University of Tennessee Athletics
Alexander, Layne Snag SEC Weekly Honors
January 15, 2008 | Women's Track
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? The University of Tennessee women, ranked third in the nation in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll, collected two of the Southeastern Conference???s three female track & field athlete of the week honors during the season???s first voting period, the league announced Tuesday.
Sophomore sprinter Lynne Layne (New Rochelle, N.Y.) was named the SEC Female Runner of the Week, while rookie thrower Annie Alexander (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) was chosen as the Female Freshman of the Week.?? Pole vaulter Katie Stripling of Arkansas was selected as the Female Field Athlete of the Week.
Layne opened her 2008 campaign by winning the 60-meter dash title at the Kentucky Invitational on Jan. 12.?? The second-year performer raced to a career-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 7.37 seconds to claim victory at Kentucky???s Nutter Field House.?? It marked the first individual indoor victory of Layne???s career, and her time moved her to No. 6 on UT???s all-time performers list in that event.
To win the race, Layne defeated senior teammates in 12-time All-American Cleo Tyson and 10-time All-American Courtney Champion, the school record-holder in the 60m and the SEC Championships runner-up in that event in 2005 and 2007.???????????????? Her time ranks her number one in the conference this week.
Alexander, meanwhile, won the shot put and indoor discus throw competitions in Lexington.?? She moved to number two and number one, respectively, on the school???s all-time performers lists in those events and was named earlier Tuesday as the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week.
In the shot, Alexander stretched the tape to an indoor career best and an SEC-leading measurement of 53 feet, 9 1/2 inches to claim victory at Kentucky.?? Her mark, which easily met the NCAA provisional qualifying standard, was the farthest by a Lady Vol in 12 seasons and the seventh-longest ever achieved indoors by a UT woman.?? It would have been good enough to place her third at last year???s SEC Indoor Championship meet.
Her effort in the discus, 164-3, was more than enough for first-place honors in an event that is not usually contested indoors.?? Alexander???s mark was the best ever by a UT performer in that event.??
