University of Tennessee Athletics
Track Banquet Celebrates 2004 Season
October 04, 2004 | Men's Track
Oct. 4, 2004
The 2004 edition of the Tennessee track and field squad gathered one last time Sunday night to look back on the season and celebrate one of the university's most successful programs with a presentation of awards at the annual team banquet at Buddy's Banquet Hall in Bearden. About 175 people attended the two-hour dinner and awards ceremony including athletes, families, coaches, administrators and special guests.
The 2004 journey brought the Vols through a rebuilding project, unfamiliar territory for Tennessee, that began to pay dividends in the championship portion of the outdoor schedule as both veterans and newcomers peaked when the lights were the brightest.
The Volunteer track and field/cross country program has won five NCAA titles. Entering the 2005 season, Tennessee owns 67 Southeastern Conference team titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, far and away the best total in the conference. The Tennesseans also lay claim to 365 all-time individual SEC titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track.
While Tennessee was regaining its swagger in the collegiate realm, the former Volunteers authored the most successful Olympic year in the program's proud history. Thanks to former Vols Justin Gatlin, who won a gold medal in the 100, silver in the 4x100-meter relay and bronze in the 200, and Tim Mack, who soared to a gold medal and the Olympic medal in the pole vault, Team Tennessee made an impressive ascent up the medal count. With Athens, Greece, setting the perfect stage for the most anticipated event in global athletics, Gatlin, Mack, Tom Pappas, Anthony Famiglietti and Gary Kikaya showed the world the caliber of track and field athlete molded in the valley of the Volunteers. Kikaya, an Olympian in the 400 and opening ceremonies flag bearer for the Democratic Republic of Congo, attended the banquet.
Master of ceremonies Dr. Buck Jones, a nationally-renowned track and field announcer and respected UT professor, began the evening with staff introductions of the architects of the program -- head coach Bill Webb and assistant coach George Watts. The official introduction of newly hired assistant coach Norbert Elliott, in charge of directing Tennessee's sprint/hurdle/horizontal jump effort, proved to be a special highlight of the banquet.
The Tennessee administration was also well represented. Athletics director Mike Hamilton and Gary Wyant, executive associate athletics director, attended the banquet. Tennessee head swimming coach John Trembley also attended to see his son, Jeff, receive the Herb Neff Award.
Webb listed a series of highlights from the 2004 season. SEC champions, All-America honorees, Olympic Trials competitors and junior champions from both the U.S. and world meet were recognized. Webb then honored the school record breakers from 2004. He also introduced the track/football athletes, who carry on a long tradition dating from former vice-presidential nominee Estes Kefauver, Richmond Flowers, Willie Gault and Leonard Scott. Webb next highlighted the newcomers before focusing on the senior class of 2005.
Athlete awards were announced following the introductions. Academic laurels were presented first. The James Snow Award, given to the outstanding academic freshman, went to Jeff Day, a distance runner who earned a 3.88 GPA in the spring semester. Brett Frykberg earned the Dr. Jack Chesney Award, given to the outstanding academic senior after graduating in May with a 3.6 GPA in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. Frykberg made the trip back to Knoxville from his current studies at the Medical School of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth. Kay Shanahan, assistant director of the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, submitted a list of 23 track and field/cross country athletes who earned 3.0 GPAs or better during the spring semester 2004.
One of the oldest and most coveted team awards, the 38th annual Will Pritchett Award, given to the most dedicated senior by the Knoxville Track Club, was earned by Rob Cloutier. Cloutier, his career a testament to hard work and dedication, finished 2004 as the squad leader in the 1,500 and mile and climbed to fourth on the Vols' all-time list in the 1,000. Pritchett was a Tennessee letterman and longtime meet official who set the school pole vault record in the early 1930s with a bamboo pole. He learned to vault on a dirt runway with makeshift standards and a straw mat during the Depression, armed with industriousness in the greatest tradition of the Volunteer.
Sean Lambert and Marc Sylvester earned the Jon Young Captain's Award after guiding the youthful Vols through the highs and lows associated with a rebuilding campaign. Young was a speedster and a key cog in the foundation for Tennessee's storied relay tradition. The second annual John Stucky Lifter of the Year Award was then presented to Alonzo Williams by assistant strength coach Chris Stewart. Stewart said Williams was "pound for pound, the strongest man on the team."
