HATTIESBURG — Robert Wells entered the track and field outdoor season attempting to erase a bad taste left in his mouth after not meeting his expectations last year at the NCAA east region championships.

The University of Southern Mississippi standout will have a chance to erase that bitter taste next week in this year’s track and field championships May 26 to May 28 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

The former Jefferson County High School star recorded strong enough times in the 100- and 200-meter runs at last week’s Conference USA track championship to qualify for the region championships.

“Last year around this time, I was ranked in the top 28,” Wells said. “This time around, I plan for it to be a different story.”

Wells said next week will prove to be a strong test as he is slated to run against some of the top athletes from the top programs.

“It’s exciting, because you get to compete against the best,” Wells said. “You just have to do everything you can to win. You’re racing against the big boys. The champion always comes from SEC, ACC or Big 12. It would be a big accomplishment. I know what it takes to win. I’ve just been trying to focus and not let anything get to me. I’m going to have a chip on my shoulder.”

Wells recorded times of 10.83 in the 100 and 21.11 in the 200 at last week’s conference meet, placing him eighth and seventh in the conference, respectively.

The former Tiger standout also served as a member of the Golden Eagles conference champion 4×400-meter relay team, which claimed gold with a time of 3:10.80.

“When my teammates gave me (baton), I just ran,” Wells said.

Wells credited his success to a strict offseason diet and workout regimen, which has helped propel him to this season’s accomplishments.

“Last year, when I got put out, I was crying,” he said. “I was in tears. I worked so hard and in the end, I came up short. You’re not going to win everything, and I was on the wrong side of the stick. My goals were to become even faster, get strong and just help the team anyway possible. I wanted to get my body stronger.”

While Wells said he is squarely focused on next weekend’s big meet, he also has an eye toward the future.

“My plans are to compete next weekend and hopefully run a fast enough time to qualify for Olympic trials in July,” he said. “So far, I’ve reached every goal I wanted to. I put in so much work, and I’m just determined. Win or lose, I’m going to walk off the track knowing I gave it my all.”