University of Tennessee Athletics
Track & Field Vols Look to Reload With 17 Newcomers
August 04, 2003 | Men's Track
Aug. 4, 2003
Tennessee's track and field coaching staff announced Monday the addition of 17 new Volunteers ready to suit up for the 2004 campaign. After six Vol All-America selections called it a collegiate career following the 2003 season, the infusion of new blood should prove helpful to Tennessee's hopes for the upcoming indoor and outdoor seasons.
"We lost a number of people and signed one of our biggest classes in the last few years," head coach Bill Webb said. "We signed a good mix of junior college athletes, transfers and solid freshmen. I think half of them can step in and make an immediate impact in the SEC. You never know how new athletes will adjust to SEC competition and what rate of progress they'll make. This class has the potential to be one of our best classes, but, as always, only time will tell."
The new recruits, some signing scholarship papers and others volunteering their services, fill holes in different event areas.
The recruiting class of 2004 stands thick with hurdlers signed by assistant coach Vince Anderson. Tennessee's hurdle corps should be replenished with the addition of Jangy Addy, Jeremy Burton, Aries Merritt and Derrick Williams. Indeed, Tennessee signed two of the eight hurdlers named to USA Today's All-USA High School Team in Burton and Merritt. Meanwhile, sprinter Jak Taylor should help on the short track. All of the above will likely be considered for relay duty to buttress Tennessee's 4x400m relay efforts, which lost Gary Kikaya, Dwayne Bell Jr. and Karl Jennings to graduation.
Meanwhile, assistant head coach George Watts also improved his middle distance squad with five new thinclads. Paul Cross, Jeff Day, local star Dusty Miller of Knoxville West High, Chris Platt and Collins Roll give the Vols more potential in the middle-distance races. All of the above five will also draw double duty in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
In the field, three pole vaulters join the fray with hopes of replacing Rocky Danners. Michael Hogue, Jason Mandato and Mike Yurcho will take instruction from Webb and volunteer coach Jim Bemiller.
Tennessee beefed up its presence in the throws to strengthen a weak area from 2003. Garland Porter gives the Vols a legitimate scoring threat in the shot put and hammer, events coached by Webb. Meanwhile, Tim Nguyen will also ply his craft in the shot put and hammer. Antonio Immediate arrives as a javelin prospect.
Finally, Chris Helwick joins a Tennessee decathlon unit headed by Webb in attempts to take the sting out of losing NCAA champion Stephen Harris and 2002 All-America Kevin Thompson.
Tennessee's signees come from as far north as New Jersey and as far south as Florida. The new Vols primarily call the eastern U.S. home, with the exception of Colorado native Helwick. The most new Vols hail from New Jersey, as a foursome of signees call the Garden State home. Tennessee, Ohio and Georgia rank next with three new Vols each arriving from the Volunteer, Buckeye and Peach States. Knoxville native Miller, Germantown's Hogue and Memphian Roll stand as the home-grown Volunteers.
A short profile on each signee follows...
Jangy Addy, Freshman, 110m hurdles/400m hurdles, 6-2, 185, Lawrenceville, Ga. (Norcross High)
Hurdler owns top times of 14.04 in the 110m hurdles and 37.84 in the 300m hurdles ... Placed third at the Georgia High School Championships in the 300m hurdles ... Graduate of Norcross High, also the alma mater of four-time All-America and former Vol Stephen Harris.
Jeremy Burton, Freshman, 400m/400m hurdles, 5-9, 174, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson High)
One of only eight hurdlers nationally named to USA Today's All-USA High School Team ... Claimed 2003 Georgia High School 300m hurdles championship ... Also ran on the state champion 4x100m relay team ... Took second in a 400m dash personal best, third in the 400m hurdles and ran on the winning 4x100m and 4x400m relays in the 2003 Junior Olympics ... Placed fourth at the 2003 USA Junior Championships in the 400m hurdles ... Owns top times of 36.73 in the 300m hurdles, 51.92 in the 400m hurdles, 46.74 in the 400m dash and a wind-aided 21.78w in the 200m dash.
Paul Cross, Freshman, 800m/1,500m, 5-11, 144, Pembroke Pines, Fla. (South Plantation High)
Won 2003 Florida High School 1,600m title and took second in the 800m ... State champ in the 800m in both 2001 and 2002 ... Ran the second-fastest 800m time among U.S. high schoolers in both 2002 and 2003 ... Earned All-State honors in cross country with a fifth-place finish at the 2002 state championships ... Boasts top times of 1:49.27 in the 800m run, 47.8 in the 400m dash, a 46.8 split on a 4x400m relay leg and a 1,600m run best of 4:14.05 ... Will get his first test as a Vol in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
Jeff Day, Freshman, 800m/1,500m, 6-0, 155, Springfield, Va. (West Springfield High)
A superb relay man, Day anchored his team to indoor national titles in both the 4x800m relay and distance medley relay ... The top-flight anchor man also broke the tape first to win the Virginia State High School 4x800m relay indoor title ... Named All-State in cross country in 2001 and 2002 courtesy of third-place finishes ... Virginia native registered top times of 4:14.98 in the mile and 9:23.28 in the 3,200m run ... Will get his first test as a Vol in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
Chris Helwick, Freshman, Decathlon/High jump, 6-4, 185, Greeley, Colo. (Greeley Central High)
Comes to Tennessee slated for decathlon duty ... Finished second in the 2003 USA Junior Decathlon with 6,967 points ... Won the Colorado State High School championships in the high jump and pole vault ... Owns career-best marks of 7,216 in the high school decathlon, 6-8.75 in the high jump, 14-2 in the pole vault and 14.61 in the 110m hurdles.
