University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Sea Ray Relays
Vol Newcomers Pave Way Friday at Sea Ray Relays
April 09, 2004 | Men's Track
April 9, 2004
Tennessee's crop of newcomers highlighted the Volunteer effort on Friday, the longest day of the 38th Sea Ray Relays.
A third consecutive beautiful day graced Tom Black Track as the action began to heat up in anticipation of the invitational events and relays to come Saturday. The marks authored by event winners like former Vol Gary Kikaya in the 400m dash, Asics' Sam Burley in the 800m run, former Vol Anthony Famiglietti in the 1,500m run, former Vol Dawane Wallace in the 110m hurdles, Ashland Elite's A.J. Kruger in the hammer and Holyfield International's Labronze Garrett in the 400m hurdles will keep statisticians busy updating the top U.S. and world marks.
Each year, head coach Bill Webb preaches the importance of signing a few immediate impact signees. Newcomers Garland Porter, Jak Taylor, Paul Cross and Aries Merritt proved worthy of the description Friday.
In the last event of the night, Porter fared well against a highly touted stable of throwers in the invitational hammer. Porter's regional-qualifying throw of 206-0 earned eighth place and moved him to second on the 2004 SEC list. The 206-0 measurement propelled Porter to second on Tennessee's all-time list of hammer throwers. Porter, a junior transfer from Barton County Community College, waylaid his previous lifetime-best throw by a whopping 13 feet. Kruger of Ashland Elite, the third-leading American this year, won with a 230-11 distance.
"I was really relaxed today," Porter said. "It helped being a home meet. We've been working on a lot of things in practice. I'm just listening to what Coach Webb tells me to do. I think it's a good accomplishment for me [reaching second on Tennessee's all-time hammer list], but I really wasn't thinking about it when I was throwing. I was just focused on what I had to do to do the best I could."
In the 400m dash, Taylor, a junior Tennessee convert after Toledo axed its program, also found the home track to his liking, sprinting to the sixth-fastest time in the NCAA this outdoor season. Taylor finished third in the 400m dash, racing around Tom Black Track in 46.48, a regional qualifier and just one-hundredth of a second off his lifetime-best time. Former Vol Kikaya, now running for Nike, won the 400m dash in 45.57, the fourth-fastest time in the world this year.
True freshman Cross authored an impressive improvement to his lifetime-best time in the 800m run. He strengthened his hold on the squad outdoor lead in the event by running a 1:48.39, the second-fastest time by a collegian and fourth-best overall in the Sea Rays 800m. Easily a regional qualifier, Cross' time stands as the sixth-fastest time by a collegian this year based on the marks entering this weekend.
"It was good to run here and have so many people supporting you," Cross said. "I wanted to make a pretty good statement. It bothered me that I was so far back for a while, but I saw an opening and just laid the hammer down."
Also in the 800m run, Asics' Burley took the win in 1:47.76, the second-fastest time this outdoor season by an American. Marc Sylvester eased his way back from his injury hiatus with a sixth-place, 1:48.95 two-lapper.
Tennessee captured third in the 4x1,500m relay with a 15:51.29 time. Dusty Miller opened the race for Tennessee and made a charge to hand off the baton to Tim Kelly in second place. With Tennessee and Eastern Michigan tied for second, Kelly handed the baton to Rob Cloutier for the third leg. With the Vols in third, Cloutier passed to Jeff Day for the anchor lap.
In the 110m hurdles, Aries Merritt and Robert Boulware held their ground against the professional field. Merritt clocked in at 13.76, a regional qualifier but not a season best, to capture the top collegiate finish and sixth overall. Boulware crossed eighth in a lifetime-best 13.97, the only time the dual-sport athlete has broken the 14-second barrier with a wind-legal time. Boulware finished with the second-best time by a collegian and the eighth-best overall. Former Vol Dawane Wallace took the 110m hurdles win with a 13.42 time, the third-fastest by an American this year.
Merritt has also proven a quick study in the 400m hurdles. He finished with a lifetime-best 51.94 time, a regional qualifier, to place fourth among collegians and ninth overall. Holyfield International's Garrett won the event with a 49.42 time, the third-fastest by an American this year.
