University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Vols Qualify With Purpose at NCAA Championships
June 10, 2004 | Men's Track
June 10, 2004
AUSTIN, Texas - Tennessee's second day of the NCAA championships Thursday produced a sunnier outlook than the rain-soaked first day at Texas' Mike A. Myers Track Stadium. The Vols pieced together a solid qualifying effort and, most importantly, didn't get any negative surprises.
While the Vols didn't have any scoring opportunities Thursday, Leigh Smith (javelin), Aries Merritt (110-meter hurdles) and Marc Sylvester and Paul Cross (800) all advanced to give Tennessee a chance at moving the scoreboard later.
"We just competed our hearts out," head coach Bill Webb said. "Leigh really tuned things up well in the javelin. The way Marc and Paul qualified it was almost like you had written a script. I couldn't be happier getting two guys in the 800. What a great race for Aries to get in the 110 hurdles finals as a freshman. We had a season-best in the 4x400 and just missed. Sean ran it but he was limping after the race with his hamstring. Coach Watts and Anderson deserve a lot of credit. They knew the Vols were here today."
The NCAA track and field committee hammered out a revised schedule, which was released Wednesday night about 11 p.m. CT. Tennessee's staff stayed up and met to see how the revisions would affect the Volunteers. In a significant strategic change, all of the three-round races (100, 200, 400, 800, 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles) were transformed into two-round affairs. Instead of qualifying via three rounds - prelims, semifinal and final - those races now consisted of just prelims and finals. Instead of having to pile on multiple races and rounds in the next three days, the semifinal round was eliminated. While the change makes the most sense for the health of the athletes, advancing to the finals directly dramatically increases the stakes for the preliminaries.
At Mike A. Myers Stadium, its straightaways flanked by Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Football Stadium to the west and Interstate 35 to the east, the javelin is contested down the center of the infield. Throwers launch their javelins toward the President Lyndon Baines Johnson Library complex, which hems the track's north curve.
All of the javelin throwers in the qualifying aimed for the 239-6 line, which granted an automatic pass to the finals. Smith's first throw measured 235-11. Smith surpassed that line in the sand on his second throw with a 251-0 measurement, the second-best of the day and one of three automatic qualifiers.
With the wind at his back for both of his attempts, Smith ran down the runway and unleashed the javelin toward the LBJ Library to earn his ticket to the NCAA finals Saturday afternoon. Smith stood as the first thrower in the first flight to land his spear past the automatic qualifying mark. With his trip to the finals secure, Smith passed on his third attempt. Boise State's Gabriel Wallin's 254-8 leader set the stage for a competitive final. Wallin jumped from sixth on the NCAA list to third with his Thursday qualifying leader. Smith still leads the NCAA on the season. Penn's Brian Chaput, who ranks second in the NCAA, finished third in the prelims with a 245-7 mark to nab the last of the automatic qualifiers.
Tennessee sent two 800 men to the finals thanks to solid prelim efforts by Sylvester and Cross. Sylvester clocked in at 1:47.84, fourth in the second and fastest heat and the sixth-fastest time of the day. Sylvester stood fifth at the halfway mark before passing Alabama's Peter Etoot, the man who would have taken his spot, in the last 50 meters. Cross won the third heat with a time of 1:47.99, the day's seventh-fastest overall. Cross led at the halfway mark. However, Cross had drifted back to fourth on the final curve before using what is becoming a trademark close to outkick Arkansas' James Hatch for the heat win.
Thanks to Sylvester's and Cross' successful prelim effort, Tennessee sends two into the 800 finals, the only school to qualify two in the event.
Freshman Merritt put together one of the best races of his young career to nab the last finals spot in the 110 hurdles. Merritt's ninth-place, 13.55w qualifier from the prelims was only slightly wind aided at 2.2 meters per second. If the wind reading had been just 2.0 meters per second or lower, wind legal, Merritt's time would have rewritten his personal best and own freshman school record.
"I think my race went OK," Merritt said. "I got out well, but I cleared hurdle seven way too high. It broke my rhythm. I'm capable of going 13.40-something. It's just a matter of putting it all together in the finals."
