University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Track & Field Championships Begin Thursday
May 11, 2004 | Men's Track
May 11, 2004
OFFICIAL RELEASE 
| OUTDOOR TOP TIMES | MEET SCHEDULE
Tennessee's track and field squad stares down a Thursday through Sunday appointment at the toughest conference meet of them all--the Southeastern Conference outdoor championships. The Vols travel to Ole Miss' brand new track and field complex for the school's first hosting of the conference classic.
Annually one of the top collegiate meets in the land, the SEC outdoors shouldn't disappoint this year with rosters brimming with talent and certainly some future Olympians. Despite losing some world-class talent the last two years, Tennessee finds itself among the list of the top-six contenders.
"We have a number of big scorers that can do well," head coach Bill Webb said. "I look forward to watching guys like Garland Porter, Leigh Smith, Brett Frykberg, Sean Lambert, Jonathan Wade, Jak Taylor and Aries Merritt compete. But what may be of more importance for us is that there are several events where we can pick up two and even three scoring spots. Some of those events include the 800, decathlon, hurdles, hammer and steeplechase. As always, there is great importance in scrapping for those sixth, seventh and eighth-place points."
Tennessee holds the all-time SEC lead with 24 conference outdoor titles. However, the Vols find themselves squaring off against some great teams seeking to slice into their lead. The Trackwire 25, a ranking that attempts to project the finish at the NCAA meet, has featured an all SEC top four for the last several weeks.
"We have the top-four teams nationally in the SEC," Webb said. "The conference is better than it has ever been, and that's saying something. It's by far and away the most dominant conference in the nation by any ranking. On paper, Florida and Arkansas are heavily favored. Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and Auburn will be fighting it out for the top three. However, all would love for step up and knock off Florida or Arkansas should either falter."
The Vols suit up the 30-man limit for traveling to the Magnolia State. Tennessee contests each event except the long jump and triple jump. The 5,000-meter run and pole vault boast the most Vol entrants tentatively with five. In addition to the four-man 4x100 and 4x400 relays, the Vols also send four decathletes to the line to start the meet. Tennessee is also set to welcome a new face from practice into the championship competitive arena.
"We'll be picking up Jeremy Burton for the conference meet," Webb said. "He's completed his requirements, and we're excited about having him."
The meet begins Thursday with the the decathlon. The decathlon, hammer and 10,000 finals give the Vols their first scoring opportunity late Friday night. Additionally, preliminaries in the 200, 800 and 400 hurdles take place Friday night. Saturday consists of mainly more prelims with finals in the steeplechase and shot put dotting the schedule. Sunday is always the big day with nothing but finals and the avalanche of points accompanying them up for the taking.
VOLS HOLD STEADY IN WEEKLY RANKINGS UPDATE
Tennessee's track and field squad held its ground in the weekly update to the Team Power Ranking and Trackwire 25.
The Volunteers remain fifth in the U.S. Track Coaches Association Team Power Ranking. Tennessee has tallied 394.5 points, up from last week's total of 393.79. The USTCA Team Power Ranking attempts to reward teams fielding complete squads across all events. Tennessee has won the USTCA Team Power Ranking title nine times since 1991, most recently the 2003 outdoor season.
The Volunteers stand 23rd in the weekly update to the Trackwire 25 with 11 points, mirroring last week's spot. The Trackwire 25, available on www.trackwire.com, attempts to project the finish at the NCAA meet by analyzing national event leader lists and other factors.
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