The Vols also made progress in the distances. Knoxville West product Miller posted his third career-best improvement in as many chances. Miller's 3:50.49 placed eighth overall and second among collegians. Former Vol Famiglietti, now running for adidas, raced to the win in 3:43.38, the third-fastest time by an American this year. In the steeplechase, Brian Mills also offered up another lifetime best courtesy of his ninth-place, 9:41.34, a 10-second
improvement.
In the pole vault, Mike Yurcho, another Vol arrival after West Virginia cut its program, became the first Vol to crack the 16-foot barrier this outdoor season with his season-best, third-place clearance of 16-0.75. Jay Mandato tied for fourth with a season-best, 15-7 leap.
Running in the open 100m dash, freshman Blake Jones upped his PR with a 10.82 clocking to take 18th in the 31-sprinter field. Sean Lambert and Jonathan Wade have been assigned to the invitational 100m dash Saturday at 3:25 p.m.
In the other throws, Porter placed 11th with a 152-0 season-best mark in the open discus. Knoxville Central product Jim Sexton earned 12th with a 149-11 mark in the discus. In the open shot put, Josh Whisman finished 12th with a 51-9.25 measurement.
The 38th edition of the Sea Ray Relays concludes Saturday with another full schedule running from 9:15 a.m. through 5:45 p.m., when the 4x400m relay caps the meet. Most of the relays and high-quality invitational fields take the track Saturday. A full Sea Ray Relays schedule and LIVE RESULTS is available on utsports.com. Admission is free.
TENNESSEE RESULTS
Sea Ray Relays, Knoxville, Tenn.
Friday, April 9, 2004
100m dash
1. Demi Omole, Wis. 10.38 *
18. Blake Jones, Tenn. 10.82 PR
400m dash
1. Gary Kikaya, Nike 45.57 *
3. Jak Taylor, Tenn. 46.48 * SB
27. Jacob Dennis, Tenn. 48.59
800m run
1. Sam Burley, Asics 1:47.76 *
4. Paul Cross, Tenn. 1:48.39 * PR
6. Marc Sylvester, Tenn. 1:48.95 *
41. Kenny Schappert, Tenn. 1:55.07
1,500m run
1. Anthony Famiglietti, adidas 3:43.38 *
8. Dusty Miller, Tenn. 3:50.49 PR
-- Rob Cloutier, Tenn. DNF
Steeplechase (open)
1. Codie See, Wis. 9:16.66
9. Brian Mills, Tenn. 9:41.34 PR
5,000m run (open)
1. James Sjostrom, Kent St. 14:50.38
10,000m run
1. Kyle Fujimoto, Hillsdale 31:23.30
110m hurdles
1. Dawane Wallace, Unatt. 13.42 *
6. Aries Merritt, Tenn. 13.76 *
8. Robert Boulware, Tenn. 13.97 * PR
24. Damond Campbell, Tenn. 14.86
26. Craig Sutherland, Tenn. 14.91
400m hurdles
1. Labronze Garrett, Holyfield Intl. 49.42 *
9. Aries Merritt, Tenn. 51.94 * PR
4x200m relay
1. N.C. A&T 1:24.75
(Marcus Satchell, Justin Byron, Calvin Redden, Tim Walls)
4x1,500m relay
1. Wisconsin 15:29.90
(Matt Tegenkamp, Ben Gregory, Bobby Lockhart, Chris Solinsky)
3. Tennessee 15:51.29
(Dusty Miller, Tim Kelly, Rob Cloutier, Jeff Day)
High jump (open)
1. Derek Watkins, Purdue 6-8.75
Pole vault (open)
1. Matt Brousse, Pittsburgh 16-8.75 *
3. Mike Yurcho, Tenn. 16-0.75 SB
4t. Jay Mandato, Tenn. 15-7 SB
Triple jump
1. Charles Mashozhera, Marquette 50-1.25
Shot put (open)
1. Rhett Hillard, Ill. St. 55-9.75 *
12. Josh Whisman, Tenn. 51-9.25
Discus (open)
1. Brent Shelby, Kent St. 168-11 *
11. Garland Porter, Tenn. 152-0 SB
12. Jim Sexton, Tenn. 149-11
Discus (invitational)
1. Vikas Gowda, Unatt. 200-7 *
Hammer (invitational)
1. A.G. Kruger, Ashland Elite 230-11 *
8. Garland Porter, Tenn. 206-0 * PR
SB-season best; PR-personal record/career best; *-NCAA regional qualifier.
