University of Tennessee Athletics
Coleman Earns Fifth SEC Runner of the Week Award
May 02, 2017 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee junior sprinter Christian Coleman was named SEC Co-Runner of the Week on Tuesday.
Coleman posted a time of 9.93 seconds in the 100m dash at the SEC Relays on Saturday. He claimed first place while racing with a +3.2 m/s wind at his back. His mark was the top time in the NCAA this year and tied for the sixth-fastest time in the world in 2017, regardless of wind.
The time of 9.93 seconds leads all Americans in the 100m this year. It would rank as a Tennessee school record, if wind was not taken into account. Coleman currently owns the school record after setting it last year at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
In addition to the 100m competition, Coleman ran the opening leg for Tennessee's 1600m sprint medley relay team. Tennessee posted a time of 3:17.13 to finish fourth place in the competition with all four teams surpassing the Bernie Moore Stadium record. The mark ranks eighth in Tennessee history in the sprint medley.
Coleman shares the runner of the week honors with Texas A&M's sprint medley relay team as the Aggies set a collegiate record with a time of 3:11.94.
This is the ninth time overall and fifth time this year that Coleman has earned the SEC Runner of the Week Award. He won the award one other time during outdoor season, three times during indoor season, three times as a sophomore and once as a freshman.
This is the seventh SEC weekly award Tennessee has won in 2017 as Shania Collins won the women's runner of the week award on January 10 and Domonique Turner was named Freshman of the Week during the indoor season.
In addition to winning the race on Saturday, Coleman took the internet by storm on Monday with a video of him running the 40-yard dash in 4.12 seconds.
A lot of talk about 40-yard dashes this weekend, so we asked the fastest man in the NCAA @__coleman to run one. pic.twitter.com/CpgWYvqnCI
-- UT Track & Field/XC (@Vol_Track) May 1, 2017
