Category: Track

Six Tennessee athletes win medals at 2024 Paris Olympics

Six Tennessee athletes win medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 2024 Summer Olympics concluded Sunday in Paris, France.

More than 30 current or former Tennessee athletes competed in the games and six earned medals.

In swimming, Erika Connolly, representing the United States, won a silver medal in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and Mona McSharry, representing Ireland, won bronze in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke.

Cierra Burdick and Team USA won a bronze medal in women’s 3×3 basketball. Team USA earned a medal after losing its first three games.

In men’s basketball, Uros Plavsic and Serbia won a bronze medal. Plavsic appeared in one game, playing two minutes and totaling two points and four rebounds in Serbia’s victory over Puerto Rico in group play.

Kelsey Robinson Cook and Team USA won a silver medal in women’s volleyball. She was named SEC Player of the Year for the Lady Vols in 2011.

In men’s track and field, Christopher Bailey won a gold medal with Team USA’s 4×400-meter relay team. He ran in the leadoff leg of the relay.

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Former Vol Christopher Bailey wins gold at Paris Olympics

Former Vol Christopher Bailey and the United States wins gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

United States won a gold medal in the 4x400m finals in the Paris Olympics.

Former Vol Christopher Bailey was part of USA’s gold medal team that finished with an Olympic record time of 2:54.43. Botswana won silver with a time of 2:54.53, while Great Britain earned a bronze medal (2:55.83).

Bailey was joined by Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and anchor Rai Benjamin.

Bailey ran track at Tennessee from 2020-22 after transferring from Mississippi Valley State.

“VFL Chris Bailey is an Olympic champion,” Tennessee announced. “The former Vol wins gold with Team USA in the men’s 4×400-meter relay, leading off and helping the Americans set an Olympic record in 2:54.43.”

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Three Lady Vols qualify for NCAA Outdoor Championships

Three Tennessee women’s track athletes advance to NCAA outdoor finals.

Three Tennessee women’s track and field athletes qualified for Saturday’s NCAA Outdoor Track Championships. The Lady Vols’ second-ranked 4×400-meter relay team also advanced to the finals.

2000-meter finals will be contested at 6:32 p.m. EDT on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Brianna White qualified for the finals after recording a time of 51.40 seconds in the 400-meter dash. She finished fifth in her heat and ninth overall.

In the 200-meter dash, Lady Vols’ senior Dennisha Page finished the event in 22.44 seconds and earning an automatic bid in the finals. She finished second in her heat and sixth overall.

The 200-meter final is slated for Saturday at 7:07 p.m. EDT.

Tennessee’s 4×400-meter relay team of Javona Valcourt, Kyla Robison-Hubbard, Dalour Miles and White recorded a fourth-place overall finish, posting a time of 3:27.65. The final is scheduled for 7:51 p.m. EDT Saturday.

Five Lady Vols earned Second-Team All-America honors in the Thursday’s semifinals.

Joella Lloyd and Page both competed in the 100-meter dash. Lloyd finished 11th and Page 13th, marking the first time since 2008 Tennessee had multiple All-Americans in the event.

Junior pole vaulter Sara Schmitt finished in 13th place, becoming the second All-American pole vaulter in Lady Vols’ history.

Valcourt earned an All-America certificate in the 400-meter dash as she finished 16th.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Robinson-Hubbard finished in 10th place.

Three Vols, one relay team advance in NCAA outdoor championships

Vols open 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by earning three spots in Friday’s finals.

Three Tennessee men’s track and field athletes and one relay team advanced in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Two veteran Vols advanced in the 400-meter hurdles at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on the first day of competition.

Tennessee graduate student Clement Ducos received an automatic bid into the finals with a victory in Heat 3 of the event. He finished the race in 48.64 seconds.

Tennessee fifth-year senior Ja’Kwan Hale qualified for his first NCAA final as an individual. He recorded a time of 49.88 and posted an eighth-place overall finish.

Tennessee is one of three programs to have multiple qualifiers in the event, joining Alabama and Texas Tech. The NCAA final will be contested Friday at approximately 10:27 p.m. EDT.

Vols’ fifth-year senior Emmanuel Bynum placed third in the 400-meter dash and eighth overall, recording a time of 44.50 seconds.

He will compete in the finals of the event, which will be contested at approximately 10:02 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Bynum and Ducos were part of the Vols’ 4×400-meter relay team, combining with Rasheeme Griffith and Christian Parker to finish third in their heat and eighth overall (3:04.28). The finals for the 4×40-meter relay will be contested Friday at approximately 11:02 p.m. EDT.

T’Mars McCallum, Griffith and Kevin Burr Jr. also earned Second-Team All-America status on Wednesday.

