Hometown Hero: Kristin Bridges

Kristin Bridges is one of the premier athletes on the Ole Miss track and field team.

She ranks among the top five Rebel athletes ever in the 100 and 400 meters.

The senior from Taylorsville, Miss., also stands out in the classroom and is among 10 Ole Miss student-athletes selected to the 2011-12 Who’s Who Among students In American Universities and Colleges.

Her hometown newspaper, the Laurel Leader-Call, recently featured her accomplishments in the following article:

WJ grad among top student-athletes at Ole Miss

Brittney Reese In Sports Illustrated

Brittney Reese (the 2011 Mississippi Sports Person of the Year) is one of the top athletes in the world as the 3-time reigning long jump world champion. She is the favorite to win a gold medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. The former Ole Miss All-American has a great story, too, highlighted here by Sports Illustrated:

'The Beast' is hunting Olympic gold
Brittney Reese Q&A

Ole Miss Track Athlete Among NCAA's Best

Folks on the Ole Miss campus know him as one of the top recent graduates in the biology department and a future physician.

People in the Oxford area might recognize him as a community leader always involved in serving areas of need.

The U.S. track world instantly identifies the tall, lanky runner as one of the top American hurdlers and a two-time NCAA All-American.

His name is Lee Ellis Moore. And he is quite an impressive young man.

That's why tomorrow (Friday) he will be receive the NCAA Top VIII Award, a prestigious honor that goes to eight student-athletes who completed their athletics eligibility during the 2010-11 academic year and recognizes their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. Award recipients will be recognized at the Honors Celebration during the current NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.

Only one other Ole Miss student-athlete has ever received this award since its inception in 1973 - Eli Manning in 2004.

Below is a clip of this year's eight amazing student-athletes (Moore starts at the 1:29 mark) talking about their academic pursuits.

Mississippi-Born Head Coaches

With Hugh Freeze coming on board, the Magnolia State flavor grows even richer in the Ole Miss coaching ranks. Born in Oxford and raised in Independence, Freeze is one of six native Mississippians currently serving as head coaches for Rebel teams. Here is the full list and their hometowns:

Football: Hugh Freeze, Independence
Men's Basketball: Andy Kennedy, Louisville
Women's Basketball: Renee Ladner, Gulfport
Men's Golf: Ernest Ross, Grenada
Men's Tennis: Billy Chadwick, Jackson
Track & Field: Joe Walker, Utica

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Rebel Teammates Get Married

In case you missed last week's story, follow the link to read about a pair of Ole Miss track and field athletes who recently tied the knot.

http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/052611aaa.html

Also, an update since the story was written: LaJada Baldwin qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships with the Rebels' 4x100 meter relay team. Congrats to her, again!

Robertson Featured On ESPNU

Earlier this week, Ricky Robertson was among five Track & Field Rebels to earn All-American honors. The accolades have become commonplace for Robertson, who is a certified high jump stud. In just two years of collegiate competition, the sophomore from Hernando is a three-time SEC Champion and a two-time NCAA runner-up. Roberton was the subject of a recent feature on ESPNU's SEC Weekly.

Barnabas Kirui: Thrice As Nice

Senior Barnabas Kirui had already cemented himself as the best long-distance runner in Ole Miss history, but for good measure he went ahead and won his third SEC Cross Country title on Monday.

He won it in 2006 and 2009, while he has also won four SEC titles and an NCAA title in outdoor track.

Watch his post-race interview below:

Granger Joins Gold Medal List

Rebel sprinter Mike Granger joined an impressive list of Ole Miss athletes who have earned a gold medal in international competition with his performance in the 4x100 meter relay for Team USA at last week's World Junior Championships.

Other Rebels to earn gold medals in their sports and events include baseball's Zack Cozart and Drew Pomeranz, basketball's Jennifer Gillom, Keith Carter, Ansu Sesay and Terrico White and track and field's Brittney Reese, Clarence Daniel, Antwon Hicks, George Kersh and James Shelton.

The U.S. team's winning time in the 4x100 (with Granger as the rocket launcher out of the blocks) was the second-fastest ever at a World Junior Championships at 38.93 seconds.

Video of Team USA winning World Juniors gold medal in the 4x100
(Granger runs in lane 6 at the 1:10 mark of the video)

Reese Continues Her Dominance

Former Ole Miss All-American jumper Brittney Reese continued her long jump dominance Saturday at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Reese turned in a distance of 23-02.75 and defeated Chaunte Lowe of Nike by seven inches. Click here for the full results.

Get To Know Martin Kirui

If you're an Ole Miss fan, then you probably know about Barnabas Kirui. The Kenyan is the first two-time SEC Cross Country Champion in school history, an SEC Runner of the Year and an NCAA champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. You might not be familiar with Barnabas' brother Martin yet, but after capturing an SEC title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase this weekend, you'll probably be hearing more and more about him. In fact, the brothers Kirui finished one-two in Saturday's final. Martin is in his first year at Ole Miss after transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College. One of his best performances came at last month's Drake Relays, where he won the 3000 meter steeplechase with the second-fastest time in school history. Check out an interview with the budding Rebel star following that first-place run in Iowa.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Reese Wins Another Title

Former Ole Miss All-American long jumper Brittney Reese claimed another title over the weekend, adding another impressive achievement to her growing list of accomplishments. Reese captured the title in the long jump at the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final with a leap of 23-02.75. She was almost a foot better than second place finisher Elena Sokolova of Russia. Click here for the full results.

World Championship Leap

For those of you who didn't get a chance to see former Ole Miss All-American Brittney Reese capture the gold medal at the Track and Field World Championships over the weekend, take a look at this clip to see her winning jump.

Tons of Ticket and Schedule News

Football is quickly running out of tickets, while several of the other Rebel sports are not going to require a ticket this year. Also the women's hoops schedule has been announced. See links below.

Only 2,000 Football Season Tickets Left

Ole Miss Offering Free Admission For Selected Sports

Women’s Basketball Announces 2009-10 Schedule

Reese Becomes Long Jump World Champion

Former Ole Miss All-American Brittney Reese continued her national dominance in the long jump, as she became the world champion in the event Sunday after leaping a distance of 23-03.50 at the World Championships in Berlin. Click here for the full results.

Reese Qualifies For Long Jump Finals At World Championships

Former Ole Miss All-American Brittney Reese qualified for the finals of the long jump Friday at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. Reese needed just one jump to automatically qualify for Sunday's finals. Click here for the full results.