Nichols and Bates Take Gold in Final Day of Sun Belt Championships

Saturday, May 16

Mobile, Ala. / Jaguar Track

Southern Miss

Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Day Three)

Emme Bates wins women's 800 meters at 2026 SBC outdoor championships

Nichols and Bates Take Gold in Final Day of Sun Belt Championships

5/16/2026 11:24:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country

Results

MOBILE, Ala. – Tyler Nichols and Emme Bates each ascended to the top podium spot in the final day of competition in the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Nichols led the high jump field and tied his personal best with a 7-1¾ mark to move to third on the Division I performance list while Bates raced to a 2-minute, 6.88-second personal best in the women's 800 meters to set a new facility record.

Southern Miss finished in sixth in both the men's and women's overall team standings while Texas State swept the men's and women's titles in their final season in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Golden Eagles now await selections for the 2026 NCAA East Preliminaries later this month in Lexington, Kentucky. Events begin on Wednesday, May 27, before concluding on Saturday, May 30.

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Aryn Eady got things started for Southern Miss with a seventh-place finish in the women's discus with a mark of 154-1 (46.97m). Alana Simon posted a 5-9¾ (1.77m) leap in the women's high jump to claim second place and continue the Golden Eagle women's scoring.

On the men's side of field events, Conner Mozee finished second with a personal best 184-11 (56.38m) in the discus throw. Nichols scored 10 points for Southern Miss with after clearing 7-1¾ (2.18m) in the men's high jump, tying a personal best and reaching No. 3 on the 2026 outdoor performance list.

Track events began with Valencia Watson, Addison McLaurin, Kennedi Sanders and Tacherria Lawson finishing fifth in the women's 4x100-meter relay with a final mark of 44.95 seconds. Kingsley Unorji, Nikoby Johnson, Mike Jones and Valentino Rudolph posted a 40.21 to set Southern Miss' season-best in the men's 4x100-meter relay.

Cadence Lapp finished fifth in the women's 1,500 meters with a 4-minute, 37.43 second time. Kennedi Sanders and Jaellene Burgess finished third and seventh, respectively, in the women's 400 meters. Sanders posted a season-best 53.07 seconds while Burgess also posted a season-high 53.60 second mark.

Markeith Thompson notched in at No. 6 in the men's 110-meter hurdles, setting a new personal best with a 14.10 second (+1.2m/s) time. Nikoby Johnson ran a wind-aided 10.31 (+2.0m/s) in the men's 100 meters to finish third overall. Other top finishes for the Southern Miss men came from Saxon Brown's fourth place finish in the men's 800, Javel Fullerton's third place mark in the 400-meter hurdles and Valentino Rudolph's third place finish in the men's 200 meters.

Brown posted a personal best with a 1-minute, 50.86 second time while Fullerton was one of three hurdlers to break the facility record with a 50.88 second run. Rudolph also set a new personal best with a final 200 time of 20.62 seconds. The men's 4x400 meter relay team, consisting of Javel Fullerton, Jacoby Tanner, Isaiah Harper and Valentino Rudolph, finished fifth with a 3-minute, 11:36 second season-best mark.

Bates claimed first in the women's 800 meters with a personal best and facilty record 2-minute, 6.88 second race while both she and Corinne Croy scored points for Southern Miss in the women's 5,000 meters. Bates ran to a fourth-place 17-minute, 3.38 second finish while Croy finished sixth overall with a 17-minute, 19.04 second time.

Valencia Watson, Addison McLaurin, Jaellene Burgess and Kennedi Sanders ran to a second-place finish in the women's 4x400-mter relay, posting a season-best 3:36.99 to help break the facility record.

