University of Tennessee
NCAA East Preliminary Round
UT Has 17 Entries For NCAA Championships
May 28, 2016 | Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tennessee punched 10 more tickets for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as UT enjoyed several impressive showings on Saturday at the NCAA East Preliminary Round at Hodges Stadium. The Vols will have 17 entries competing in 15 events next month in Eugene, Ore.
"We really came into this first round and executed extremely well," Tennessee director of track and field and cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We brought 25 people down to Jacksonville and we will be taking 17 on to Eugene, and that is just a tremendous showing. We have all four relays going and the young people are really in a position to do some damage once we get out to Eugene. We are just absolutely thrilled with it. We had great weekends out of a lot of the standard kids who have been coming through all year. Chelsea Blaase with a double and Felicia Brown and Christian Coleman in multiple events. Jake Blankenship is really on top of his game. It's an exciting time to see the potential as we move into Eugene."
On the men's side, UT has six individuals who combined for seven NCAA entries over six events. Sullivan and her staff had seven men's entries in 2015 as well. Nine Tennessee women combined for 10 entries over nine events. The 10 entries on the women's side are Tennessee's most since having 12 entries in 2009.
"We had great stuff going on," Sullivan said. "I give a huge shout out to Kali Davis-White and Mustaqeem Williams getting through in the 200 meters, coming back from a disappointing 100-meter experience yesterday and putting themselves in position to make the 200. They strengthened us up in those events. We are looking great up front with our front-end kids really ready to fire and get after it in Eugene. It is an exciting time for the program and I feel like both teams held up very well here. I look for them to take their ambition and desire all the way on up to Eugene for our next stop."
UT will have four relay squads (men's and women's 4x100s and 4x400s) competing at the NCAA Championships. Tennessee will send a men's 4x100 to the outdoor national championships for the first time since 2012. The 4x100 of Williams, Coleman, Malik Elion and Nathan Strother ran the second-fastest time of the East prelims, clocking 39.07. The men's 4x400 of Ari Cogdell, Coleman, Williams and Strother was the UT's 10th and final qualifier of the weekend, posting the seventh-best time of 3:05.85.
The Big Orange women's 4x400 quartet of Lenysse Dyer, Majors, Layla White and Brown clocked the top time of the East prelims with a blazing 3:28.32. That time is the second-fastest in UT history, behind only the 2005 4x400 of LaTonya Loche, Patricia Hall, Courtney Champion and Antoinette Gorham, which ran 3:27.46. That same 4x400 took fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Tennessee's women's 4x100 of Maia McCoy, Davis-White, Felecia Majors and Brown raced to the No. 3 time of 43.71. UT last sent women's 4x100 and 4x400 squads to NCAAs in 2012.
In the women's 200 meters, Brown ran the fastest time of the day at 22.27 (+4.1) to advance to Eugene in her signature event. Brown is now qualified for four events - the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 and 4x400. Davis-White was not far behind, posting the 10th-best time of 22.90 (+4.1) to qualify and make her second trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2014, Davis White competed for Florida State in the 4x100, taking seventh with a time of 44.82.
Like Brown, Coleman will have a busy slate at NCAA Championships, competing in the men' s 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 and 4x400. Coleman ran the No. 5 time in the 200 meters with a 20.36 (+2.9) to qualify. Williams, who will be making his first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, qualified with a 20.59 (+3.6) to take 12th place in the 200 meters.
Cassie Wertman punched her ticket to Eugene by taking second place in the women's shot put with a season-best throw of 17.20 meters (56-5.25). Wertman will be making her second trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2014, she finished 15th in the shot put with a throw of 16.02 meters (52-6.75).
Blaase, who had qualified for the women's 10,000 meters on Thursday, clocked the sixth-best time in the 5,000 meters on Saturday at 16:13.10 to have her name on both long distance events at the national championships. She is the first Tennessee woman to qualify for the 5,000 meters since Jackie Areson did in 2010.
The 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held from June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Tickets can be purchased by clicking this link on NCAA.com. Day 1 (June 8) of the Championships will feature a live broadcast on ESPN2 starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPNU will carry Day 2 (June 9) starting at 7:30 p.m. ET and ESPN will broadcast the next two days with an 8:30 p.m. ET start on Day 3 (June 10) and a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Day 4 (June 11).