The Vols just missed on their crusade to make the 4x100 relay finals by one-tenth of a second. After sewing together a 10th-place, 39.52 time, Tennessee stood as the first team to miss the cut. After a forced weather evacuation from the track minutes before the 4x100 relay prelims were to begin Wednesday, Jeremy Burton, Jonathan Wade, Sean Lambert and Jak Taylor went through their paces in season-best form Thursday. The Tennessee four authored a much cleaner relay after suffering some handoff problems at the SEC and regional championships.
The quartet and sprint coach Vince Anderson deserve credit for piecing together a season-best time despite a shifting lineup. Previously, Tennessee's season-best 4x100 relay effort of 39.60 came courtesy of Blake Jones, Wade, Lambert and Taylor at the Sea Ray Relays. After the regional championships, the Tennessee staff thought it would be without Lambert's services after his injury and subsequent disqualification. Then the Vols' mentors decided to substitute Burton for Jones on the first leg. Tennessee then found out Lambert had been reinstated for the relay only.
"We had a seasonal best, but it's always about getting into the finals," Lambert said. "We were the first ones out so it was a little disappointing. It's the NCAA meet and everybody comes to play here."
Tennessee's near miss bookends co-captain Lambert's impressive career. Lambert earned six All-America certificates as a short-sprint and relay specialist. His overachieving fourth-place finish in the 100 at the 2001 NCAA outdoor meet in Eugene, Ore., stands as a chief reason the Vols turned back a powerful TCU squad for the team gold. The senior chemistry major began his collegiate career training with Tennessee sprint luminaries Leonard Scott and Justin Gatlin before taking leadership of the group the last two years.
"I found out a lot about myself [during his collegiate career]," Lambert said. "I always found something extra for the big meets. I know I had some really good times in practice with Leonard and Justin, but my last year I've been more consistent and confident. A lot of that has to do with Coach Anderson. He's a good coach and kept me sharp. I made a decision after last year that I wasn't going to lose the improvement I made. I wasn't going to let it go but build on it. I was determined to have the best season of my life, and I did that despite not being able to compete in the 100 at the NCAAs."
Wade closed his NCAA meet with a 20.98, 22nd-place finish in the 200 prelims.
Blake Sabo begins the first five events of the decathlon Friday. Taylor continues his NCAA meet in the 400 prelims. Merritt gives the Vols their first scoring opportunity in the 110 hurdles finals Friday night. The NCAA championships conclude Saturday night.
VOLS PLACE 14 ON SEC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Tennessee placed 14 track and field/cross country athletes on the 2004 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, the squad's best total since 2001 and third-best ever. Six of those Vols qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional and/or the NCAA championships.
Only Florida's 16 honorees and LSU's 15 bettered the Vols' total. Tennessee leads the conference with 115 selections to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in the Bill Webb era (1996-present).
The following Volunteers helped Tennessee increase its conference lead: Frank Francois, management; Brett Frykberg, biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology; Nate Jansen, chemical engineering; Sean Lambert, chemistry; Matthew Lapp, exercise science; Jay Mandato, graduate school-sport management; Brian Mills, speech communication; Chandler Rice, sport management; Blake Sabo, graduate school-sport management; Leigh Smith, wildlife/fisheries science; Craig Sutherland, finance; Jeff Trembley, psychology; Kevin Yeager, marketing and Mike Yurcho, sport management.
TENNESSEE RESULTS
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Austin, Texas
Thursday, June 10, 2004
200m dash (preliminary)
1. Tyson Gay, Ark. 20.09 Q
22. Jonathan Wade, Tenn. 20.98
800m run (preliminary)
1. Jonathan Johnson, Texas Tech 1:46.76 Q
6. Marc Sylvester, Tenn. 1:47.84 Q
7. Paul Cross, Tenn. 1:47.99 Q
110m hurdles (preliminary)
1. Josh Walker, Fla. 13.42 Q
9. Aries Merritt, Tenn. 13.55w Q
4x100m relay (preliminary)
1. Florida State 38.92 Q
10. Tennessee 39.52 SB
(Jeremy Burton, Jonathan Wade, Sean Lambert, Jak Taylor)
Javelin (qualifying)
1. Gabriel Wallin, Boise St. 254-8 Q
2. Leigh Smith, Tenn. 251-0 Q
Q-qualified for event finals; SB-season best; PR-personal record/career best.
