Blankenship, Brown, Coleman Garner SEC Weekly Honors
February 09, 2016 | Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Tennessee's Felicia Brown, Christian Coleman and Jake Blankenship earned SEC weekly track and field honors, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Brown earned her third SEC Women's Runner of the Week honor of the season. Coleman was named SEC Co-Men's Runner of the Week, marking his second runner of the week accolades this indoor season. Blankenship was named SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week.
Brown previously was named SEC Women's Runner of the Week on Jan. 12 and Jan. 26. Brown is just the third Tennessee woman to earn SEC weekly honors three times in the same season, joining Sarah Bowman (three times in 2009) and Annie Alexander (three times in 2008). Brown's impressive senior season continued with another strong weekend at Virginia Tech’s "Doc Hale" Elite Meet. Brown ran an incredible 7.31 to win the 60 meters and her lightning-fast anchor leg in the women’s 4x400 meters helped Tennessee to a winning time of 3:32.70, setting a new Rector Fieldhouse record and marking the third-fastest time in the nation this year. UT’s 3:32.70 is the fifth-fastest time in Tennessee history and its fastest since 2006.
Coleman was previously named SEC Men's Runner of the Week on Jan. 12 and as a freshman on Feb. 10, 2015. He joins Justin Hunter (twice in 2011) and Leonard Scott (twice in 2001) as the only UT men to earn SEC weekly indoor honors twice in the same season. Coleman had dominant performances this past weekend at Virginia Tech’s "Doc Hale" Elite Meet at Rector Fieldhouse. Coleman won the 60 meters in a personal-best time of 6.54, which tied for the fastest time in the nation and tied Justin Gatlin’s 2002 mark for the second-fastest time in Tennessee history. Coleman ran the second leg of Tennessee’s winning 4x400-meter relay, which clocked a 3:07.83. That was the sixth-fastest 4x400 in the nation, UT’s third-fastest ever and the Vols’ best time since 2002.
Blankenship earns SEC weekly indoor honors for the third time in his career. He previously was named SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week on Jan. 20, 2015, and SEC Co-Men's Freshman of the Week on Feb. 5, 2013. Blankenship cleared as season-high 18-9.25 (5.72 meters) at Virginia Tech's "Doc Hale" Elite Meet. That height ranks first in the nation and Blankenship was named the MVP of the meet for the men. Blankenship cleared the winning try on his third attempt.
Tennessee will next compete in both the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., and the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., from Feb. 12-13.