McCallum finished 15th in the 100-meter dash. Griffith was 13th in the 400-meter hurdles and Burr Jr. posted an 11th-place finish in the javelin.

Tennessee’s Kevin Burr advances to NCAA quarterfinals

freshman Kyle Burr Jr. become Vols’ first national qualifier in the javelin throw in 11 years.

Tennessee track and field freshman Kevin Burr Jr. advanced to the NCAA Track and Field quarterfinals.

Burr qualified for the national championship meet in the javelin throw Wednesday at the NCAA Track and Field preliminary in Lexington, Kentucky.

In his second attempt of the day, Burr posted a mark of 71.59 meters (234 feet, 6 inches), breaking a 23-year old Tennessee freshman record. He finished in sixth place on Wednesday and now owns the seventh best mark in program history.

Burr, a native of Eastampton, New Jersey, became the first Tennessee athlete and first true freshman to qualify for the national championship meet in the javelin since 2013.

Jacious Sears named to Bowerman Award watch list

Tennessee sprinter named to Bowerman Award watch list.

Lady Vols’ senior sprinter Jacious Sears was named to the Bowerman Award women’s watch list by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Sears, who made the women’s watch list for the first time in her career, is one of 10 athletes named for the Bowerman Award, which is the highest annual individual honor awarded by the USTFCCCA.

She posted the second highest time in NCAA history in the women’s 100-meter dash April 13 at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.

Sears, who is the fourth Lady Vol to appear on the watch list for the Bowerman Award, posted the fastest world time of the 2024 outdoor season in the 100-meter dash when she recorded a mark of 10.77 seconds. Her time is just 0.02 seconds behind the the record time of 10.75 seconds, set by Sha’Carri Richardson in 2019.

T’Mars McCallum named SEC Runner of the Week

Tennessee sprinter T’Mars McCallum named SEC Runner of the Week.

Tennessee sophomore sprinter T’Mars McCallum was named SEC Men’s Runner of the Week.

He was named U.S. Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association NCAA Division I Athlete of the Week on Monday.

McCallum recorded a time of 9.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the USC Outdoor Open in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday. His mark represents the fastest time recorded by a college athlete this season and is the second fastest time in the world this year.

McCallum’s previous best time in the 100-meter dash was 10.13 seconds. He became the second Tennessee athlete to post a sub-10 second time in the event, joining Christian Coleman.

McCallum’s time is the second fastest mark in program history behind Coleman (9.82).

T’Mars McCallum named National Athlete of the Week

Tennessee’s T’Mars McCallum named National Athlete of the Week.

Tennessee sophomore sprinter T’Mars McCallum was named NCAA Division I Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track ad Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday.

McCallum recorded a time of 9.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the USC Outdoor Open in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday. His mark represents the fastest time recorded by a college athlete this season and is the second fastest time in the world this year.

McCallum’s previous best time in the 100-meter dash was 10.13. He became the second Tennessee athlete to post a sub-10 second time in the event, joining Christian Coleman.

McCallum’s time is the second fastest mark in program history behind Coleman (9.82).

Jacious Sears named USTAF Athlete of the Week

Lay Vols’ senior sprinter named USTAF Athlete of the Week.

Lady Vols’ senior sprinter Jacious Sears was named USA Track and Field Athlete of the Week after her performance on April 13 at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida.

Sears recorded a historic finish in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.77 seconds, her first individual race of the 2024 outdoor season.

Sears’ mark in the event ranks as the second fastest time in collegiate history and is 0.02 seconds behind the fastest time recorded in the 100-meter dash. The fastest time of 10.75 seconds is held by reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.

Sears also broke her own school record in the event and established the world lead for 2024 by 0.17 seconds.

A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Sears now ranks No. 15 on the all time world list and No. 7 on the United States all time list.

She is also the first collegiate athlete to post a sub-10.800 time in the 100-meter dash.

Clement Ducos earns SEC Men’s Runner of the Week honors

Tennessee’s Clement Ducos earns SEC Men’s Runner of the Week honors.

Tennessee sophomore Clement Ducos was named Southeastern Conference Men’s Runner of the Week on Tuesday.

Ducos, a native of Bordeaux, France, recorded a collegiate-leading and world top five time in the 400-meter hurdles during the Tennessee Invite at Tom Black Track.

He recorded a career-best time (49.03 seconds) in the event. His time was the best in the NCAA this season and ranks No. 4 on the 2024 World Athletics Top List. Ducos’ mark ranks No. 3 in Tennessee history. His time is also the eighth best mark recorded by an athlete from France.

Ducos also earned 2024 Indoor USTFCCCA All-America honors as a member of the Vols’ 4×400-meter relay team.