals time of 21.68, then junior Gavin Rainey took fourth in the 400 meter dash at 47.96. Sophomore Jones White led the pack on the track, finishing fifth in the 800 meter run at 1:53.03.
Seven distance runners also traveled to the Rhodes Invitational as junior Tate Stacks led the men's team with a second-place finish in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 31:48.34. On the women's side, senior Allison Hylkema finished second in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 37:40.58, then sophomore Marin Murray led the following pack of Tigers and took third in 39:18.36. Junior Lucy Holden took third in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 18:26.29.
With a mix of 10 top-three finishes, an individual event win from Durand, along with three provisional qualifying marks showcased the immense depth across a deep Ouachita roster. The Tigers leave Oxford with momentum as they continue to improve in the outdoor track season. The Tigers return home for spring break, with 10 days to prepare for the Carl Knight Lumberjack Invitational in Nacogdoches, Texas.