Advancing To NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
TOTAL: 17 entries (7 men's, 10 women's), 15 individuals competing (6 men, 9 women), 15 events (6 men's, 9 women's)
THURSDAY: Chelsea Blaase (women's 10,000m), Jake Blankenship (men's pole vault), Maria Jimenez (women's javelin)
FRIDAY: Felicia Brown (women's 100m), Christian Coleman (men's 100m), Felecia Majors (women's 400m), Nathan Strother (men's 400m)
SATURDAY: Chelsea Blaase (women's 5,000m), Felicia Brown (women's 200m), Christian Coleman (men's 200m), Kali Davis-White (women's 200m), Cassie Wertman (women's shot put), Mustaqeem Williams (men's 200m), Women's 4x100 (Maia McCoy, Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors, Felicia Brown), Women's 4x400 (Lenysse Dyer, Felecia Majors, Layla White, Felicia Brown), Men's 4x100 (Mustaqeem Williams, Christian Coleman, Malik Elion, Nathan Strother), Men's 4x400 (Ari Cogdell, Christian Coleman, Mustaqeem Williams, Nathan Strother)
2016 NCAA East Preliminary Round Results/Schedule
Thursday, May 26
Men's Hammer First Round: 22. Cameron Brown, 63.67m (208-10)
Women's Javelin First Round: 5. Maria Jimenez, 49.84m (163-6)
Men's Long Jump First Round: 24. Mustaqeem Williams, 7.40m (24-3.50)
Men's Pole Vault First Round: 1. Jake Blankenship, 5.30m (17-4.50); T17. Tyler Porter, 5.15m (16-10.75)
Women's 100m First Round: 5. Felicia Brown, 11.36 (-0.4); 11. Kali Davis-White, 11.47 (+0.1)
Women's Long Jump First Round: 28. Cidae'a Woods, 5.87m (19-3.25)
Men's 100m First Round: 5. Christian Coleman, 10.31 (+0.3); 23. Mustaqeem Williams, 10.53 (-0.7)
Women's 400m First Round: 3. Felecia Majors, 52.19; 17. Layla White, 52.98; 26 Lenysse Dyer 53.21
Men's 400m First Round: 3. Nathan Strother, 45.71; 12. Ari Cogdell, 46.28
Women's 10,000m Semifinal: 2. Chelsea Blaase, 34:11.76
Friday, May 27
Men's Javelin First Round: 23. Kyle Quinn, 63.18m (207-3)
Men's Discus First Round: 29. Matthew Zajac, 52.49m (172-2)
Women's Pole Vault First Round: 26. Kristen Denk, 4.10m (13-5.25); 41. Erin Champion, 3.80m (12-5.50)
Women's 400m Quarterfinal: 6. Felecia Majors, 52.15; 19. Layla White, 53.44
Men's 400m Quarterfinal: 2. Nathan Strother, 45.30; 14. Ari Cogdell, 46.27
Women's 100m Quarterfinal: 6. Felicia Brown, 11.36 (-0.3); 17. Kali Davis-White, 11.51 (-0.3)
Men's 100m Quarterfinal: 1. Christian Coleman, 10.20 (+0.4); 14. Mustaqeem Williams, 10.42 (+0.4)
Women's 200m First Round: 1. Felicia Brown, 22.48 (+0.3); 8. Kali Davis-White, 23.12 (+1.0); 38. Maia McCoy, 24.01 (+1.6)
Men's 200m First Round: 7. Christian Coleman, 20.53 (+1.2); 14. Mustaqeem Williams, 20.70 (+1.2)
Saturday, May 28
Women's Shot Put First Round: 2. Cassie Wertman, 17.20m (56-5.25)
Women's 4x100 Quarterfinal: 3. Tennessee (Maia McCoy, Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors, Felicia Brown), 43.71
Men's 4x100 Quarterfinal: 2. Tennessee (Mustaqeem Williams, Christian Coleman, Malik Elion, Nathan Strother), 39.07
Women's Triple Jump First Round: 43. Cidae'a Woods, 11.99m (39-4) (+2.5); 46. Brielyn Rogers, 11.89m (39-0.25) (+2.4)
Women's 200m Quarterfinal: 1. Felicia Brown, 22.27 (+4.1); 10. Kali Davis-White, 22.90 (+4.1)
Men's 200m Quarterfinal: 5. Christian Coleman, 20.36 (+2.9); 12. Mustaqeem Williams, 20.59 (+3.6)
Women's 5000m Semifinal: 9. Chelsea Blaase, 16:13.10
Men's 5000m Semifinal: 35. Austin Whitelaw, 14:49.45
Women's 4x400 Quarterfinal: 1. Tennessee (Lenysse Dyer, Felecia Majors, Layla White, Felicia Brown), 3:28.32
Men's 4x400 Quarterfinal: 7. Tennessee (Ari Cogdell, Christian Coleman, Mustaqeem Williams, Nathan Strother), 3:05.85
