Category: Track

Tennessee sweeps 200-meter events at Carolina Challenge

Tennessee sweeps 200-meter events at the Carolina Challenge.

The Carolina Challenge is taking place Jan. 20-21 in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Vols and Lady Vols were victorious in 200-meter indoor competition Friday at the Carolina Challenge.

Lady Vols’ Kyla Robinson-Hubbard finished with a winning time of 24.37 seconds, a career indoor best. She recorded a career best in 60-meter hurdle competition (8.54).

Freshman Aidan McDuffie recorded a winning time of 21.84 for the Vols.

Freshman T’Mars McCallum finished second in long jump competition (7.01 meters, 23 feet).

Four Tennessee student-athletes, including Robinson-Hubbard, recorded personal best marks Friday: Isaiah Monroe (6.97 seconds, men’s 60-meter dash), Dylan Scarnato (7.07 seconds, men’s 60-meter dash), Tairah Johnson (8.63 seconds, 60-meter hurdles).

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Duane Ross announces assistant coaches

Tennessee’s Duane Ross announces assistant coaches.

First-year Tennessee head coach and director of track and field Duane Ross has announced his coaching staff.

Ross, a former graduate assistant at Tennessee, came to Vols after serving as head coach at North Carolina A&T.

Ross’ staff includes Tempest Love, Brian Blutreich, Ron Garner and Mark Hollis.

Love will serve as associate head coach and mentor Tennessee’s jumpers. Love previously worked with Ross at North Carolina A&T where Aggies’ jumpers won 12 conference championships.

Blutreich will coach Tennessee’s throwers. He comes to Knoxville after a stint at Arizona State and is a two-time USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.

Garner will coach sprinters and hurdlers. He was previously an assistant with the Aggies and has been named USTFCCCA Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year in his career.

Hollis will coach Tennessee’s pole vaulters. The native of Freeport, Illinois, has resided in Knoxville since 2013. As an athlete at Olivet Nazarene University he was a six-time All-America standout and NAIA outdoor national champion.

Tennessee claims 2021-22 USA TODAY Network SEC Overall All-Sports championship

Tennessee claims the 2021-22 USA TODAY Network SEC Overall All-Sports championship.

The University of Tennessee has claimed its first SEC Overall All-Sports championship, presented by USA TODAY Network.

USA TODAY Network also crowns an annual SEC All-Sports Champions for both men’s and women’s sports separately. The Vols won its first SEC Men’s All-Sports championship since 2007-08, while the Lady Vols finished second in the SEC Women’s All-Sports standings. Florida finished first in the SEC Women’s All-Sports standings.

Tennessee won five SEC team championships in 2021-22. Soccer, men’s basketball and baseball each won SEC Tournament championships. Baseball also won the SEC regular-season championship, and Tennessee’s women’s swimming & diving team won its SEC Championship meet.

2021-22 USA TODAY Network SEC Overall All-Sports standings are listed below.

Two Lady Vols earn All-America honors

Lady Vols earn All-America honors at outdoor championships.

Two Lady Vols earned All-America honors Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Joella Lloyd achieved All-America accolades in two events on the final day of the championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Lloyd finished ninth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.29 seconds. Her effort netted second-team honors.

Lloyd, a native of St. John’s Antigua and Barbuda, earned first-team All-America honors in the 200-meter dash, finishing eighth (22.80 seconds).

Senior distance specialist Sydney Seymour earned second-team All-America honors in the 5,000-meter run.

She finished 13th with a time of 15:51.50. The performance netted Seymour the first All-America recognition of her career.

Tennessee finishes third in NCAA Outdoor Championships

Tennessee finishes third in NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Tennessee’s men’s track team finished third in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Park in Eugene, Oregon.

Third place is the Volunteers’ best finish since 2002 and the first top-10 result since 2017.

The Vols completed in the event with 16 All-American athletes during the three-day competition.

Florida won the national championship with 54 points. Texas was second (38) and the Vols totaled 34 points.

On day No. 3, Tennessee’s Favour Ashe finished second in the 100-meter dash (10.08 seconds). His time netted him first-team All-America status.

Ashe also teamed with Wayne Pinnock, Carey McLeod and Emmanuel Bynum to finish fourth in the 4×100-meter relay with a time of 38.83

Tennessee’s 4×400-meter relay team of Rasheeme Griffith, Jakwan Hale, Bynum and Christopher Bailey earned second-team All-America accolades.

Jalen Tate earned second-team All-America status as he finished ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 16.05 meters (52 feet, 8 inches).

Latavia Maines, Yariel Soto receive All-America honors

Latavia Maines and Yariel Soto receive All-America honors.

Lady Vols’ track and field athlete Latavia Maines finished 12th in the shot put competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday.

