University of Tennessee Athletics
BENNETT QUALIFIES FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 800 METERS
May 18, 2002 | Women's Track
May 18, 2002
Atlanta, Ga.
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Add University of Tennessee 800-meter runner Kameisha Bennett to the list of automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Lady Vol junior joined the club Saturday night at George C. Griffin Track with a career-best performance at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
Bennett bounced back from dehydration and heartbreak at last weekend's SEC Championship meet to record a sizzling 2:04.10 reading on the final day of the G.T. Invite and finished second overall and first among collegians in the meet. Her time was easily below the auto standard of 2:05.00 and ranks her fourth in the country in that event. A two-time NCAA indoor qualifier, she has now earned her first trip to outdoor nationals.
According to Lady Vol distance coach Rodney Rothoff, Bennett ran a carbon copy of her race at the Sea Ray Relays, where she posted a then career topper of 2:06.62. She stayed near the back of the pack for the first lap and began to make her move with 300 meters remaining. Bennett kicked it into high gear at that point, taking the lead at the 100-meter mark and never relinquishing it en route to winning section two.
Making Bennett's performance more impressive is her rebound from the conference meet, where she qualified for the finals in a solid 2:07.12 pace but struggled to a 2:19.50, ninth-place result in the finals. After going out hard in the championship race with teammate Nicole Cook (Petersburg, Va.), who would go on to win the SEC crown, the Dayton, Ohio, product suffered symptoms brought on by dehydration and was unable to finish as strongly as she had hoped.
"Kameisha showed a lot of character tonight," Rothoff said. "She ran a very smart, tactical race that was just picture perfect. I am pleased to see all her hard work and training finally come together at the right time, especially after a disappointing final at the SEC meet."
After tonight's development, Bennett will join teammates Cook (800m) and discus thrower Diane Slinden (Menomonie, Wis.) on the NCAA trip and should also be competing in the 4x400m relay with Cook, Antoinette Gorham (Glenarden, Md.), Dee Dee Trotter (Decatur, Ga.) and alternate Christina Billings (Madison, Wis.). Their mark of 3:34.07 ranks sixth in the nation and should easily earn a bid to Baton Rouge, La., for the meet on May 29-June 1.
A couple of Lady Vols remain on the bubble. Sophomore Denita Miller (Liberal, Kan .) improved her stock in the javelin Friday night with a throw of 155-4, but Trotter was unable to move up in the 200-meter dash on Saturday. The Atlanta area native checked in at 23.65 to place third. Both will have to wait and see where they stack up when the invitations are announced next week. Trotter also ran in the 100m dash prelims but did not make the finals with her 11.71 clocking.
Others competing Saturday included Slinden and sophomore Janine Tessarzik (Altamont, N.Y.) in the discus, placing fourth and 12th, respectively, with throws of 168-4 and 155-2; and Gorham and Billings in the 400 meters, finishing seventh and 28th, respectively, at 54.24 and 58.19.
