University of Tennessee Athletics
Four VFLs Advance On Day 1 of U.S. Trials
July 02, 2016 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. -- Five former and current Tennessee stars were in action on Friday, the opening day of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field.
UT rising junior Nathan Strother finished 23rd in the men's 400-meter first round with a time of 46.36. Strother finished fifth in a very fast first heat that featured four qualifiers for the semifinals.
VFL Tianna Bartoletta advanced to the final of the women's long jump after recording the third-best jump in the qualifying stage. Bartoletta jumped 6.77 meters (22-2.50, +2.7) on her second try. The final is Saturday at 11:45 a.m. PT/2:45 p.m. ET. Bartoletta is also competing in Saturday's women's 100-meter first round at 12:33 p.m. PT/3:33 p.m. ET after qualifying for the event with the No. 6 time of 10.94.
A trio of VFLs advanced to semifinals. In the women's 800-meter first round, UT greats Chanelle Price (Nike) and Phoebe Wright (Nike), placed fifth and seventh, respectively to move on to the semifinals. Price finished second in the second heat with a time of 2:01.13 and Wright was right behind her at 2:01.35. The women's 800-meter semifinals are Saturday at 11:43 a.m. PT/2:43 p.m. ET.
Tennessee great DeeDee Trotter clocked the No. 10 time in the women's 400-meter first round. Trotter finished in 52.01 to take second in the third heat. The women's 400-meter semifinals are on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET.
Several Tennessee standouts will open competition on Saturday. On the men's side, Jake Blankenship will compete in the qualifying stage of the men's pole vault at 10:30 a.m. PT/1:30 p.m. ET. Justin Gatlin and UT rising junior Christian Coleman will run in the first round of the men's 100 meters at 1:01 p.m. PT/4:01 p.m. ET.
Six Tennessee women will be in action on Saturday. In addition to Bartoletta, Price, Wright and Trotter, VFL Liz Costello and rising redshirt senior Chelsea Blaase will run in the women's 10,000-meter final at 11:04 a.m. PT/2:04 p.m. ET.
JAMAICAN TRIALS
Tennessee rising senior Kali Davis-White advanced to the final of the women's 100 meters at Jamaican Trials. On Thursday, she clocked a 11.38 in the prelims to advance to the semifinals. Davis-White ran a PR 11.25 in Friday's semis to move on to the final on Friday night. She finished eighth in the final with a time of 11.37. Davis-White will next run in the women's 200-meter prelims on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Below is a list of U.S. Olympic Trials events featuring 12 VFLs and four current Tennessee student-athletes.
Men's 100m
Justin Gatlin (Nike) - No. 1 qualifying mark - 9.77
Christian Coleman (Tennessee) - No. 14 qualifying mark - 10.03
First Round: Saturday, July 2, at 1:01 p.m. PT/4:01 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Sunday, July 3, at 4:19 p.m. PT/7:19 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 3, at 5:53 p.m. PT/8:53 p.m. ET
Men's 200m
Justin Gatlin (Nike) - No. 1 qualifying mark - 19.74
Christian Coleman (Tennessee) - No. 20 qualifying mark - 20.26
First Round: Thursday, July 7, at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Friday, July 8, at 5:37 p.m. PT/8:37 p.m. ET
Final: Saturday, July 9, at 5:42 p.m. PT/8:42 p.m. ET
Men's 400m
Nathan Strother (Tennessee) - No. 8 qualifying mark - 45.07
First Round (Friday, July 1): 23. Nathan Strother, 46.36
Men's 110m Hurdles
Aries Merritt (Nike) - No. 5 qualifying mark - 13.24
First Round: Friday, July 8, at 3:02 p.m. PT/6:02 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Saturday, July 9, at 4:25 p.m. PT/7:25 p.m. ET
Final: Saturday, July 9, at 5:52 p.m. PT/8:52 p.m. ET
Men's Discus
Tavis Bailey - No. 4 qualifying mark - 65.82m
Qualifying: Thursday, July 7, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET
Final: Friday, July 8, at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET
Men's Pole Vault
Jake Blankenship - No. 3 qualifying mark - 5.72m
Qualifying: Saturday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m. PT/1:30 p.m. ET
Final: Monday, July 4, at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET
Women's 100m
Tianna Bartoletta (Nike) - No. 6 qualifying mark - 10.94
First Round: Saturday, July 2, at 12:33 p.m. PT/3:33 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Sunday, July 3, at 4:02 p.m. PT/7:02 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 3, at 5:44 p.m. PT/8:44 p.m. ET
Women's 200m
Felicia Brown - No. 8 qualifying mark - 22.26
First Round: Friday, July 8, at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Saturday, July 9, at 5:03 p.m. PT/8:03 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 10, at 5:11 p.m. PT/8:11 p.m. ET
Women's 400m
DeeDee Trotter - No. 14 qualifying mark - 51.24
First Round (Friday, July 1): 10. DeeDee Trotter, 52.01
Semifinals: Saturday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 3, at 4:38 p.m. PT/7:38 p.m. ET
Women's 800m
Chanelle Price (Nike) - No. 4 qualifying mark - 1:59.10
Phoebe Wright (Nike) - No. 13 qualifying mark - 2:00.61
First Round (Friday, July 1): 5. Chanelle Price, 2:01.13; 7. Phoebe Wright, 2:01.35
Semifinals: Saturday, July 2, at 11:43 a.m. PT/2:43 p.m. ET
Final: Monday, July 4, at 5:42 p.m. PT/8:42 p.m. ET
Women's 1,500m
Sarah Brown (New Balance) - No. 3 qualifying mark - 4:03.20
First Round: Thursday, July 7, at 6:26 p.m. PT/9:26 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Friday, July 8, at 5:03 p.m. PT/8:03 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 10, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET
Women's 5,000m
Liz Costello (New Balance / New Balance Boston) - No. 23 qualifying mark - 15:28.88
First Round: Friday, July 7, at 4:20 p.m. PT/7:20 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 10, at 4:28 p.m. PT/7:28 p.m. ET
Women's 10,000m
Liz Costello (New Balance / New Balance Boston) - No. 6 qualifying mark - 31:43.79
Chelsea Blaase (Tennessee) - No. 17 qualifying mark - 32:08.39
Final: Saturday, July 2, at 11:04 a.m. PT/2:04 p.m. ET
Women's 400m Hurdles
Ellen Wortham - No. 30 qualifying mark - 56.91
First Round: Thursday, July 7, at 5:58 p.m. PT/8:58 p.m. ET
Semifinals: Friday, July 8, at 4:31 p.m. PT/7:31 p.m. ET
Final: Sunday, July 10, at 4:03 p.m. PT/7:03 p.m. ET
Women's Long Jump
Tianna Bartoletta (Nike) - No. 2 qualifying mark - 7.14m
Qualifying (Friday, July 1): 3. Tianna Bartoletta, 6.77m (22-2.50, +2.7)
Final: Saturday, July 2, at 11:45 a.m. PT/2:45 p.m. ET
Women's Shot Put
Cassie Wertman (Tennessee) - No. 20 qualifying mark - 17.68m
Qualifying: Thursday, July 7, at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET
Final: Thursday, July 7 at 6:15 p.m. PT/9:15 p.m. ET
