University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Gatorade Classic
Vols Cap Gatorade Classic With Five Wins
May 02, 2004 | Men's Track
May 2, 2004
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee's track and field squad put the finishing touches on the 2004 outdoor home schedule Sunday afternoon by authoring five victories at the 32nd Gatorade Classic.
Jak Taylor (200-meter dash), Sean Lambert (100) and Aries Merritt (110 hurdles) contributed wins in the sprints/hurdles. Dusty Miller won the 1,500, while a quartet of middle distance runners won an unconventional 4x400 relay.
Rainy and cool weather ruled the day on Tom Black Track as the Vols squared off against their opponents and often nasty conditions in their last competitive opportunity before the SEC outdoor championships in less than two weeks.
Junior transfer Taylor showcased lifetime bests in the 200 and 400. Taylor won the 200 with a lifetime-best offering of 21.34 seconds. Taylor, who arrived from Toledo after it axed the program, also measured progress with a third-place, second among collegians, career-best time of 46.28 in the 400. Taylor's 46.28 betters his regional qualifier in his specialty. The 400 finish proved tight, as eighth-hundredths of a second separated the top-three finishers. Paul Cross, an 800 man by trade, notched a seventh-place, 47.95 PR in the 400, also bettering his chances for inclusion on the 4x400 relay in the postseason.
"I really didn't think the weather would play a part in me not running like I wanted to run," Taylor said. "Coach Anderson would have made us train in this weather anyway. He's always talking about competing regardless of the situation. He tells me what I need to do. I try to do it, and it's working. I'm excited about the SECs coming and running even faster. I'm definitely pleased with my progress."
Knoxville West graduate Miller won the 1,500 on his hometown track. Miller's 3:50.25 worksheet stands as a lifetime best. Additionally, Rob Cloutier's fourth-place, 4:02.38 time upped his season best. In fifth, Brian Mills' 4:03.02 time improves his lifetime best. Doug Brown finished sixth in 4:05.54 in the event.
Co-captain Lambert took the 100 title in 10.67 against a slight headwind. Freshman Merritt struck gold in the 110 hurdles in 13.93, a regional qualifier but not a season best.
The Vols also defended the home track in the 4x400 relay. Using a lineup of 800 specialists, Tennessee took the title with a 3:17.37 time. Kenny Schappert, Marc Sylvester, Frank Francois and Cross passed the baton for the Vols.
In the 3,000, the longest event contested Sunday, Matthew Lapp took third in a lifetime-best 8:35.85. In the 800, co-captain Sylvester finished third in a regional-qualifying 1:49.35, though he ran a bit faster at the Sea Ray Relays. Francois took fourth in 1:52.26, a season-best two-lap effort. Former Vol Jebreh Harris, now competing for Holyfield International, took the 800 win in 1:48.55.
In the 400 hurdles, Damond Campbell improved his season-best time to 55.79 to take third.
Tennessee also made headway in the throws. Garland Porter took second with a 56-3 ? regional qualifier in the shot put. Josh Whisman earned fourth with a 54-3 ? measurement. Knoxville Central grad Jim Sexton hurled the discus 153-10, a career best, to nab third. Fresh off winning the javelin last night, Leigh Smith took fourth in the discus with a 148-9 measurement.
With former Vol Olympic hopefuls Tim Mack and Lawrence Johnson opting out of the pole vault because of the weather, West Virginia transfer Mike Yurcho tied for second with a 15-5 clearance.
In the triple jump, Farragut native Kevin Yeager finished tied for second with a 43-11 ? mark in a small field. Fellow decathlete Chris Helwick took fourth in the triple jump with a 42-3 ? mark.
The Vols devote next weekend to training before reporting for duty at the SEC outdoor championships in Oxford, Miss., May 13-16.
TENNESSEE RESULTS
Gatorade Classic, Knoxville, Tenn.
Sunday, May 2, 2004
100m dash
1. Sean Lambert, Tenn. 10.67
200m dash
1. Jak Taylor, Tenn. 21.34 PR
400m dash
1. Sanjay Ayre, Puma 46.20 *
3. Jak Taylor, Tenn. 46.28 * PR
7. Paul Cross, Tenn. 47.95 PR
8. Jacob Dennis, Tenn. 48.70
800m run
1. Jebreh Harris, Holyfield Intl. 1:48.55 *
3. Marc Sylvester, Tenn. 1:49.35 *
4. Frank Francois, Tenn. 1:52.26 SB
7. Kenny Schappert, Tenn. 1:55.15
13. Jeff Day, Tenn. 2:00.08
1,500m run
1. Dusty Miller, Tenn. 3:50.25 PR
4. Rob Cloutier, Tenn. 4:02.38 SB
5. Brian Mills, Tenn. 4:03.02 PR
6. Doug Brown, Tenn. 4:05.54
-- Jeff Day, Tenn. DNF
3,000m run
1. Joseph Mutai, Kennesaw St. 8:29.85
3. Matthew Lapp, Tenn. 8:35.85 PR
6. Ed Davis, Tenn. 8:48.66
7. Nate Jansen, Tenn. 9:18.72
110m hurdles
1. Aries Merritt, Tenn. 13.93 *
7. Craig Sutherland, Tenn. 14.78
8. Blake Sabo, Tenn. 14.99
9. Alex Hritcu, Tenn. 15.47
10. Chris Helwick, Tenn. 15.60
400m hurdles
1. Jeremy Burton, Unatt. 52.62
3. Damond Campbell, Tenn. 55.79 SB
4x400m relay
1. Tennessee 3:17.37
(Kenny Schappert, Marc Sylvester, Frank Francois, Paul Cross)
Pole vault
1. Jabari Ennis, Unatt. 15-5
2t. Mike Yurcho, Tenn. 15-5
-- Jeff Trembley, Tenn. No height
-- Jay Mandato, Tenn. No height
Triple jump
1. Eric Pierce, Unatt. 46-4
2t. Kevin Yeager, Tenn. 43-11 ?
4. Chris Helwick, Tenn. 42-3 ?
Shot put
1. Edis Elkasevic, Auburn 60-11 ? *
2. Garland Porter, Tenn. 56-3 ? *
4. Josh Whisman, Tenn. 54-3 ?
7. Steve London, Tenn. 47-11 ?
9. Chris Helwick, Tenn. 42-8 ?
11. Alex Hritcu, Tenn. 40-3 ?
Discus
1. Edis Elkasevic, Auburn 184-4 *
3. Jim Sexton, Tenn. 153-10 PR
4. Leigh Smith, Tenn. 148-9
5. Alex Hritcu, Tenn. 123-11
10. Chris Helwick, Tenn. 110-5
11. Kevin Yeager, Tenn. 108-9
SB-season best; PR-personal record/career best; *-NCAA regional qualifier.