Men's Standings (21 of 21 events scored)
1. Texas State – 157 (24/38/95)
2. App State – 128 (14/38/76)
3. Arkansas State – 112.5 (13/42.5/57)
4. South Alabama – 92.5 (29/19.5/44)
5. Louisiana – 76 (8/11/57)
6. Southern Miss – 75 (3/19/53)
7. ULM – 74 (20/9/45)
8. Marshall – 46 (3/8/35)
9. Troy – 45 (3/5/37)
10. Coastal Carolina – 12 (0/5/7)

Women's Team Standings (8 of 21 events scored)
1. Texas State – 128.83 (41/39/48.83)
2. Louisiana – 96 (32/8/56)
3. App State – 80.5 (13/10/57.5)
4. South Alabama – 69.33 (31/13/25.33)
5. Arkansas State – 67 (12/29/26)
6. Southern Miss – 67 (5/10/52)
7. Georgia State – 65 (6/8/51)
8. Georgia Southern – 64.5 (2/14/48.5)
9. Troy – 56 (0/0/56)
10. Marshall – 52 (4/14/34)
11. Coastal Carolina – 34.5 (5/7/22.5)
12. James Madison – 19.33 (0/0/19.33)
13. ULM – 19 (5/4/10)

Results
Thursday, May 14

Start (CT)*	Event	Southern Miss' Finish	Mark/Time (Points)
Noon	Hammer Throw (W) Final	Meagan Womack Aryn Eady	NM NM
2:30 p.m.	Hammer Throw (M) Final	8. Qamarion Oatis Chandler Taylor	193-6 (58.99m) PB (1) NM
6:30 p.m.	Javelin Throw (M) Final	7. Ryan DeBarber	190-11 (58.19m) (2)
6:30 p.m.	1,500-meter (W) Prelims	3. Addison Rainey 4. Cadence Lapp 14. Emme Bates 23. Alexane Hunte 25. Presley Miller 29. Indy Grajalez	4:33.66 Q 4:39.21 Q 4:39.26 4:45.12 4:47.13 4:50.16
7:10 p.m.	400-meter hurdles (W) Prelims	12. Chrisiyona Quarles	1:02.30 PB
7:35 p.m.	400-meter hurdles (M) Prelims	3. Javel Fullerton	50.87 q Facility
8 p.m.	200-meter (W) Prelims	9. Kennedi Sanders 17. Valencia Watson 24. Tacherria Lawson 36. Amia Wright	23.89 (-0.3m/s) =SB 24.47 (0.2m/s) 24.82 (0.2m/s) 25.44 (-0.1m/s)
8:20 p.m.	200-meter (M) Prelims	2. Valentino Rudolph 27. Mike Jones 33. Keon Buck	20.88 (-0.1m/s) Q 21.84 (0.1m/s) 22.46 (-0.1m/s)
8:40 p.m.	10,000-meter (W) Final	4. Corrine Croy 20. Alexandria Cooper	37:01.02 PB (5) 40:08.02

Friday, May 15

Start (CT)*	Event	Southern Miss' Finish	Mark/Time (Points)
2:30 p.m.	Long Jump (M) Final	1. Tyler Nichols 2. De'Aundre Ward 9. Isaiah Lowery 11. Elijah Kellum 21. Maximus Littleton	26-10½ (8.19m +1.5m/s) PB/SBC/F/DI #2 (10) 26-8½ (8.14m +1.0m/s) SB/SBC/F/DI#3 (8) 23-5½ (7.15m) PB 23-3¼ (7.09m) PB 21-9½ (6.64m +2.2m/s)
3 p.m.	Shot Put (W) Final	12. Meagan Womack	42-4 (12.90m)
5 p.m.	Long Jump (W) Final*	Sidney Allen Kaylee Spencer *Under review	18-10¾ (5.76m) 17-8¼ (5.39m)
5:30 p.m.	Shot Put (M) Final	8. Michael Kasemervisz	56-1¼ (17.10m) (1)
5 p.m.	100-meter hurdles Prelims	10. Sierra Edwards	14:27 (1.9m/s)
5:15 p.m.	110-meter hurdles Prelims	5. Markeith Thompson	14:01 q (1.1m/s) PB
5:40 p.m.	800-meter (W) Prelims	1. Emme Bates 9. Olivia Smith 18. Alexane Hunte 29. Sylvia White	2:08.37 Q 2:11.62 2:15.26 SB 2:21.34
6 p.m.	800-meter (M) Prelims	6. Saxon Brown 13. Jaden Gray	1:50.74 q PB 1:52.72 PB
6:20 p.m.	400-meter (W) Prelims	6. Kennedi Sanders 8. Addison McLaurin 9. Jaellene Burgess	54.61 Q 55:16 q SB 55.31
6:45 p.m.	400-meter (M) Prelims	21. Isaiah Harper 28. Jacoby Tanner	49.41 51.05
7:10 p.m.	100-meter (W) Prelims	14. Valencia Watson 15. Tacherria Lawson 31. Amia Wright	11.83 (1.5m/s) 11.86 (1.8m/s) SB 12.31 (1.7m/s)
7:35 p.m.	100-meter (M) Prelims	2. Nikoby Johnson 9. Valentino Rudolph 24. Mike Jones 26. Keon Buck Kinglsey Unorji	10.38 (1.3m/s) Q PB 10.51 (1.3m/s) 10.74 (1.3m/s) 10.75 (1.3m/s) FS
8 p.m.	3,000-meter steeplechase (W) Final	1. Cadence Lapp 20. Indy Grajalez	10:35.71 PB (10) 11:51.34

