University of Tennessee Athletics
TRACK VOLS TRAVEL TO FLORIDA FOR SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
February 22, 2006 | Men's Track
Feb. 22, 2006
The Tennessee track and field team will travel to Gainesville, Fla, this weekend for the SEC indoor championships at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.
"On paper, Arkansas is the favorite, which is probably true," head coach Bill Webb said. "Tennessee, LSU and Florida will battle behind them and hope they slip up. The SEC is far and away the best conference in the country. We have eight to 10 guys who can really do well and battle for big points. After that, each and every point is important against these teams.
The competition will start Friday at noon with the heptathlon. Co-captain Helwick, Jangy Addy and Alex Dobranowski are scheduled to compete for the Vols. Helwick, a three-time All-America selection in the heptathlon and decathlon, finished second in the heptathlon at last year's conference meet. Addy took fifth in the heptathlon last year at SECs. Dobranowski, a freshman, will make his first appearance at the SEC meet.
Aries Merritt, a four-time All-America selection and owner of an automatic qualifier for NCAAs, leads the Vols in the hurdles. The junior from Marietta, Ga., will run alongside Damond Campbell and Drew Brunson in the 55 hurdles. Brunson owns a provisional-qualifying mark in the 60 hurdles, thanks to his 7.90 clocking at the Clemson Opener Dec. 3. Current SEC Runner of the Week Matthieu Pritchett will run the 55 dash along with three-time All-America Rubin Williams, who holds a provisional-qualifying time in the 60 and 200. Williams is also slated to run the 200. Jacob Dennis will round out the Tennessee sprint corps, competing in the 400. The Vols will also run the 4x400 relay.
"Aries Merritt and Chris Helwick will be favored, and they have been there before," Webb said. "Rubin Williams and Zach Sabatino are running well and can beat anybody, but competition will be stiff. I am glad to have Michael Hogue back, and I think the other pole vaulters will step up well. I feel good about our athletes being ready to have good performances and peak at the right time. The coaching staff has done a good job of getting our athletes ready to compete. I think we can keep the tradition of Tennessee as a team that exceeds expectations. We have a good history of individuals stepping up at the right time.
All-America Sabatino will run the 3,000 and 5,000 for the Vols at Florida. The senior from Charleston, W.Va., already owns provisional qualifiers in both events. West High graduate Dusty Miller will join Fairmont, W.Va., native Tyler DeVault in the mile. Karns High graduate Yarrick Kincaid will run the 800 to complete the Vols' distance corps this weekend. The Vols also plan on competing in the distance medley relay.
Co-captain Jim Sexton headlines the Vol throwers slated to compete this weekend. Sexton will participate in the weight throw and shot put. Nick Panezich and Richard Wooten will also pull double throwing duty. Wooten broke a 14-year-old freshman school record in the weight throw last weekend at the Virginia Tech Invitational with a throw of 60 inches, 5 feet. Tim Nguyen will also throw the 35-lb. weight for the Volunteers. Ell Ash is scheduled to throw the shot.
Provisional qualifier Hogue will compete for the Vols in the pole vault. After his provisional vault on Dec. 3, 2005, he required shoulder surgery and his status for the indoor season was questionable. He returned at the Tennessee Indoor Classic last weekend. Maryville High graduate Jeff Trembley will join Hogue, along with freshman Brad Holtz and Helwick, in the pole vault competition. Brunson is also slated to compete in the high jump, along with James Jones, Chris Wilson and Dobranowski. Eric Pierce, Akeem Hardnett and Carjay Lyles are expected to jump in the triple jump. Pierce is entered in the long jump, as well.
Tennessee has won more SEC championships (indoor, outdoor and cross country) than any other school in the conference. The Vols' 67 conference titles are 28 more than the next-closest school. The Vols finished third, behind Arkansas and Florida, respectively, at last year's conference indoor championships, held in Fayetteville, Ark. The last time the SEC indoor championships were held in Gainesville was 2003. The Vols finished fourth in the meet, and Jabari Greer broke the school record in the 55 hurdles with a time of 7.13. The O'Connell Center has been good to Vol hurdlers of late. Merritt broke Greer's 55 hurdles record this season with a run of 7.10 at the Gator Invitational Jan. 21, the only time the Vols have run on the track this season.
The NCAA indoor championships will be held March 10-11 in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
VOLS RANKED SEVENTH IN COACHES POLL
Tennessee is ranked seventh this week in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
Arkansas moved up to take the top spot away from Texas. The Longhorns fell to second, and LSU fell to third. Florida State remained in fourth. Wisconsin moved into fifth to round out the top five. Florida (12th) and South Carolina (17th) join the Vols, Tigers and Razorbacks to give the SEC five teams in the poll, which recognizes the top 20. Complete rankings are available at www.ustfccca.com.
Tennessee is ranked 10th in the Trackwire 25 ranking. The rankings project the Vols will score 26 points at the NCAA indoor championships.
LSU held on to first place this week with 47 points. Arkansas is in second with 45 points. Texas fell to third with 42 points. Florida State and Wisconsin remained in a fourth-place tie at 32 points. Florida (13th-tie, 18 points) is the other ranked SEC school this week.
The Trackwire 25 rankings, available at www.trackwire.com, are based primarily on individual leader lists for each of the events contested in the NCAA indoor championships and other factors. The resulting formchart, the "Dandy Dozen," is used to predict team finishes at the NCAA indoor championships.
