University of Tennessee Athletics
Meet Central: T&F at NCAA Outdoor
June 04, 2012 | Women's Track
June 4, 2012
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 6-9, 2012 | All Day
Drake Stadium | Des Moines, Iowa
STARTING BLOCKS
- The Vols and eleventh-ranked Lady Vols will be in Des Moines, Iowa, June 6-9, at Drake Stadium on the Drake University campus for the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
- The four-day meet will feature the top 24 athletes or relay teams in each event. These consist of the 12 best performers from the NCAA East and West Preliminary Round meets.
- Tennessee qualified a combined 17 athletes in 12 events for the 2012 NCAA Championships. UT's qualifying group grew from last season, when 11 UT athletes participated in nine events.
- Coverage of the meet will be available on NCAA.com on Wednesday and on ESPN3.com on Thursday (6:15 p.m. ET), Friday (6:30 p.m. ET) and Saturday (noon ET), with events on Saturday also airing on ESPNU from noon to 2 p.m. ET.
Noting The Big Orange
- Lady Vols and Vols Headed To Des Moines
- Lady Vol NCAA participants include Annie Alexander (shot, discus), Linda Hadfield (pole vault), Ashley Harris (4x100mR), Kia Jackson (4x100mR), Brittany Jones (200m, 4x100mR), Martinique Octave (4x100mR, 4x400mR), Chanelle Price (800m), Kianna Ruff (4x400mR), Brittany Sheffey (1500m), Nijgia Snapp (4x400mR) and Ellen Wortham (400mH, 4x400mR). There are 11 Lady Vols competing in nine events.
- Vol NCAA participants include Chase Brannon (pole vault), Desmond Brown (4x100mR alternate), Matthew Hoty (shot put), Arnez Hardnick (4x100mR), Jamol James (4x100mR), Reggie Juin (4x100mR) and Jarael Nelvis (4x100mR). There are seven Vols involved with three events.
Tennessee's Highest Ranked Entries At The NCAA Championships
- Senior Ellen Wortham is the top-seeded qualifier in the women's 400m hurdles, based on her time of 55.66 at the NCAA East meet. Wortham has a season and career best of 55.55, which broke a 28-year-old school record as she won the SEC title this season.
- Senior Chanelle Price is running strong in the 800m, heading into the meet after tying for the top NCAA Preliminary Round time in the 800m at 2:02.64, her best readout since July 2009.
- Six-time SEC Outdoor champion and five-time All-American Annie Alexander has earned a trip to the national meet in both the women's shot put and discus for the fourth time. The senior is seeded seventh in the discus and ninth in the shot coming out of the prelim round. Her season bests are 186-3 in the discus and 56-9 1/2 in the shot.
- The men's 4x100m relay, consisting of junior Reggie Juin, freshman Jamol James, sophomore Jarael Nelvis and junior Arnez Hardnick, is the top-seeded Vol qualifier, with the 11th-best time heading into the meet (39.66), based on the East meet. Both the women's 4x100m team (44.29) and the women's 4x400m relay team (3:33.59) also have the 11th spot on the entry list.
Top Returning Performers From The 2011 NCAA Outdoor Meet
- Senior Annie Alexander returns to Des Moines in both the shot and discus. Last year, Alexander finished third in both events at the national level, throwing the discus 188-9 and earning her current PR in the shot with a toss of 57-11 1/4.
- Senior Chanelle Price also checked in third at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor meet, logging a 2:03.02 effort in the 800m final for the best individual national effort of her collegiate career.
- Both of the women's relay teams headed to nationals have the same members as last year's teams. The 4x400m unit, consisting of Ellen Wortham, Kianna Ruff, Nijgia Snapp and Martinique Octave, finished in seventh place, with Octave running third and Snapp anchoring. Those two have switched spots in the lineup for this year's championship. Ashley Harris, Brittany Jones, Martinique Octave and Kia Jackson are hoping to finish higher than they did last year in the 4x100m relay (20th, 44.78).
- Senior Brittany Sheffey suffered a fall in the NCAA Outdoor semifinals last season but was advanced to the final, where she wound up placing 12th at 4:22.50.
- Senior Ellen Wortham returns in the 400m hurdles with the top seed in the event and hopes to move on to her first final. She had the seventh-best time in the semifinals in 2011, but she did not qualify for the final based on the advancement formula and her placing fourth in her heat.
- All three qualifying Vol entries are new to the NCAA Outdoor Championships this year.
Complete Meet Notes
FB | Joey Halzle Press Conference (12.17.24)
Tuesday, October 07
FB | Levorn Harbin Press Conference (10.7.25)
Tuesday, October 07
FB | Star Thomas Media Availability (10.7.25)
Tuesday, October 07
FB | Wendell Moe Jr. Media Availability (10.7.25)
Tuesday, October 07