Michael Hogue, Freshman, Pole vault, 6-1, 175, Germantown, Tenn. (Houston High)
Won the Tennessee High School pole vault title in 2002 ... Owns a career-best pole vault clearance of 15-10.75.
Antonio Immediate, Freshman, Javelin, 6-4, 195, Rutherford, N.J. (Rutherford High)
A javelin specialist who sports a best distance of 185-2.
Jason Mandato, Senior (Graduate School), Pole vault, 6-2, 173, Monmouth Junction, N.J. (West Virginia/South Brunswick High)
Transferred from West Virginia after the Mountaineers dropped track and field ... Took New Jersey State High School pole vault title in 1999 ... Owns a top clearance of 16-0.75.
Aries Merritt, Freshman, 110m hurdles/400m hurdles, 6-1, 158, Marietta, Ga. (Wheeler High)
One of only eight hurdlers nationally named to USA Today's All-USA High School Team ... Won the 2003 Georgia State 5A title in the 110m hurdles and took runner-up honors in the 400m hurdles ... Also took home a 2003 state title by running a leg on the winning 4x400m relay ... Finished third in the 110m hurdles, fourth in the 400m hurdles and ran on the winning 4x100m and 4x400m relays in the 2003 Junior Olympics ... Owns career-best times of 13.85 (13.76 wind-aided) in the 110m hurdles, 36.61 in the 300m hurdles and 52.50 in the 400m hurdles.
Dusty Miller, Freshman, 1,500m, 6-1, 155, Knoxville, Tenn. (West High)
One of the most promising Knoxville high school distance specialists since Olympian and former Vol Tony Cosey ... Earned five Tennessee State High School titles ... Swept three middle distance state titles in 2003 with wins in the 800m run (1:54.46), 1,600m run (4:19.72) and 3,200m run (9:32.92) ... Won the state cross country championship and outdoor 1,600m run state title in 2002 ... Broke Cosey's state record 1,600m run time with his lifetime-best 4:11.53 at the Volunteer Track Classic on Tom Black Track, home of the Vols ... Will get his first test as a Vol in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
Tim Nguyen, Junior, Shot put/Hammer, 6-2, 275, Columbus, Ohio (Missouri-Kansas City/Groveport Madison High)
Transferred from Missouri-Kansas City ... Owns a top distance of 160-0 in the hammer and 49-0 in the shot put ... An accomplished power lifter, Nguyen registered bests of 435 in the bench, 550 in the squat and 365 in the clean.
Chris Platt, Freshman, 800m/1,500m, 5-9, 130, Haddonfield, N.J. (Haddonfield Memorial High)
Won the 1,600m and 3,200m outdoor and 1,600m indoor championships in the 2003 New Jersey State High School meets ... Won the state cross country title in 2001 ... Took All-State cross country honors in 2002 with a fifth-place finish at the state meet ... Clocked his fastest mile in 4:16 and fastest 800m in 1:56 ... Will get his first test as a Vol in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
Garland Porter, Junior, Shot put/Discus/Hammer, 6-4, 260, Indianapolis, Ind. (Barton County CC/Ben Davis High)
Transferred from Barton County Community College ... Won three JUCO championships in 2003 ... Won two 2003 indoor national titles with victories in the shot put (59-2.25) and weight throw (62-10.75, a NJCAA National Meet record) ... Also won the shot put (58-1.25) at the NJCAA outdoor championships in addition to taking second in the hammer and third in the discus ... Named the Field Athlete of the Meet for both the junior college indoor and outdoor national championships ... Helped lead Barton to its sixth consecutive indoor and outdoor NJCAA national titles ... Boasts top marks of 59-2.5 in the shot put, 62-10.75 in the weight throw, 161-11 in the discus and 187-11 in the hammer.
Collins Roll, Freshman, 800m/1,500m, 5-11, 150, Memphis, Tenn. (Memphis University School)
Earned All-State acclaim in track and cross country ... Son of former Vol distance great Ed Murphey, the SEC mile champion three consecutive years (1955-57) and SEC cross country champion in 1956 ... Will get his first test as a Vol in the rapidly approaching cross country season.
Jak Taylor, Junior, 400m/200m, 6-4, 185, Canton, Ohio (Toledo/Canton McKinley High)
Transferred from Toledo after the Rockets dropped track and field ... Took the 400m dash title at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a career-best 46.47 timing ... Hand-timed at 21.4 in the 200m dash.
Derrick Williams, Junior, 110m hurdles/400m hurdles, 6-1, 172, Uniontown, Ohio (Barton County CC/Glenoaks High)
Transferred from Barton County Community College ... Won the 2003 NJCAA National Outdoor title with a 50.95 effort in the 400m hurdles in addition to earning runner-up honors in the 110m hurdles with a 13.59w time ... Placed fourth in the 60m hurdles at the NJCAA National Indoor Championships ... Helped lead Barton to its sixth consecutive indoor and outdoor NJCAA national titles ...Owns top times of 50.14 in the 400m hurdles, 13.96 in the 110m hurdles and 48.74 in the indoor 400m dash.
Mike Yurcho, Senior (Graduate School), Pole vault, 5-11, 160, Medford, N.J. (West Virginia/Shawnee High)
Transferred from West Virginia after the Mountaineers dropped track and field ... Won the collegiate section of the pole vault at the 2003 Penn Relays after clearing 16-6.75 ... Career-best clearance stands at 16-8.75.
