Star-Studded Athletes Join Ole Miss Track & Field Program

Ole Miss Announces 22 Track & Field Signees

More Stumbleupon Print Email Text Head coach Connie Price-Smith (photo by Petre Thomas) Sept. 2, 2016 OXFORD, Miss. – The first full signing class for Ole Miss head coach Connie Price-Smith and her staff is loaded with high-level talent across all disciplines of track & field. The Rebels’ 2016 signing class consists of nine men and 13 women, highlighted by four-time junior college national champion women’s thrower Janeah Stewart. Her Iowa Central Community College teammate and fellow Ole Miss signee Brian Williams is the junior college national men’s discus record holder and participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. Among the many other high school state champions, state record holders and national qualifiers are the No. 2 girls’ long jumper in Florida (Kaira Simmons), the No. 2 boys’ long jumper in Florida (Emanuel Foster) and the Texas Relays 1600-meter high school champion (Parker Scott). “I am excited about our incoming class, and I believe that the new additions of talent will be a nice balance to the great athletes we already have,” said Price-Smith, who also spent her summer as the head coach of the Team USA women at the Rio Olympics. “I am looking forward to another successful year and can’t wait to see them perform.” A complete list of the 2016 Ole Miss signees with highlights and top marks is below. For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissTrack, as well as Facebook and Instagram. MEN’S SIGNEES Quinn Cannella | Distance | Chatham, Ontario, Canada | Chatham-Kent HS Three-time medalist (one gold, two bronze) at the Canadian cross country championships as a member of the Windsor Legion Track and Field Club Four-time medalist at the Ontario High School Championships PRs: 3:55.54 (1500m), 8:55.97 (3000m) Blake Cleary | Hurdles | Bowling Green, Ky. | Bowling Green HS Class 3A state runner-up at 300m hurdles in 2015 and 2016, third in 2014 Fourth place in 2016 and fifth in 2015 in the 110m hurdles at the class 3A state meet PRs: 14.76 (110m hurdles), 38.43 (300m hurdles) Cole Colozzo | Pole Vault | Stuart, Fla. | South Fork HS Two-time Florida 3A state champion in the pole vault – 2015 and 2016 Runner-up in the high school pole vault at the 2016 Florida Relays with a height of 15-6 PRs: 16-0 (pole vault) Emanuel Foster | Jumps | Sanford, Fla. | Seminole HS Won the high school long jump competition at the 2016 Florida Relays Ranked No. 2 in Florida in the long jump his senior year Overcame injury to place second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump at the 2016 Florida 4A state championships Ran on the third-place 4x100m relay team at the 2015 Class 4A state meet PRs: 23-10 (long jump), 47-4.5 (triple jump), 10.72 (100m) Austin Garrett | Pole Vault | Ellenboro, W. Va. | Ritchie County HS Placed third in the 17-18 division at the 2015 AAU Nationals Two-time Class AA state champion in the pole vault – 2015 and 2016 Helped Ritchie County win a team state title in 2015 Set the Class AA state meet pole vault record with a clearance of 15-0 PRs: 15-6 (indoor pole vault) Parker Scott | Distance | Corpus Christi, Texas | King HS Won the high school 1600m competition at the 2016 Texas Relays Third place in the 800m at the 2015 Class 6A state meet Texas 6A state finalist in the 800m and 1600m as a senior State champion in the 1600m and runner-up at 800m his freshman and sophomore years at Sault Sainte Marie HS in Michigan PRs: 1:53.56 (800m), 4:12.99 (1600m), 15:22 (5K XC) Shamar Tucker | Middle Distance | Pearl, Miss. | Pearl HS Three-time state champion in the 800m (Class 5A in 2014 and 2015, Class 6A in 2016) 2016 Class 6A state runner-up in the 1600m, 2015 Class 5A runner-up in 2014 and 2015 PRs: 1:55.14 (800m), 4:23.19 (1600m) Alvin Westbrook | Sprints | Olive Branch, Miss. | Center Hill HS Competed in the 400m at the 2016 New Balance Nationals 2016 Class 5A state runner-up in the 400m Brother of Ole Miss track athlete Kiannah Alexander PRs: 49.32 (400m) Brian Williams | Throws | Warren, Mich. | Iowa Central CC 2016 NJCAA Outdoor Champion in the discus 2016 NACAC U-23 Champion in the discus Participated in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in the discus, placing 18th Broke the junior college discus record with a throw of 63.23m/207-5 at the 2016 Cornell Invitational 2016 NJCAA Indoor All-American in the weight throw and shot put and Outdoor All-American in the discus Named USTFCCCA Junior College National Athlete of the Week after winning the discus title at the 2016 Arkansas Spring Invitational PRs: 18.22m/59-9.5 (shot put), 63.23m/207-5 (discus), 54.18m/177-9 (hammer), 18.90m/62-0.25 (weight) WOMEN’S SIGNEES Jasmin Allen | Sprints | Raleigh, N.C. | Iowa Western CC 2015 NJCAA Indoor All-American in the 4x400m relay Fifth place in the 400m at the 2016 NJCAA Indoor Championships PRs: 55.27 (400m), 25.39 (200m) Kieshonna Brooks | Sprints/Hurdles | Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis Earned bronze in the 100m hurdles, silver in the long jump and bronze in the 4x400m relay in the U-18 division at the 2015 CARIFTA Games PRs: 13.71 (100m hurdles), 1:05.18 (400m hurdles), 12.53 (100m), 5.73m/18-9.75 (long jump) Sandra Brown | Pole Vault | Indianapolis, Ind. | Pike HS Finished eighth in the pole vault at the 2016 New Balance Indoor Nationals and 12th at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals 2016 IHSAA state champion in the pole vault and helped her school’s 4x400m relay to a state runner-up finish Placed fourth in the pole vault at the IHSAA state meet as a junior and sixth as a sophomore PRs: 13-2 (pole vault) Hannah Christen | Distance | Burke, Va. | University of North Carolina Earned cross country All-Region honors as a sophomore last year, finishing sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional Gold medalist in the steeplechase at the 2015 U.S. Junior Championships 2016 NCAA East Preliminary participant in the 10,000m and 2015 participant in the steeplechase PRs: 4:34.72 (1500m), 16:49.43 (5000m), 34:23.40 (10,000m), 10:24.32 (steeple), 20:35.5 (6K XC) Chelsea Drum | Distance | Jackson, Mo. | Jackson HS Third place in the 1600m at the 2015 Class 5 State Championships Placed ninth at the 2014 Class 4 state XC meet and 15th in 2015 PRs: 2:19.60 (800m), 4:56.21 (1600m), 11:14.70 (3200m), 17:46.23 (5K XC) Anna Elkin | Distance | Carrollton, Texas | Hebron HS Placed 36th at the 2015 Nike Cross Nationals, running as one of five representatives from the South Region Led Hebron to the 2014 cross country Class 6A state team title, finished fifth individually Placed fifth in the 3200m and eighth in the 1600m at the 2016 Texas UIL 6A state championships PRs: 2:17.90 (800m), 4:55.93 (1600m), 10:32.83 (3200m), 17:57.30 (5K XC) Ralesheia Gee | Jumps | Starkville, Miss. | Starkville HS 2016 Class 6A state champion in the long jump Four-time state long jump finalist, placing second in 2013 and third in 2014 and 2015 PRs: 19-0 (long jump) Haley Hood | Multi-Events | Benton, Ark. | Bryant HS Class 7A state champion in the 300m hurdles, fifth in the 100m hurdles, seventh in the high jump and eight in the long jump as a senior State indoor runner-up in the 400m, third in the 4x400m relay, fifth in the high jump and sixth in the 60m hurdles as a senior Class 7A state champion in the 4x400m relay, runner-up in the 300m hurdles and third place in the high jump as a junior Placed sixth in the 2015 Arkansas state heptathlon competition PRs: 1:00.60 (400m), 5-3.75 (high jump), 44.83 (300m hurdles), 15.73 (100m hurdles), heptathlon (3,884) Nicole Kallenberger | Pole Vault | Lee’s Summit, Mo. | Lee’s Summit West HS Class 5 state champion in pole vault in 2015 and 2016, runner-up in 2014 Set the all-classification state meet record in the pole vault as a junior (12-10.5) Won the pole vault title at the 2016 Kansas Jayhawk Indoor High School Open Younger sister of Brittany Kallenberger, NCAA Division II All-American vaulter at Central Missouri PRs: 13-0 (pole vault) Jeanette Paul | Sprints/Hurdles | Harbor City, Calif. | Carson HS Placed ninth in the 300m hurdles at the 2015 California state championships PRs: 41.54 (300m hurdles), 14.24 (100m hurdles), 12.16 (100m), 24.18 (200m), 55.13 (400m) Kaira Simmons | Sprints/Jumps | Rockledge, Fla. | Rockledge HS Ranked No. 2 in Florida and among the best in the U.S. in the long jump (20-2.25) in 2016 2016 Class 2A state champion in the long jump, runner-up in the 200m and 4x100m relay and fourth in the triple jump Two-time Class 2A state champion in the 4x100m relay As a junior, placed third in the long jump and fifth in the 200m at the state meet 2015 Florida Today Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year PRs: 20-2.25 (long jump), 37-9 (triple jump), 23.73 (200m), 12.12 (100m) Janeah Stewart | Throws | Calumet City, Ill. | Iowa Central CC 2016 NJCAA National Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year Four-time NJCAA national champion (2015 indoor shot put, 2015 outdoor shot put, 2016 outdoor discus, 2016 outdoor hammer) and 2016 runner-up in the outdoor shot put Nine-time NJCAA All-American, earning honors in the indoor and outdoor shot put, indoor weight throw, outdoor hammer throw and discus 2016 USTFCCCA Women’s Midwest Indoor Field Athlete of the Year Named USTFCCCA Junior College National Athlete of the Week twice in 2016 Placed sixth in the shot put and eighth in the hammer throw at the 2015 USATF Junior Championships Iowa Central CC school record holder in the shot put (16.31m/53-6.25), discus (50.79m/166-8), hammer throw (58.95m/193-5) and weight throw (19.77m/64-10.5) Lilli Williamson | Jumps | Fort Worth, Texas | Trinity Valley School 2016 SPC state champion in the high jump Two-time SPC state runner-up in the high jump Placed fourth at the 2016 state meet in the 100m hurdles PRs: 5-8 (high jump), 17-6.25 (long jump)