University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Blaase 3-Time All-American in 2014-15
June 12, 2015 | Track & Field
June 12, 2015
EUGENE, Ore. -- Distance ace Chelsea Blaase became Tennessee's first-ever women's All-American in the 10,000 meters and picked up her third All-American distinction of the season with a sixth-place finish on Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"Great race out of Chelsea," said director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "It was a tactical and very emotional race, and we knew it would be one of those races. It's hot and it's windy and a lot of the competitors did not want to lead. She ran a comfortable, quality race all the way through and ran almost a five-minute mile at the end to give herself a chance to be right in it."
Running in front of an announced attendance of 10,015 at the historic Hayward Field, Blaase ran a gritty race and recorded a 33:27.73 to finish sixth in the final of the women's 10,000 meters. The junior never strayed far from the front of the pack, even pacing the lead group at several points throughout the race. Despite battling the whole race, Blaase was at her strongest at the end, running the final mile in a time of five minutes and one second.
With her sixth-place finish in the 24-athlete field, Blaase picks up All-American honors for the third time in 2014-15. Her incredible junior campaign began in the fall when she became UT's first cross country All-American since 2008 behind a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. She was also the first women's cross-country athlete to post a top-10 finish at the national meet since 1989. From there, Blaase concluded her spring with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
"You put her year together -- top 10 cross country, fourth in indoor, and now sixth outdoor -- an All-American for three seasons is a tough thing to do at this level," Sullivan said. "We're so proud of how she represented."
Blaase becomes Tennessee's first three-time, single-season All-American since Sarah Bowman accomplished the feat for the Lady Vols in 2008-09. She also becomes the first women's All-American in the 10,000-meters in program history.
The final Tennessee competitor on Thursday, Blaase will also go down as the last Tennessee track and field athlete to compete under the Lady Vol banner. The program, combined since 2012, will compete exclusively under the Volunteer nickname next season.
Sprinter Felicia Brown and javelin specialist Maria Jimenez were also in action in Eugene on Thursday - the opening day of the women's championships. Making her second consecutive trip to Eugene in the 200-meter dash behind a career-best 22.76 at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, Brown had her sights on becoming UT's first NCAA finalist in the event since 2005. The junior put together a strong race, finishing third in her heat in a time of 22.96, but came up short of the advancing mark as she placed 10th overall in the 200-meter semifinal. She was just three tenths of a second out of qualifying as a new PR of 22.66 would have pushed her through to Saturday's final.
Brown's 10th-place finish matches her finishing position from the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships when she ran a 23.30 in the preliminary round. The junior concludes a strong season that saw her earn four individual wins between the 100 and 200-meter dash while also recording the second fastest 200-meter time in program history (22.76).
One of Tennessee's Cinderella stories entering the Championships, Maria Jimenez made her NCAA Championships debut on Thursday night after earning a surprise qualification at the NCAA East Preliminary Round two weekends ago. Competing in the javelin final, Jimenez recorded a throw of 147 feet, five inches (44.94) to finish 23rd overall. The effort was not enough to advance to the nine-woman final round, but the Monmouth transfer comes away from her sophomore season as UT's first NCAA javelin qualifier since 2001 and the owner of the fifth-best javelin mark in program history (160-7/48.95).
Friday will be the final day at the Championships for the Vols, a day that will feature senior Tavis Bailey in the men's discus at 7:05 p.m. ET. Bailey is appearing in his third consecutive NCAA discus finals and will be after his second straight All-American honor. He enters the competition as the No. 3 discus competitor in the country, riding a season-best throw of 204 feet, one inch (62.20).
MEN'S RESULTS AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wednesday
Pole Vault: 6. Jake Blankenship, 17-8.5 (5.40); 11. Tyler Porter, 17-4.5 (5.30)
Shot Put: Tavis Bailey - F
100m (Semi): 15. Christian Coleman, 10.19 (+1.7)! - dna
200m (Semi): 15. Christian Coleman, 20.61 (+1.7) - dna
400m (Semi): 22. Nathan Strother, 47.22 - dna
WOMEN'S RESULTS AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday
Javelin: 23. Maria Jimenez, 147-5 (44.94)
200m (Semi): 10. Felicia Brown, 22.96 (+1.8) - dna
10,000m: 6. Chelsea Blaase, 33:27.73