The women were in the spotlight Thursday at the University of Oregon’s  Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Maines’ effort of 16.96 meters (55 feet, 7.75 inches) netted her second-team All-America honors.

Tennessee’s women’s 4×400 relay team of Uchechi Nwogwugwu, Allison Rand, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard and Mia O’ Neil received honorable mention All-America accolades.

Lady Vols’ sprinter Joella Lloyd advanced to the finals of the 100-meter and 200-meter events.

For the men, Yariel Soto finished 10th in the decathlon and earned second-team All-America honors. He scored 7,668 points and posted personal best times in the 110-meter hurdles (15.28 seconds) and 1,500-meter run (4:27.48).

Wayne Pinnock wins long jump national championship

Tennessee’s Wayne Pinnock wins the long jump national championship.

Tennessee freshman Wayne Pinnock won the long jump national title Wednesday at the 2022 NCAA outdoor track and field national championships.

The University of Oregon serves as the hosting site at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The national championship is Pinnock’s second. He won the indoor national championship earlier this year.

Pinnock, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, claimed the outdoor championship with a leap of 8.00 meters (26 feet, 3 inches) on his sixth and final attempt.

With his championship, Pinnock receives first-team All-America honors.

He was one of three Tennessee long jumpers to post a podium finish.

Carey McLeod finished fourth with a mark of 7.90 meters (25-11) and Anthony Riley came in eighth with a leap of 7.80 meters (25-7.25).

Both McLeod and Riley achieved All-America status.

Jordan West finished fourth in the shot put with an effort of  20.28 meters (66-6.25). He is also an All-American.

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Five Tennessee athletes qualify for NCAA outdoor championships

Five Tennessee athletes qualify for NCAA outdoor championships.

Five University of Tennessee track and field athletes have qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Three Volunteers qualified for the national championships in the long jump.

Wayne Pinnock, Carey McLeod and Anthony Riley will compete at the University of Oregon in June.

The trio posted qualifying marks in the long jump at the NCAA East preliminary rounds in Bloomington, Indiana Wednesday after a lengthy rain delay.

Pinnock finished second with a leap of  7.93 meters (26 feet, 0-25 inches). McLeod finished eighth with a mark of 7.63 meters (25-0.5), while West came in ninth with an effort of 7.62 meters (25-0).

Jordan West placed fourth in the men’s shot put with a throw of 19.76 meters (64-10). He will make his third trip to Eugene. He also made the national championships in 2018 and 2021.

The Lady Vols’ Latavia Maines qualified in the women’s shot put Thursday, finishing third with a throw of 17.81 meters (58-5.25).

The East Regional meet continues through Sunday.

Beth Alford-Sullivan leaves track and cross country programs

Beth Alford-Sullivan leaves Tennessee’s track and cross country programs.

Tennessee has agreed to mutually part ways with its director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan.

Vice chancellor/director of athletics Danny White announced Thursday Alford-Sullivan would leave the program effective immediately.

Assistant coach Ken Harnden will oversee the program while the school undertakes a comprehensive search for Alford-Sullivan’s permanent replacement.

Alford-Sullivan departs the UT program after leading the men’s and women’s track and field teams for eight seasons.

In 2014, she became the first woman in the Southeastern Conference to oversee a men’s program in any sport.

Under Alford-Sullivan’s direction, Tennessee has set many individual records.

She coached five-time NCAA champion Christian Coleman, a winner of the Bowerman Award in 2017.

Throughout its tradition-rich track and field history, the Volunteers and Lady Vols have won a combined eight national team titles with four coming since 2000.

UT has also produced 45 Olympians, 18 of which have medaled. Vols and Lady Vols athletes have won 10 gold medals.

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Wayne Pinnock, Jordan West win SEC track championships

Wayne Pinnock and Jordan West win SEC track championships.

Two Tennessee athletes won conference titles Friday at the Southeastern Conference outdoor track and field championships in Oxford, Mississippi.

Freshman Wayne Pinnock won a title in the men’s long jump. Senior Jordan West claimed a championship in men’s shot put.

Day No. 2 of the meet was delayed more than five hours due to inclement weather.

Pinnock, who won the indoor long jump national championship in March, claimed a conference outdoor title with a leap of 8.05 meters (26 feet, 5.00 inches).

The Volunteers swept the top two spots in the long jump as Carey McLeod finished second with a mark of 7.91 meters (25-11.5).

West claimed a shot put title with an effort of 20.28 meters (66-6.50).

Alex Crigger won a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as he finished the race with a season-best time of 8:52.31.

Yariel Soto earned a bronze medal in the decathlon as he scored 7,600 points.

The Lady Vols medaled in the women’s shot put as Latavia Maines earned a bronze with a season-best mark of 17.86 meters (58-7.25).