Waleed Suliman Turns Pro, Signs with Brooks Beasts Track Club
6/24/2021 | Track and Field
Suliman Leaves Ole Miss as Seven-Time All-American, Six-Time SEC Champion
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss track & field and cross country star Waleed Suliman has chosen to forego his final year of eligibility after signing a professional contract with the Brooks Beasts Track Club.
Suliman, who runs in the first round of the men's 1500-meter at the U.S. Olympic Trials this evening, had one full year of eligibility remaining through each of the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons for 2021-22 despite completing his bachelor's in history back in May. Suliman now joins a successful list of Ole Miss track & field athletes to turn pro early, standing alongside the likes of Olympians Brittney Reese, Sam Kendricks and Raven Saunders, in addition to a growing list of Ole Miss 1500-meter specialists to sign pro contracts alongside Craig Engels and Robert Domanic.
"I would like to first say thank you! Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am now," Suliman said. "Thank you to my coaches, trainers, teachers, FedEx staff, and teammates. Without you guys, I wouldn't be where I am now. These past four years have been a rollercoaster of emotions. When we lost, we cried, we were upset, and we wanted to work harder so that we would never be defeated again. But when we won, we laughed, we cried from happiness, and we were filled with joy and wanted to work harder again. I will never forget our first team title at the SEC Cross Country Championships back in 2018, our second win in 2019, going 1-2-3 in 2020, having five men run under the sub-4-minute mile barrier in one year, the multiple All-Americans we had in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and many more memories. These are the moments that bonded us together, and I will always be grateful to be part of the Ole Miss family. I came to Ole Miss chasing greatness, and the past four years have exceeded all of my expectations. I am very proud of the legacy we have carried on and how far we have come as a team. I believe that the Ole Miss Cross Country and Track & Field program is one of the best in the nation, and I know great things will continue to happen long after I leave. Thank you again to everyone. Once a Rebel, always a Rebel."
Suliman came to Ole Miss after a storied prep career at Freeman High School in Richmond, Virginia. There, he was a two-time All-American and 10-time Virginia state champion before arriving in Oxford in the fall of 2017. Across his Ole Miss career, Suliman was a seven-time All-American in track and cross country combined, as well as a six-time SEC track champion with 67.5 career SEC points to his name. He was also instrumental in the first two SEC team titles in program history, leading the Rebel men to historic back-to-back SEC cross country wins in 2018 and 2019. Suliman became a U.S. citizen in 2019 after spending his childhood across Sudan and Jordan before emigrating to Virginia.
"Today's announcement marks a dream come true for Waleed," said Ole Miss associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy, who has been Suliman's coach on the cross country course and on the track. "It's been a long-standing goal of his to run as a professional athlete, and it's something that he has worked very hard toward over his four-year career as a Rebel. It's been an honor to serve as his college coach, and we couldn't be more excited for him as he embarks on this next phase of his career. His mark on the Ole Miss program will be felt for many years to come, and we look forward to cheering him on in the future as he continues to chase his dream on the professional circuit."
He leaves Ole Miss as its all-time leader in the mile at 3:55.60, and he also ranks highly indoors in the 3K (2nd, 7:54.57) and 800-meter (8th, 1:48.94), while outdoors sitting second in the 1500-meter (3:36.53) and fifth in the 800-meter (1:47.00). Suliman was also key in helping further establish Ole Miss as a powerhouse in the distance medley relay indoors, running on three SEC title teams and helping clock five of the top-15 DMR times in program history.
This announcement comes following a spectacular 2021 season that saw Suliman score 12 NCAA points after third-place finishes in the mile indoors and 1500-meter outdoors. Suliman was on a tear from the get-go, finishing third at the SEC Cross Country Championships as part of the first 1-2-3 SEC podium sweep in school history before a stellar indoor season that saw him run a 3:55.60 mile and win his second SEC mile title at 3:58.28 – which broke a 45-year old meet record. Outdoors, Suliman's legend grew even further after running a 1500-meter U.S. Olympic Trials standard 3:36.53 on his home track here in Oxford. He was the first American runner outdoors in 2021 to break 3:37 in the 1500-meter and 1:47 in the 800-meter after clocking 1:47.00 at Mississippi State's Maroon and White Invite. Suliman concluded his Ole Miss collegiate career with the aforementioned bronze medal in a historic NCAA 1500-meter final.
Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 8:04 p.m. CT this evening to catch Suliman – as well as fellow Rebels Craig Engels and Robert Domanic – at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the first round of the men's 1500-meter.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Suliman, who runs in the first round of the men's 1500-meter at the U.S. Olympic Trials this evening, had one full year of eligibility remaining through each of the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons for 2021-22 despite completing his bachelor's in history back in May. Suliman now joins a successful list of Ole Miss track & field athletes to turn pro early, standing alongside the likes of Olympians Brittney Reese, Sam Kendricks and Raven Saunders, in addition to a growing list of Ole Miss 1500-meter specialists to sign pro contracts alongside Craig Engels and Robert Domanic.
"I would like to first say thank you! Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am now," Suliman said. "Thank you to my coaches, trainers, teachers, FedEx staff, and teammates. Without you guys, I wouldn't be where I am now. These past four years have been a rollercoaster of emotions. When we lost, we cried, we were upset, and we wanted to work harder so that we would never be defeated again. But when we won, we laughed, we cried from happiness, and we were filled with joy and wanted to work harder again. I will never forget our first team title at the SEC Cross Country Championships back in 2018, our second win in 2019, going 1-2-3 in 2020, having five men run under the sub-4-minute mile barrier in one year, the multiple All-Americans we had in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and many more memories. These are the moments that bonded us together, and I will always be grateful to be part of the Ole Miss family. I came to Ole Miss chasing greatness, and the past four years have exceeded all of my expectations. I am very proud of the legacy we have carried on and how far we have come as a team. I believe that the Ole Miss Cross Country and Track & Field program is one of the best in the nation, and I know great things will continue to happen long after I leave. Thank you again to everyone. Once a Rebel, always a Rebel."
Suliman came to Ole Miss after a storied prep career at Freeman High School in Richmond, Virginia. There, he was a two-time All-American and 10-time Virginia state champion before arriving in Oxford in the fall of 2017. Across his Ole Miss career, Suliman was a seven-time All-American in track and cross country combined, as well as a six-time SEC track champion with 67.5 career SEC points to his name. He was also instrumental in the first two SEC team titles in program history, leading the Rebel men to historic back-to-back SEC cross country wins in 2018 and 2019. Suliman became a U.S. citizen in 2019 after spending his childhood across Sudan and Jordan before emigrating to Virginia.
"Today's announcement marks a dream come true for Waleed," said Ole Miss associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy, who has been Suliman's coach on the cross country course and on the track. "It's been a long-standing goal of his to run as a professional athlete, and it's something that he has worked very hard toward over his four-year career as a Rebel. It's been an honor to serve as his college coach, and we couldn't be more excited for him as he embarks on this next phase of his career. His mark on the Ole Miss program will be felt for many years to come, and we look forward to cheering him on in the future as he continues to chase his dream on the professional circuit."
He leaves Ole Miss as its all-time leader in the mile at 3:55.60, and he also ranks highly indoors in the 3K (2nd, 7:54.57) and 800-meter (8th, 1:48.94), while outdoors sitting second in the 1500-meter (3:36.53) and fifth in the 800-meter (1:47.00). Suliman was also key in helping further establish Ole Miss as a powerhouse in the distance medley relay indoors, running on three SEC title teams and helping clock five of the top-15 DMR times in program history.
This announcement comes following a spectacular 2021 season that saw Suliman score 12 NCAA points after third-place finishes in the mile indoors and 1500-meter outdoors. Suliman was on a tear from the get-go, finishing third at the SEC Cross Country Championships as part of the first 1-2-3 SEC podium sweep in school history before a stellar indoor season that saw him run a 3:55.60 mile and win his second SEC mile title at 3:58.28 – which broke a 45-year old meet record. Outdoors, Suliman's legend grew even further after running a 1500-meter U.S. Olympic Trials standard 3:36.53 on his home track here in Oxford. He was the first American runner outdoors in 2021 to break 3:37 in the 1500-meter and 1:47 in the 800-meter after clocking 1:47.00 at Mississippi State's Maroon and White Invite. Suliman concluded his Ole Miss collegiate career with the aforementioned bronze medal in a historic NCAA 1500-meter final.
Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 8:04 p.m. CT this evening to catch Suliman – as well as fellow Rebels Craig Engels and Robert Domanic – at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the first round of the men's 1500-meter.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.