University of Tennessee Athletics
STEVENSON QUALIFIES FOR PAN-AMERICAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 24, 2007 | Men's Track
June 24, 2007
Five members of the Tennessee men's track and field team, along with eight Vol alumni, competed at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships this weekend in Indianapolis.
Freshman Kyle Stevenson will represent the US in the Pan-American Junior Championships after qualifying in the 200. The Memphis native recorded the second-fastest time in the junior 200 preliminaries and finals, running a time of 21.02 in the finals to earn a spot on the national team. Stevenson lowered his personal-best time twice in the 100, recording times of 10.46 and 10.40 in the preliminaries and finals, respectively. He finished fifth in the event and is entered in the pool for the 4x100 relay at the Pan-Am games.
"I'm excited about going to Pan-Am," Stevenson said. "I've been talking about it for the whole season. This is where I wanted to be. It's a great way to finish the season. I couldn't have done it without (sprints coach) Norbert Elliott and the support of my teammates."
Rubin Williams and Evander Wells were the only two collegiate athletes to qualify for the 200 semifinal. Williams recorded the fifth-fastest time in the first round, while Wells earned the 16th-fastest time. In the semifinals, Williams ran 20.51, the fourth-fastest time in the round, and Wells, a freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga., stopped the clock at 21.15. Williams, a junior from San Jose, Calif., ran into a slight headwind during the finals and recorded a personal-best time of 20.40 that ranks fifth on Tennessee's all-time performance list in the event.
Chris Helwick qualified for the USA vs. Germany Decathlon Championships in his final meet wearing the orange of Tennessee. The seven-time All-America finished seventh in the decathlon with his score of 7,714. Helwick will represent Team USA at the annual decathlon clash, which will be held this year in Stuttgart, Germany Aug. 18-19.
Junior Yarrick Kincaid concluded his collegiate season, which included his first All-America honor, by recording a time of 1:50.00 in the first round of the 800 that ranked 28th among the competitors in the event.
"Very few collegiate athletes can do well in the USA championships," head coach Bill Webb said. "The collegiate season is so long. We are proud of how our athletes competed this weekend. Rubin and Evander both ran well in the premier event of the meet. Kyle and Chris made international teams and will get to represent the United States."
Former Vol Tom Pappas defended his decathlon title from last year by scoring 8,352 points. Tennessee's school record holder in the decathlon qualified for the IAAF World Championships, which he won in 2003, with his finish.
Other former Vols performed well enough to still be in contention to compete at the World Championships. Leonard Scott finished seventh in the 100 and made the relay pool for the 4x100 team. Anthony Famiglietti and Tim Mack will serve as alternates for Team USA after finishing fourth in the steeplechase and pole vault, respectively.
The third-place finisher in the steeplechase has until Aug. 1 to meet the IAAF `A' standard, which Famiglietti achieved last summer. If the standard is not met, Famiglietti will be added to the USA roster for the IAAF World Championships. Mack, the 2004 Olympic champion and Olympic record-holder, has also met the `A' standard in the pole vault.
Tennessee signees Michael Ayers and Joseph Berry also performed well during the weekend. Ayers was the top high school finisher in the junior decathlon as he placed sixth behind five collegiate athletes with his score of 7,005. Berry finished sixth in the pole vault after clearing the bar at 15-11.
The XV Pan-American Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13-29, while the 11th IAAF World Championships will be held Aug. 25-Sept. 2 in Osaka, Japan.
| TENNESSEE RESULTS USA Championships, Indianapolis, Ind. Sunday, June 24, 2007 | ||
| 200 | ||
| 1. | Tyson Gay, adidas | 19.62 MR |
| 5. | Rubin Williams, Tenn. | 20.40 PR |
| 200 (semifinals) | ||
| 1. | Tyson Gay, adidas | 20.15q |
| 4. | Rubin Williams, Tenn. | 20.51q |
| 15. | Evander Wells, Tenn. | 21.15 |
| Saturday, June 23, 2007 | ||
| Decathlon | ||
| 1. | Tom Pappas, Nike | 8,352 |
| 7. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 7,714 |
| Decathlon 110 hurdles | ||
| 1. | Tom Pappas, Nike | 14.12 |
| 12. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 15.09 |
| Decathlon discus | ||
| 1. | Tom Pappas, Nike | 152-0 |
| 9. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 134-6 |
| Decathlon pole vault | ||
| 1. | Paul Terek, Asics | 16-8 3/4 |
| 5-t. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 16-0 3/4 |
| Decathlon javelin | ||
| 1. | Chris Richardson, VS Ath. | 206-4 |
| 2. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 206-0 |
| Decathlon 1,500 | ||
| 1. | Chris Randolph, Club NW | 4:20.88 |
| 3. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 4:29.59 |
| 200 (first round) | ||
| 1. | Tyson Gay, adidas | 20.66q |
| 5. | Rubin Williams, Tenn. | 20.83q |
| 16. | Evander Wells, Tenn. | 21.25q |
| Friday, June 22, 2007 | ||
| 200 (juniors final) | ||
| 1. | Arthur Wims, Neb. | 20.86 |
| 2. | Kyle Stevenson, Tenn. | 21.02 |
| 200 (juniors first round) | ||
| 1. | Arthur Wims, Neb. | 21.09q |
| 2. | Kyle Stevenson, Tenn. | 21.45q |
| Decathlon 100 | ||
| 1. | Bryan Clay, Nike | 10.58 |
| 14. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 11.43 |
| Decathlon long jump | ||
| 1. | Tom Pappas, Nike | 24-7 1/4 |
| 14. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 21-11 |
| Decathlon shot put | ||
| 1. | Ryan Harlan, Unatt. | 54-4 3/4 |
| 12. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 44-0 3/4 |
| Decathlon high jump | ||
| 1. | Ryan Harlan, Unatt. | 6-9 3/4 |
| 6-t. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 6-6 1/4 |
| Decathlon 400 | ||
| 1. | Joe Detmer, Unatt. | 47.09 |
| 10. | Chris Helwick, Tenn. | 50.54 |
| Thursday June 21, 2007 | ||
| 100 (juniors final) | ||
| 1. | Rynell Parson, Unatt. | 10.23 |
| 5. | Kyle Stevenson, Tenn. | 10.40 PR |
| 100 (juniors first round) | ||
| 1. | Rynell Parson, Unatt. | 10.30q |
| 4. | Kyle Stevenson, Tenn. | 10.46q PR |
| 800 (first round) | ||
| 1. | Nicolas Symmonds, Ore. TC | 1:46.17q |
| 28. | Yarrick Kincaid, Tenn. | 1:50.00 |
| MR-meet record; PR-personal record/career best mark; q-qualified for the next round | ||
