University of Tennessee Athletics
NO. 11 TENNESSEE WOMEN AIMING HIGH AT SEC INVITATIONAL
January 23, 2004 | Women's Track
Jan. 23, 2004
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
There's nothing like a little competition to bring out the best in someone, and that's just what University of Tennessee Head Coach J.J. Clark is expecting as he takes his 11th-ranked Lady Vol track & field team to the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., for the SEC Invitational on Sunday.
The non-scored meet, which is slated to begin at 11 a.m. and conclude around 5 p.m., features five Southeastern Conference schools. In addition to UT, second-ranked Florida, No. 18 South Carolina, Auburn and Ole Miss will take part. The level of talent among these conference foes should result in an opportunity for the Big Orange women to produce NCAA-caliber results.
"The team is anxious to get started and try to land some provisional or automatic NCAA qualifying marks this weekend," Clark said. "I'm not one to dodge competition, so I like opening with a chance to see where we really are at this point and what needs to be done. It's a nice track, and there are many talented athletes competing, so we should see good results," Clark said.
Among those scheduled to see action for Tennessee are three young ladies ranked in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen this week. Juniors Nicole Cook (Petersburg, Va.) and Dee Dee Trotter (Decatur, Ga.) are ranked second in the nation in the 800 and 400 meters, respectively, while freshman Tianna Madison (Elyria, Ohio) is rated sixth in the long jump.
In Gainesville, the itinerary calls for Cook to run the 800, Trotter to tackle the 55- and 200-meter dashes and Madison to cover the 55 and 200 meters as well as the long jump. Cook and Trotter are also expected to see duty on the 4x400m relay along with junior Antoinette Gorham (Glenarden, Md.) and either junior Toyin Olupona (Orillia, Ontario, Canada) or freshman Leslie Treherne (Chesapeake, Va.).
Olupona, an NCAA Indoor 60m qualifier in 2003, is also ticketed for action in the 55m and 200m and possibly with the distance medley relay (DMR). If Olupona runs on the 4x4, then Treherne will join senior Lindsay Hyatt (Auburn, Calif.), redshirt freshman Mindy Sullivan (Lubbock, Texas) and sophomore Brooke Novak (Kaukauna, Wis.) on what promises to be a top-flight DMR lineup.
Senior Kameisha Bennett (Dayton, Ohio) and Gorham, All-Americans in 2002 with UT's 4x400m relay, are entered in the 800 alongside Cook as well as Treherne. Hyatt, an All-American in the 800 and with the DMR at Stanford before transferring to UT prior to the 2004 campaign, will also be running the mile and should be joined in that race by Sullivan, junior Elizabeth McCalley (Knoxville, Tenn.), sophomore Katie Flaute (Dayton, Ohio) and redshirt freshman Megan Cauble (Knoxville, Tenn.), all of whom played key roles on Tennessee's 2003 SEC and NCAA South Region cross country team championships. Cauble, Flaute, McCalley and senior Jessica Southers (Ashland, Ky.) are also entered in the 3000 meters.
Others on the travel list include juniors Jamie Rebella (Merrill, Wis.) and Kendra Rhyne (Andersonville, Tenn.) in the pole vault, sophomore Caitlin Ward (Gibsonia, Pa.) in the 55m hurdles, 400 meters, high jump and shot put, sophomore Sara Vigil (Tucson, Ariz.) in the weight throw and shot put, and rookie Edra Finley (Mobile, Ala.) in the high, long and triple jumps.
EVENT (NCAA DIV. I QUALIFYING MARKS)
55m Hurd. Trials (Auto: 7.61; Prov: 7.87) 11:00 a.m.
Caitlin Ward
High Jump (Auto: 1.84, Prov: 1.78) 11:00 a.m.
Edra Finley
Caitlin Ward
55m Dash Trials (Auto: 6.79; Prov: 6.93) 11:40 a.m.
Tianna Madison
Toyin Olupona
Dee Dee Trotter
Wt. Throw (Auto: 19.50, Prov: 18.50) App. 12:30 p.m.
Sara Vigil
Long Jump (Auto: 6.40, Prov: 6.20) App. 12:30 p.m.
Tianna Madison
Edra Finley
Pole Vault (Auto: 4.20, Prov: 3.95) App. 12:30 p.m.
Kendra Rhyne
Jamie Rebella
55m Hurd. Finals (Auto: 7.61; Prov: 7.87) 12:40 p.m.
Caitlin Ward?
55m Dash Finals (Auto: 6.79; Prov: 6.93) 1:00 p.m.
Tianna Madison?
Toyin Olupona?
Dee Dee Trotter?
Mile (Auto: 4:39.10, Prov: 4:49.00) 1:35 p.m.
Lindsay Hyatt
Mindy Sullivan
Elizabeth McCalley
Megan Cauble
Katie Flaute
400m (Auto: 53.20, Prov: 54.80) 2:15 p.m.
Caitlin Ward
800m (Auto: 2:06.05, Prov: 2:09.40) 3:00 p.m.
Nicole Cook
Antoinette Gorham
Leslie Treherne
Kameisha Bennett
200m (Auto: 23.70, Prov: 24.20) 3:35 p.m.
Tianna Madison
Toyin Olupona
Dee Dee Trotter
3000m (Auto: 9:16.80, Prov: 9:35.80) 3:55 p.m.
Megan Cauble
Jessica Southers
Katie Flaute
Elizabeth McCalley
DMR (Auto: 11:17.00, Prov: 11:38.00) 4:25 p.m.
Lindsay Hyatt/Toyin Olupona or Leslie Treherne
Mindy Sullivan/Brooke Novak
4x400mR (Auto: 3:35.70, Prov: 3:41.20) 4:55 p.m.
Dee Dee Trotter/Nicole Cook
Antoinette Gorham/Leslie Treherne or Toyin Olupona
Shot Put (Auto: 16.50, Prov: 15.20) App. 4:00 p.m.
Sara Vigil
Caitlin Ward
Triple Jump (Auto: 13.30; Prov: 12.65) App. 4:00 p.m.
Edra Finley
KEY * - NCAA Automatic Qualifier, + - NCAA Provisional Qualifier, ! - Personal Record (Indoors), ^ - Oversized Track Qualifying Standard, b - Banked Track Qualifying Standard, dnf - Did Not Finish, dnq - Did Not Qualify For Finals, dnr - Did Not Run, f - Facility Record, nm - No Mark Recorded, p - Prelims, s - School Record (Indoors), u - Undersized Track Qualifying Standard