Most Valuable Freshman Track Athlete honors were shared by 800 man Paul Cross and high hurdler Aries Merritt for their All-America seasons. Also an All-America selection in his first year, decathlete Chris Helwick earned the Most Valuable Freshman Field Award.
Jacob Dennis, Jim Sexton and Jeff Trembley shared the fourth Herb Neff Award, presented to a non-scholarship or freshman student-athlete who makes an important contribution. Neff was a Vol walk-on track athlete who won the SEC high jump twice, in addition to playing basketball where he still holds the school record for most rebounds in a game with 36 against Georgia Tech in 1952.
The Comeback of the Year Award went to Frykberg, who returned from an injury layoff in 2003 to post the best season of his career in 2004. Robert Boulware earned the Most Improved Award after posting significant progess in the high hurdles.
Frykberg also captured the Volunteer Award, given to the toughest competitor. After a serious back injury was thought to have ended his career in 2003, Frykberg practiced on his own and rehabbed with great effect. Frykberg returned to lead the Vols in the high jump and also score in the javelin at the SEC outdoor championships.
Jak Taylor earned the Ironman Award after packing in every event he could during his one year of competition for Tennessee. Taylor ran every event from the 55 to the 400 and could be counted as one of Tennessee's most versatile relay performers.
In the third presentation of the Career Achievement Award, Lambert was honored after accumulating six All-America certificates during his career. Lambert, one of the fabulous Tennessee Three with Gatlin and Scott, ably led the Tennessee sprint corps upon their departure. Lambert played a valuable role on two SEC outdoor championship teams, an NCAA outdoor title and was often at his best when his teammates had hit a rough patch.
Lambert also earned nods as the Most Valuable Track Athlete after getting the Vols on the scoreboard at the NCAA indoor championships. Lambert also continued to fulfill his captain's role throughout the outdoor season as the senior helped guide the youthful Vols to higher ground. In his first season on The Hill, Garland Porter was named Most Valuable Field Athlete after laying waste to Tennessee's school record in the weight throw and chiseling his name second on the school hammer list.
The Ed Murphey Award always ends the banquet as one of the oldest and most coveted awards. Since 1965 the Ed Murphey Award has been presented to the Vol who offered up the most noteworthy single performance from the past year. Leigh Smith won the 2004 Ed Murphey Award after launching the javelin 267-11 to just miss the Olympic `A' standard in Chula Vista, Calif. No Vol has ever thrown the javelin farther. While the Murphey Award highlights a single excellent performance, Smith pieced together a senior year to remember. Smith walks away from The Hill as the most decorated javelin thrower in Tennessee history with the school record, SEC meet record, three SEC titles and three All-America certificates. Murphey, a former Vol and a bedrock of Tennessee's distance success, was an All-America selection in 1956 as a miler and four-time SEC champion. The award is also traditionally presented at the Tennessee-Kentucky basketball game.
TRACK BANQUET 2004 LIST OF AWARDS
James Snow Award (Most outstanding academic freshman) - Jeff Day.
Dr. Jack Chesney Award (Most outstanding academic senior) - Brett Frykberg.
Will Pritchett Award (Most dedicated senior) - Rob Cloutier.
Jon Young Captain's Award - Sean Lambert and Marc Sylvester.
John Stucky Lifter of the Year - Alonzo Williams.
Most Valuable Freshman (Track) - Paul Cross and Aries Merritt, (Field) - Chris Helwick.
Herb Neff Award (Non-scholarship or freshman athlete who makes valuable contribution) - Jacob Dennis, Jim Sexton and Jeff Trembley.
Comeback of the Year - Brett Frykberg.
Most Improved Athlete - Robert Boulware.
Volunteer Award (Toughest competitor) - Brett Frykberg.
Ironman Award - Jak Taylor.
Career Achievement Award - Sean Lambert.
Most Valuable Athlete (Track) - Sean Lambert, (Field) - Garland Porter.
Ed Murphey Award (Outstanding performance) - Leigh Smith.
School records
Leigh Smith (javelin, 267-11, school record)
Garland Porter(weight throw, 69-5 1/4, school record)
Aries Merritt (60 hurdles, 7.85, indoor freshman school record; 110 hurdles, 13.47, outdoor freshman school record)
Chris Helwick (heptathlon, 5,525, indoor freshman school record)
Dusty Miller (mile, 4:07.04, indoor freshman school record)
Jeff Day (mile, 4:08.25, indoor freshman school record prior to Miller)
