University of Tennessee Athletics
SEXTON NAMED SEC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
May 03, 2006 | Men's Track
May 3, 2006
Tennessee thrower Jim Sexton was named SEC field athlete of the week by the conference office Wednesday. The senior co-captain from Knoxville broke his personal record in the hammer throw Saturday at the Penn Relays by launching the hammer 210 feet, good enough for fourth on Tennessee's all-time list in the event. His mark leads the conference by almost 15 feet, with his next closest competitor holding a season-best mark of 195-8. In addition to leading the conference, Sexton's mark is ranked third in the Mideast region and 17th in the NCAA. Tennessee's track and field team is off this week because of exams and will return to action May 11-14 at the SEC championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
VOLS SEVENTH IN LATEST POLLS
Tennessee held the seventh position in this week's United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
Florida State continues to lead the rankings, followed by LSU in second place. Texas jumped one spot to third, and Arkansas dropped to fourth. UTEP remained in fifth place. Florida is ranked ninth in this week's poll, giving the SEC four teams in the top 10, more than any other conference. South Carolina (19th) rejoined the rankings, which recognize the top 20, after being unranked last week.
The USTFCCCA rankings, available at www.ustfccca.com, are determined each week by a panel of 38 college coaches representing each of the four regions of the country and will be updated on a weekly basis through the week of the NCAA outdoor championships in June.
Tennessee remained seventh in this week's Trackwire 25 rankings. The rankings project the Vols will score 25 points at the NCAA outdoor championships.
Florida State remained in the top spot with 59 points, followed by LSU in second with 50 points. UTEP stayed in third place with 48 points, and Texas jumped to fourth with 46. Arkansas fell into a tie with Arizona for fifth at 30 projected points. Florida (eighth-tie, 23 points) and South Carolina (20th-tie, 14 points) are also ranked in this week's poll, giving the SEC five teams in the top 25.
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 outdoor championships and other factors. The resulting formchart, the "Dandy Dozen," is used to predict team finishes at the NCAA outdoor championships.
Tennessee has five athletes ranked in the Dandy Dozen this week. NCAA indoor champion and outdoor regional qualifier Aries Merritt is ranked first in the 110-meter hurdles. Rubin Williams, who is qualified for the Mideast regional in the 100 and 200, is ranked third in the 200 and seventh in the 100. Chris Helwick, who scored 7,707w points at the Sea Ray Relays, is ranked fourth in the decathlon. Zach Sabatino, ranked eighth in the steeplechase, moved onto the list for the first time this season after running a personal-best time of 8:46.64 at the Penn Relays last weekend. Eric Pierce, ranked ninth in the triple jump, also makes his debut on the list after recording a season-best wind-legal jump of 51-2 1/4 at Penn. In addition to the five individuals, Tennessee's 4x100 relay team of Matthieu Pritchett, Jonathan Wade, Merritt and Williams, which boasts a season-best time of 39.77, is ranked eighth.
