The Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols track and field teams had a definite
home-track advantage for this weekend’s 2000 Sea Ray Relays. While the men
placed several top-five finishes, the women made a late run to make their
presence felt.
“People have their friends and family here, and it’s actually the first
home meet,” Vol head coach Bill Webb said. “It’s just a beautiful track and
a great atmosphere. People are coming here to take advantage of great
competition.”
Leonard Scott made a strong showing in the sprints for the Vols. In the
200M dash, he took first place with a NCAA Outdoor provisional mark of
20.61. Scott placed third in the 100M dash, which was full of speedsters.
Scott’s mark of 10.26 was a season best for the sprinter.
“How about Leonard,” Webb said. “He ran pretty dang well in the 200-meter.
He just looks stronger and stronger.”
In the 1500M run, Tennessee was led by Marcus Tanner. Tanner finished
fourth for the Vols with a NCAA provisional and personal best time of
3:44.79. Anthony Famiglietti was close behind with a mark of 3:46.89 for a
seventh-place finish.
“It’s fantastic to have all this crowd,” Famiglietti said of the huge
turnout. “It’s not too often that you have this many people out here
cheering for you. As for me, I didn’t get the goals I wanted but I think I
had a good weekend.”
Several Vols posted personal bests, led by Matt Rush who finished seventh
in the 110M hurdles with a time of 13.98. Eric Bolton finished 12th in the
Open Steeplechase with a time of 9:40.34 for his personal record.
Also setting personal bests were Rocky Danners (52.05) and Karl Jennings
(53.13) in the 400M hurdles. Thomas Newman broke his personal best with a
time of 3:50.02 in the 1500M run.
In the field events, Stephen Harris topped the performances for the Vols.
His jump of 7-1 in the open high jump was good enough for a personal record
and a first-place finish.
The open discus was also dominated by Vols. Lance Jauron’s throw of 169-3
placed second for Tennessee while Tyler Garrett’s toss of 164-11 was good
enough for fourth. Garrett also finished fourth in the invitational discus
with a throw of 171-2.
In the open triple jump, Rondell Mershon placed fourth for the Vols with a
personal best jump of 49-4 1/2. Tim Bell placed seventh for the Vols in the
open javelin with a mark of 183-5.
Although the Lady Vols did not place first in an event, they recorded
several top-three performances, including three NCAA provisional
qualifiers.
“We geared up to do well in this meet and we finished with three
provisional marks,” Lady Vol head coach Myrtle Ferguson said. “We feel good
about that.”
The top event for the Lady Vols was the 4x400M relay. The Tennessee team of
Rashida Dodson, Kameisha Bennett, Heather Sumpter and Lesly Love placed
second with a NCAA provisional time of 3:36.96.
“I usually run first, but I ran the anchor this time and it actually
worked,” Love said. “I like to try and catch somebody rather than
lead.”
The 4×400 relay team made a few changes by adding Dodson, a sprinter, and
moving Love from the first leg to the anchor of the team. The change
knocked eight seconds off the team’s best time.
The surprise for Ferguson was the solid performance by Bennett.
“Kameisha Bennett is making great strides,” Ferguson said. “She’s just
finding herself and continuing to improve.”
In the 400M relay, the team of Dodson, Erin Rinear, Love and Sumpter
combined to finish third with a NCAA provisional time of 44.98.
Sumpter was a great lift for the Lady Vols in the sprints. She placed third
in the 100M dash with a time of 11.41. Sumpter’s time was a personal record
and a NCAA provisional qualifier, although it was wind-aided. Sumpter also
finished fourth in the 200M with a mark for 23.93.
In the field events, Love completed her odd combination of sprints and
vault with a third-place finish in the pole vault. Her height of 12-1.50
was a personal record.
Diane Slinden placed third for the Lady Vols in the discus with a sling of
169-2. Slinden’s mark was a NCAA provisional qualifier. In the shot put,
Andrea Pappas represented the Lady Vols, placing third. Her heave was
recorded as 49-1.75.
In the heptathlon, Lady Vol Frenke Bolt worked for a third-place finish.
Bolt totaled 5,248 points for a NCAA provisional qualifier.
Overall, the Sea Ray Relays were a success. However, the Vols and Lady Vols
must get back to the basics in the weeks to come.
The men travel to Austin, Texas on Friday and Saturday for the National
Invitational Team Championships. The women have a week off before the Penn
Relays in Philadelphia.
