University of Tennessee Athletics
No. 2 Track Vols Head to Kentucky
January 31, 2008 | Men's Track
The second-ranked Tennessee men???s track and field team sends a limited number of competitors to Lexington, Ky., this weekend for the Rod McCravy Memorial.
???This weekend is about addressing individual needs,??? head coach Bill Webb said. ???Our pole vaulters want to stay in the groove and Nick (Panezich) is really close to a big throw in the shot put. We have a number of other individuals trying to improve their standing for the SEC meet. This is a meet in between two big meets so we will have limited participation from our sprint and distance guys.???
Tennessee???s largest representation this weekend comes in the pole vault as five Vols, led by team captain Michael Hogue, line up to contest the event. In addition to Hogue, Tennessee also sends fellow team captain Jangy Addy, junior Brad Holtz and freshmen Michael Ayers and Joseph Berry into competition.
Junior Nick Panezich is entered in only one event for just the second time in his Tennessee career. In his first meet as a Vol, the Clemson Opener on Dec. 3, 2005, Panezich contested the shot put, which he is entered in this weekend. In each of the next 33 meets, Panezich has added either the weight throw indoors or the hammer and discus throw outdoors to his shot put competition.
This weekend also features two Tennessee athletes putting on the orange jersey for the first time this season. Jonathan Fluellen is entered in the long jump, while Knoxville native Brent Smith lines up for the mile. Freshman Charlton Rolle joins Fluellen in the long jump and Smith is flanked by sophomore Mike Brodsky and freshman Michael Spooner in the mile. Sophomore Chris Rapp is Tennessee???s lone competitor in the 3,000.
In addition to the pole vault, Addy, Ayers and Holtz are scheduled to contest the 3,000 in order to continue their respective preparations for the heptathlon at next month???s SEC Indoor Championships. Ayers also is slated to compete in the 60 hurdles and join Panezich in the shot put.
Nathan Grace, a 400 specialist, drops down in distance to contest the 200 this week and is joined by senior Blake Jones, who also is scheduled to be Tennessee???s only sprinter in the 60. Sophomores John Hewitt and Justin Hansen are entered in the 400 and 800, respectively. Hansen ran to a personal-best clocking in the 800 last week, while Hewitt recorded a season-best time in the 400 at the Penn State National Invitational.
The Rod McCravy Memorial is named in honor of McCravy, a former University of Kentucky track athlete who died in 1987 at the age of 19 while sleeping in his dorm room. Although only a sophomore, Rod had already become one of the team???s leaders. His charisma and genuine care for others earned him the respect and admiration of all of his teammates. His personal impact on his teammates, friends and coaches went beyond athletics. A social work major, Rod is remembered as a dedicated, enthusiastic athlete who was a conscientious student and outstanding human being. A graduate of Louisville???s Trinity High School, Rod was a two-time Class 3A Kentucky state champ in the 300-meter hurdles. He set the then-UK freshman record in the 400 hurdles and finished sixth at the TAC National Junior Championships.
The Rod McCravy Memorial, held on Kentucky???s campus at Nutter Field House, begins Friday night with the weight throw and concludes Saturday afternoon with the 4x400 relay. Due to a limited schedule on Friday night, the first event with a UT athlete is the pole vault, scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. Eastern time start on Saturday morning. Live results will be available throughout the weekend at UTsports.com.
