University of Tennessee Athletics
TRACK VOLS TRAVEL TO ALABAMA FOR SEC PREVIEW
March 22, 2007 | Men's Track
March 22, 2007
The Tennessee men's track and field team will compete in the Alabama Relays this weekend at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the site of this year's SEC Outdoor Championships.
"The meet this weekend is important for us," head coach Bill Webb said. "We will get to stay at the same hotel that we will for the conference meet and also see the facility. Nobody on our team has competed in Tuscaloosa, so this will be a good chance for them to get familiar with the set up and see some good competition."
Richard Wooten leads the Vols in the throwing events. The sophomore from Memphis earned Tennessee's first regional-qualifying mark last weekend at the Hurricane Invitational as he threw the hammer 185 feet, 2 inches. He also won the shot put with his mark of 54-10 3/4. Wooten is expected to compete in both throwing events this weekend. Senior Kevin Duffy, who opened his outdoor season with a third-place finish in the javelin last weekend, will throw the spear along with sophomore Matthew Maloney and team captain Chris Helwick.
Maloney and sophomore Nick Panezich join Wooten in the hammer as well. Panezich is also entered in the shot put and discus after finishing fifth in the discus last weekend, and Helwick will throw the discus.
All three of Tennessee's pole vaulters that scored at the SEC Indoor Championships are expected to compete this weekend. Michael Hogue, who won his second straight conference indoor title in the event, will open his outdoor season along with Andy Lane, who finished third, and Helwick, who tied for eighth. Freshman Brad Holtz will round out the Vols pole vault corps this weekend.
Senior Andy Baksa, who broke the Hurricane Invitational meet record in the 3,000 last weekend, will move up in distance to contest the 5,000 this weekend. Joining Baksa in the event will be freshman Richie Bonilla, sophomore Denton Jones, senior Ben Lukowski, junior Matt Piccarello, senior Chris Platt and freshman Chris Rapp. Jeff Day, a three-time regional qualifier in the steeplechase, will compete in his specialty for the first time this season.
Team captain Tyler DeVault moves up in distance to his main event, the 1,500, to lead five other Vols in the event after competing in the 800 last weekend. Andrew Dawson, Yarrick Kincaid, Platt, Brent Smith and Steve Tobin also will contest the middle distance event. Tobin is the only Vol to have competed in the 1,500 this season.
Matthieu Pritchett heads Tennessee's sprint efforts this weekend. The junior, who missed a regional-qualifying time in the 200 by five-hundredths of a second last weekend, will sprint in the 100 and 200. Freshman Kyle Stevenson, who finished fifth in the 200 at the Hurricane Invitational, also is entered in the 100-200 sprint double. Freshman Nathan Grace, a graduate of Knoxville's Bearden High, is entered in a double of his own and expected to compete in the 200 and 400.
In addition to the three field events, Helwick also will contest the 100 and 110 hurdles in training for the decathlon. Freshman De'Lon Isom is slated for double hurdle duty, and is entered in the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles. Fellow freshman John Hewitt joins Isom in the 400 hurdles, and junior Kris Fant will line up for the 110 hurdles.
Junior Akeem Hardnett, who finished second in the triple jump at this year's SEC Indoor Championships, is entered in the long jump this weekend. Fant will be UT's lone representative in the triple jump.
Tennessee will race its top 4x400 and 4x100 relay teams for the first time this outdoor season. Hewitt, Dawson, Grace and Kincaid will pass the baton in the 4x400. The coaches will choose a quartet between Pritchett, Hardnett, Evander Wells, Rubin Williams and Stevenson for the 4x100.
"The guys are returning to their usual events this weekend," Webb said. "Hopefully they are making the adjustments to competing outdoors. There is no reason why we shouldn't have a number of good performances and regional qualifiers."
Tennessee last competed at Alabama during the 2004 Alabama Relays. A total of 65 teams are entered in this year's meet, including six from the SEC. In addition to Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State will compete this weekend.
The Alabama Relays run Thursday through Sunday, with the decathlon being held Thursday and Friday. Tennessee is not competing in the decathlon, so the Vols will only compete Saturday and Sunday. Live results will be available all weekend at UTsports.com.
