University of Tennessee Athletics
Nine Lady Vols Headed to NCAA Indoor Championships
March 09, 2009 | Women's Track
March 9, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The NCAA Division I Track & Field Committee announced its qualifiers Monday night for the NCAA Indoor Championship meet, and second-ranked Tennessee will be sending nine women to compete for a national title March 13-14 in College Station, Texas. UT Head Coach J.J. Clark's squad will have athletes entered in eight different events.
The Lady Vols, who are coming off an impressive victory at the SEC Indoor Championships two weekends ago, placed eighth at this meet last season and are aiming for their fifth top-10 finish in six seasons. The Big Orange won the NCAA Indoor title in 2005 and also finished third in 2007 and fourth in 2004.
Automatic qualifiers included senior Sarah Bowman (Warrenton, Va.) in the mile and 3000m; junior Lynne Layne (New Rochelle, N.Y.) in the 60m, junior Phoebe Wright (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) in the 800m and the distance medley relay quartet of Wright, sophomore Brittany Jones (Pompano Beach, Fla.), freshman Chanelle Price (Easton, Pa.) and Bowman. Alternates for the relay are senior Rolanda Bell (Laurelton, N.Y.) and freshman Ellen Wortham (Maryville, Tenn.).
Layne also made the cut provisionally in the 200m, as did senior Celriece Law (Denver, Colo.) in the 60m hurdles and sophomore Annie Alexander (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) in the shot put.
Tennessee's distance medley relay, which won in 2008, will enter as the favorite once again with its American record seed time of 10:56.40 that it posted earlier this season. Wright's victorious 2:02.39 800m readout from the SEC Championships also stands as the best in the field. Layne, meanwhile, enters with the No. 3 60m time at 7.22 and is ninth in the 200m at 23.53.
Bowman is entered in two individual events at the NCAA meet for the first time. She ranks third in the mile at 4:34.69 and ninth in the 3000m at 9:11.31. Law is tied for sixth in the 60m hurdles, while Alexander is seventh in the shot put.
UT's travel party will depart for College Station on Wednesday and begin competition Friday on the Texas A&M campus at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center.
