NCAA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS AWAIT NINE LADY VOLS

June 5, 2006

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A long and sometimes trying season will come to a close for the University of Tennessee women, June 7-10, as nine Lady Volunteers compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University - Sacramento.

Making the trip west for UT will be seniors Patricia Hall (400m, 4x100mR, 4x400mR) and Jessica Reust (pole vault); junior Leslie Treherne (800m, 4x400mR); sophomores Courtney Champion (100m, 4x100mR, 4x400mR), Shanna Dickenson (discus throw), LaTonya Loche (4x100mR, 4x400mR) and Cleo Tyson (100m, 200m, 4x100mR); redshirt freshman Celriece Law (100mH) and freshman Sarah Bowman (1500m).

The 2005 NCAA Indoor champions, Head Coach J.J. Clark's Big Orange women had expectations for making runs at more hardware during the 2006 indoor and outdoor campaigns. The loss of world, NCAA and SEC long jump champ Tianna Madison to the pro ranks, combined with injuries that sidelined or limited the training of several key performers, has thus far kept UT from attaining those lofty goals.

Clark believes, though, that his squad has worked its way through the difficult times and is peaking at the right time.

"I feel like we have had some great performances at the right time, at the SEC and regional meets," the fourth-year skipper said. "No question about it, if you look at the beginning of our indoor and outdoor seasons, and look at us now, we are definitely going in a much better direction. If that's peaking, I believe we are doing it at the right time."

Among those shining the brightest is Hall. The senior from St. Ann, Jamaica, is Tennessee's highest ranked competitor, entering the meet with a readout of 51.52 seconds in the 400 meters that stands second among the qualifiers. She also runs on the third-seeded 4x400m relay, joining with Champion (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Loche (Bastrop, La.) and Treherne (Chesapeake, Va.) to post a season-best time of three minutes, 29.75 seconds. Treherne's 2:04.66 clocking in the 800 meters ranks her seventh in the NCAA field.

Huntsville, Texas, product Cleo Tyson is seventh among the 100m dash qualifiers (11.10), is 10th in the 200 meters (22.97) and joins Champion, Hall and Loche to provide UT the No. 7 4x100m relay unit in the land at 43.77.

Rounding out Tennessee's cast are Reust (Knoxville, Tenn.), who is 11th in the pole vault; Bowman (Warrenton, Va.), who is 13th in the 1500 meters; Law (Denver, Colo.), who is 18th in the 100m hurdles; Dickenson (Cincinnati, Ohio), who is 27th in the discus throw; and Champion, who is 27th in the 100m dash.

"We have a good group of nine going to the NCAA meet, competing in several different events" Clark said. "We are just looking to score as many points as possible and try to consistently be in the top echelon of NCAA track & field programs. I believe we have a team that can do that, but we need some things to fall our way, and we need people to stay healthy."

The Lady Vols get started on Wednesday with six different events. The 4x100m relay semifinals are first on the agenda at 6 p.m. Eastern Time (3 p.m. Pacific), followed by Treherne in the 800m first round at 6:40 p.m. ET, Law in the 100m hurdles first round at 7:30 p.m., Dickenson in the qualifying round of the discus at 7:30 p.m., Tyson in the opening round of the 200m at 8:10 p.m. and Hall in the first round of the 400m at 8:50 p.m. If Law advances, she would run in the 100m semifinals at 9:30 p.m.

TOUGH BREAK FOR NOVAK: Lady Vol senior Brooke Novak (Kaukauna, Wis.), who was extended an at-large bid to the NCAA meet last Tuesday, had that invitation rescinded late last week. According to Clark, a member of the NCAA Track & Field Committee explained that an automatic qualifier was inadvertently left off the qualifying list. When that athlete was added to the meet, Novak, as the last at-large qualifier in the 1500 meters, was no longer in the meet. That unfortunate turn of events effectively ends Novak's career at UT.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7TH AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

4x100mR Semi. (Regional: 45.70) 3:00 p.m. PT

Courtney Champion / Cleo Tyson / LaTonya Loche / Patricia Hall

800m 1st Rd. (Regional: 2:09.80) 3:40 p.m. PT

Leslie Treherne

100m Hurdles 1st Rd. (Regional: 13.92) 4:30 p.m. PT

Celriece Law

Discus Qual. (Regional: 155-2/47.30m) 4:30 p.m. PT

Shanna Dickenson

200m 1st Rd. (Regional: 23.96) 5:10 p.m. PT

Cleo Tyson

400m 1st Rd. (Regional: 54.61) 5:50 p.m. PT