Saturday, May 16

Start (CT)*	Event	Southern Miss' Finish	Mark/Time (Points)
Noon	Triple Jump (M) Final	Isaiah Lowery Elijah Kellum	NM NM
Noon	Discus Throw (W) Final	7. Aryn Eady 13. Meagan Womack	154-1 (46.97m) (2) 136-11 (41.75m)
12:30 p.m.	High Jump (W) Final	2. Alana Simon T-14. Indea Pounds	5-9¾ (1.77m) (8) 5-3¼ (1.61m)
2:30 p.m.	Discus Throw (M) Final	2. Conner Mozee 22. Chandler Taylor	184-11 (56.38m) PB (8) 141-2 (43.03m)
3 p.m.	Triple Jump (W) Final	16. Kaylee Spencer	36-11¾ (11.27m) PB
4 p.m.	High Jump (M) Final	1. Tyler Nichols 9. Tyler Hughes 16. Maximus Littleton	7-1¾ (2.18m) =PB (10) 6-9 (2.06m) 6-5 (1.96m)
4 p.m.	4x100-meter (W) Final	Leg 1 – Valencia Watson Leg 2 – Addison McLaurin Leg 3 – Kennedi Sanders Leg 4 – Tacherria Lawson	5th – 44.95 (4)
4:10 p.m.	4x100-meter (M) Final	Leg 1 – Kingsley Unorji Leg 2 – Nikoby Johnson Leg 3 – Mike Jones Leg 4 – Valentino Rudolph	4th – 40.21 SB (5)
4:20 p.m.	1,500-meter (W) Final	5. Cadence Lapp 12. Addison Rainey	4:37.43 (4) 4:43.16
4:50 p.m.	110-meter hurdles Final	6. Markeith Thompson	14.10 (1.2m/s) PB (3)
5 p.m.	400-meter (W) Final	3. Kennedi Sanders 7. Jaellene Burgess	53.07 SB (6) 53.60 SB (2)
5:30 p.m.	100-meter (M) Final	3. Nikoby Johnson	10.31 (2.0m/s) (6)
5:40 p.m.	800-meter (W) Final	1. Emme Bates	2:06.88 PB F (10)
5:50 p.m.	800-meter (M) Final	4. Saxon Brown	1:50.86 PB (5)
6:10 p.m.	400-meter hurdles (M) Final	3. Javel Fullerton	50.88 F (6)
6:30 p.m.	200-meter (M) Final	3. Valentino Rudolph	20.62 PB (6)
6:40 p.m.	5,000-meter (W) Final	4. Emme Bates 6. Corinne Croy DNF – Cadence Lapp DNS – Alexandria Cooper DNS – Addison Rainey	17:03.38 (5) 17:19.04 (3)
7:25 p.m.	4x400-meter (W) Final	Leg 1 – Valence Watson Leg 2 – Addison McLaurin Leg 3 – Jaellene Burgess Leg 4 – Kennedi Sanders	2nd – 3:36.99 SB F (8)
7:35 p.m.	4x400-meter (M) Final	Leg 1 – Javel Fullerton Leg 2 – Jacoby Tanner Leg 3 – Isaiah Harper Leg 4 – Valentino Rudolph	5th – 3:11.36 SB (4)