LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ole Miss track & field senior pole vaulter Logan Kelley booked his return trip to Oregon, qualifying for the outdoor national meet for a second straight season to lead the Rebels on the first day of the 2026 NCAA East Region First Round on Wednesday.
Kelley started the day needing two attempts at the opening height of 5.05m/16-06.75, but his two clean clearances over the following two bars at 5.20m/17-00.75 and 5.35m/17-06.50 proved to be the deciding factor. Kelley, who bowed out at that 5.35m/17-06.50 height, was tied for 10th, but those two first-attempt successes put him ahead of a logjam of four other vaulters who needed more attempts at those two bars.
This is Kelley’s second career national berth, his first coming almost exactly one year ago at the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, where he then went on to finish 17th in Oregon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. This is the sixth national berth in Ole Miss men’s history in the pole vault outdoors, and Kelley is now only the second Rebel to ever do so multiple times – joining three-time Olympian Sam Kendricks, who qualified three times from 2012-14, with national titles in both 2013 and 2014.
On the track, Ole Miss advanced to quarterfinals in three events – including a double qualifying performance by sophomore sprinter Jordan Urrutia.
First, Urrutia took the final time qualifier in the 100-meter dash by a literal blink of an eye. Urrutia was fourth in the sixth heat at 10.29 (-0.2), missing out on an auto bid by one spot. But when broken down to the thousandth of a second, Urrutia edged out Louisiana Tech’s Carl Murray IV by six thousandths at 10.282 to Murray’s 10.288.
Just two weeks ago, Urrutia was on the other end of this kind of scrutiny, missing the SEC final in the 100 by two thousandths of a second at 10.189 to Tennessee’s Traunard Folson’s 10.187.
Urrutia left nothing to chance less than two hours later in the first round of the 200-meter dash. Urrutia finished second in the first heat at 20.32 (+2.1), earning an auto-bid to the 200 quarterfinal on Friday. No Rebel has qualified in both the 100 and 200 since Olympian Isiah Young in 2013, with Young’s 200-meter berth the last one outdoors by a Rebel, while the last 100-meter national ticket was courtesy of Jalen Miller in 2015.
Sophomore Max Armstrong, fresh off becoming the fourth-fastest 800-meter runner in Ole Miss outdoor history two weeks ago at the conference meet, took care of business in the third heat of tonight’s 800-meter first round. Armstrong leaned at the line to finish third at 1:47.64, earning an AQ spot to Friday’s quarterfinal by 15 hundredths of a second over Samford’s Zephaniah Carico-McLennan (1:47.79). Armstrong, who also anchored Ole Miss’ fastest 4×400-meter relay since 1994 at SECs two weeks ago, had the fastest first lap of the field at 52.93 but was able to hold off Carico-McLennan’s fastest final 400 of 53.79.
Also competing on Wednesday were: seniors Chase Rose (42nd, 1:49.27) and Carson Turner (48th, 1:54.57) in the 800-meter; seniors Kidus Misgina (23rd, 29:36.69) and Aiden Britt (26th, 29:46.01) in the 10K; and seniors Bryson Smith (21st, 63.97m/209-10) and Mason Hickel (41st, 60.45m/198-4) in the hammer.
Day Two will turn its attention to the women’s competition, with action set to start for the Rebel women at 9 a.m. CT in the hammer.
Day One National Qualifiers
Logan Kelley – Men’s Pole Vault
Day One Quarterfinalists
Max Armstrong – Men’s 800-Meter
Jordan Urrutia – Men’s 100-Meter Dash
Jordan Urrutia – Men’s 200-Meter Dash
REBELS IN DAY ONE COMPETITION
Men’s 100-Meter Dash (First Round)
23. Jordan Urrutia – 10.29q (-0.2)
Men’s 200-Meter Dash (First Round)
4. Jordan Urrutia – 20.32Q (+2.1)
Men’s 800-Meter (First Round)
23. Max Armstrong – 1:47.64Q
42. Chase Rose – 1:49.27
48. Carson Turner – 1:54.57
Men’s 10K (Semifinal)
23. Kidus Misgina – 29:36.69
26. Aiden Britt – 29:46.01
Men’s Pole Vault
T10. Logan Kelley – 5.35m/17-06.50 – NCAA Qualifier
Men’s Hammer
21. Bryson Smith – 63.97m/209-10
41. Mason Hickel – 60.45m/198-4