University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Tennessee Men Place 6th at NCAA Championships
June 11, 2016 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. -- Christian Coleman took second place in the men's 100 meters and 200 meters and Nathan Strother finished fifth in the 400 meters as the Tennessee men wrapped competition at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor National Track & Field Championships on Friday at Hayward Field.
The Tennessee men finished with 30.0 points to place sixth overall for the Vols' first top-10 showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championship since finishing fourth in 2007. Florida won the men's team title with 62.0 points. Five of the top six teams (Arkansas was second, Texas A&M was third, Oregon was fourth, LSU was fifth) are from the SEC.
"I thought we did really well," Tennessee director of track and field and cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We did not have a perfect meet, but we ended up in the top 10 and in sixth place and backed up our third-place finish from indoors. To be quite honest with you, we held together really well. It was an exciting day."
Coleman, who had set a Tennessee school record in the 100 meters with a 10.03 (+1.6) in Wednesday's semifinal, clocked 10.23 (-2.3) to take NCAA silver in the event on Friday. He was one hundredth of a second behind the winner, Jarrion Lawson.
Coleman took second place in the 200 meters with a PR of 20.26 (-0.2). That time ranks fourth in Tennessee history and is the fastest 200 by a Vol since Evander Wells ran 20.25 in 2008. He was the 2016 200-meter indoor champion, giving back-to-back All-American honors in the 200 meters this year.
"It was a little cold here in Oregon, but it was exciting to see Christian Coleman, who was 15th and 15th in his events last year, be a runner-up and runner-up this year," Sullivan said. "If that stings, it really shouldn't because he got a school record out of it and he put himself in an elite group at the NCAA Championships.
Strother placed fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 45.72 to garner First Team All-American honors. He has earned All-American status in the 400 meters in both the indoor (finished second) and outdoor seasons this year.
"Nathan Strother had a huge weekend, kind of ran out of a little bit of gas coming down the home stretch today and ended up in fifth place," Sullivan said. "He competed with all heart this weekend. That on top of Jake Blankenship's pole vault championship and all of the great efforts of all of the guys that ran and competed here today, I'm very proud of the Vols. We definitely made a splash at this. We scored 30 points. Next year we've got to score 50 and get in the game up front."
Below are Tennessee's results and full schedule of competition for the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. All times listed are Pacific Time.
The Tennessee women will wrap UT's stay in Eugene on Saturday the 4x100 squad, Chelsea Blaase (5,000 meters), Felicia Brown (200 meters) and Felecia Majors (400 meters) competing in finals. Saturday will feature an ESPN broadcast starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
TENNESSEE MEN
NCAA CHAMPION: Jake Blankenship (pole vault) - 10 points
NCAA FINALISTS: Christian Coleman (2nd in 100m, 2nd in 200m) - 16 points; Nathan Strother (5th in 400m) - 4 points
TENNESSEE WOMEN
NCAA FINALISTS: Chelsea Blaase (5th in 10,000m - 4 points | 5,000m); Felicia Brown (200m); Felecia Majors (400m); Tennessee 4x100
NCAA Championships Schedule
Wednesday, June 8
Men's 4x100 Semifinal - Tennessee - (Mustaqeem Williams, Christian Coleman, Malik Elion, Nathan Strother), DQ
Men's Pole Vault Final - 1. Jake Blankenship, 5.60m (18-4.50)
Men's 100m Semifinal - 2. Christian Coleman, 10.03sr (+1.6)
Men's 400m Semifinal - 1. Nathan Strother, 45.07
Men's 200m Semifinal - 3. Christian Coleman, 20.32 (+0.3); 12. Mustaqeem Williams, 20.73 (-0.2)
Men's 4x400 Semifinal - 8. Tennessee (Ari Cogdell, Mustaqeem Williams, Darryl Harris, Nathan Strother), 3:05.21
Thursday, June 9
Women's 4x100 Semifinal: 7. Tennessee (Felicia Brown, Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors, Maia McCoy), 43.66
Women's Javelin Throw Final: 22. Maria Jimenez, 46.88m (153-10 )
Women's 100m Semifinal: 10. Felicia Brown, 11.37 (+1.3)
Women's 400m Semifinal: 7. Felecia Majors, 52.29
Women's Shot Put Final: 16. Cassie Wertman, 16.28m (53-5)
Women's 200m Semifinal: 3. Felicia Brown, 22.68 (-0.5); 21. Kali Davis-White, 23.69 (+0.3)
Women's 10,000m Final: 5. Chelsea Blaase, 32:49.03
Women's 4x400 Semifinal: 10. Tennessee (Lenysse Dyer, Layla White, Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors), 3:32.88
Friday, June 10
Men's 100m Final: 2. Christian Coleman, 10.23 (-2.3)
Men's 400m Final: 5. Nathan Strother, 45.72
Men's 200m Final: 2. Christian Coleman, 20.26 (-0.2)
Saturday, June 11
Women's 4x100 Final - 3:32 p.m. PT: Tennessee
Women's 400m Final - 4:32 p.m. PT: Felecia Majors
Women's 200m Final -5:07 p.m. PT: Felicia Brown
Women's 5,000m Final - 5:25 p.m. PT: Chelsea Blaase
