Ole Miss Track and Field Star Wins First NCAA High Jump Title in Rebels History

EUGENE, Ore. – Ole Miss track & field junior Arvesta Troupe made history on Friday, winning the first NCAA high jump title in school history to punctuate an all-time best team finish by the Rebel men at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Friday's championship performance concludes a remarkable junior season for the Fulton, Mississippi native, who went from high school basketball star, to surprise state champion high jumper, to asking to walk-on to Ole Miss, to one of the best high jumpers in the United States.

One year ago, Troupe was the first one out at the NCAA East Regional. With his national ticket in-hand this year, Troupe did not waste his opportunity to capture some Hayward Magic.

At Hayward Field on Friday – the crown jewel of track & field in the United States – Troupe put on a clinic amid cool and sometimes windy conditions, sailing clean over his first three bars.

Troupe needed two tries at 2.23m/7-03.75, which eventually proved to be his winning jump as no other competitor could match him at the height – including the national leader Riyon Rankin of Georgia, as well as the defending indoor national champion, Tyus Wilson of Nebraska.

But Troupe didn't stop there, asking the officials to raise his first free attempt as the national champion up to a career-best 2.27m/7-05.25 – at which he floated over without issue on his first attempt.

Troupe attempted to keep the magic flowing by having the bar move up to 2.30m/7-06.50, but after three solid tries his day was done – and the celebration could begin.

In addition to becoming the first national high jump champion in Ole Miss history, he is the first overall men's champion in the jumps since Olympian Savante' Stringfellow won the long jump outdoors in 2001, as well as the first Rebel overall since four-time Olympian Brittney Reese claimed the 2008 long jump title outdoors.

His new PR height improved upon his spot at No. 2 in Ole Miss history behind Olympian Ricky Robertson's 2.32m/7-07.25 from 2012.

However, Troupe today did something the splendid Robertson never could, with Robertson concluding his excellent Rebel career a decade ago with three NCAA runner-up finishes in the high jump across the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Overall, Troupe is the 36th NCAA Champion (33rd title) in Ole Miss men's and women's track & field history, the 19th outdoors (16th title).

Among just Rebel men, Troupe is the 20th NCAA Champion (17th title), while outdoors he is now the ninth Rebel men's national champ.

Troupe's heroics on Friday served another crucial purpose, as he helped propel the Rebel men to not just a top-10 finish, but into a tie for the best national men's finish in program history.

No. 11 Ole Miss ended the meet with 22 points, which tied for eighth with both No. 15 Florida and No. 23 Kentucky. That eighth-place showing by the Rebels ties with the 2013 men's outdoor squad for the best ever by an Ole Miss men's team, indoor or outdoor.

Under 10th-year head coach Connie Price-Smith, Ole Miss has set national program record finishes in men's outdoor (T-8th, 2025), women's outdoor (5th, 2024), women's indoor (5th, 2024), men's cross country (4th, 2016) and women's cross country (10th, 2021).

The lone finish escaping her, a tie for ninth by the Rebel men indoors in 1991, has nearly come down several times during Price-Smith's tenure, with three 10th-place finishes by the Rebel men indoors since 2021 alone.

After today, eight of Ole Miss' 11 total NCAA top-10 track finishes have come under Price-Smith: 2025 men's outdoor (T-8th), 2025 men's indoor (T-10th), 2024 women's outdoor (5th), 2024 women's indoor (5th), 2023 women's indoor (10th), 2022 women's indoor (T-6th), 2022 men's indoor (T-10th), 2021 men's indoor (10th), 2013 men's outdoor (8th), 2001 men's indoor (10th) and 1991 men's indoor (9th).

Also competing on Friday to wrap competition for the Rebel men were seniors Toby Gillen and Kidus Misgina in the 5K final. Gillen – the SEC champion this season – put forth a gutsy effort, running a career-best 13:26.74, but falling one spot shy of scoring in ninth place for Second-Team All-America honors.

Misgina, meanwhile, finished 21st at 13:49.21 for Honorable Mention.

With the collegiate season now in the rearview for Ole Miss, the attention turns now to the national and international stage of competition – which culminates at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, held this year in Tokyo from September 13-21.

Next week, a handful of Rebels will participate in the U.S. U20 Championships back out in Eugene, while the main senior U.S. Championships that serves as qualifying for Worlds will be held July 31 to August 3.