With the Winter Olympics radiating from all corners of the mass media, it
is easy to overlook the athletic excellence surrounding the University of
Tennessee. While the concentration of talent in Volunteer land does not
compare to that of Nagano, UT is home to many Olympic athletes, Olympic
hopefuls and record-breaking champions.
An impressive show of talent was given by one such athlete during the Canon
IV Classic last weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. Lady Vol sprinter Kelli White
pushed herself to peak performance, finishing second in the 55-meter dash
and fourth in the 200-meter dash and has qualified for the NCAA
Championships in both events. The meet brought together the nation’s finest
athletes and provided strong competition for White and her teammates.
The speed and agility of the five-time All American propelled her past the
finish line and into Tennessee history. In the time it takes most people to
tie their shoes, Kelli White has broken and set numerous records. In 6.79
seconds, she drove herself to victory, fueled by pure adrenaline and the
desire to be the best.
The sensational sprinter now holds the top six times in UT history for the
60-meter dash, and the third-best time for the 200-meter dash, for which
she is ranked fifth among collegiate women. As White continues to turn in
personal bests, she leaves the competition in her dust.
White, a junior from Oakland, Calif., credits her success to both her
winning attitude and the intensified training regimen of her new head
coach, Myrtle Ferguson.
“We train our bodies everyday,” Ferguson said, “but mental preparation is
just as vital.”
White, who has been dominating the lanes since the age of 10, has
maintained her drive and dedication in all her races, whether experiencing
triumph or defeat.
“You have to go into every meet knowing that you can run with whoever is in
your heat.” White said. “If you don’t believe you can win, you are already
defeated.”
In the sport of track, humans push their bodies to their limit and beyond.
Treating it as a machine, White fine-tunes her body to the precision
necessary to exceed even her own expectations.
“I expect myself to get better every year,” White said.
Her impressive times at the Cannon IV Classic were a pleasant surprise to
Ferguson, who expects great things from White in the upcoming
championships.
“She knows she’s better than last year, which allows her to run with
confidence,” Ferguson said. “She is our best sprinter and has really
toughened up, not allowing herself to be overwhelmed by the
competition.”
Like Ferguson, White is excited about her performance in Indiana and looks
hopefully on the upcoming SEC and NCAA Championships.
“There is really great competition in the SEC, but you have to be confident
and believe that you are the best,” White said.
White has a strong foundation, with both parents being competitive runners
— her mother in the 1976 Olympics and her father at UC Berkeley. While
White’s sprinting skills promise to leave their mark on the Tennessee track
tradition, she is just happy to be competing for the Big Orange.
“I love running,” White said. “It has always been fun, and it has given me
great success.”
As White and her teammates prepare for the SEC Championships, they will hit
the track once more in today’s Tennessee Indoor Classic. If you didn’t get
to Nagano this year, there is still an opportunity to witness high-caliber
competition. The astonishing speed of White, along with the talents of her
teammates, will be on display beginning at 3 p.m.
So put your red, white and blue on hold, grab your orange and white, and
sprint down to Stokely Athletic Center. Both the men and women’s track team
are playing host to hungry competitors in what promises to be a thrilling
day of events. From dashes to decathlons and hurdles to high jumps, today’s
competition will bring the Olympic pride and spirit right here to the
University of Tennessee.
