Maxwell Strikes Bronze at SEC Indoor Championships

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - 2019.02.22 - 2019 Indoor SEC Championships

Photo by: Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

February 23, 2019 | Track & Field

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Tennessee junior Joseph Maxwell claimed a bronze medal in the men's shot put to highlight Tennessee's performances on day one of the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday at the Randal Tyson Track Center. Six UT athletes scored in their final events, while three runners qualified for five finals that are set to take place Saturday afternoon.

Maxwell took third place with a mark of 18.95m (62-2.25) - just one centimeter shy of his personal record. The performance earned Second Team All-SEC honors for the Evansville, Ontario, Canada native.

SPRINTING INTO THE FINALS: Tennessee senior captains Maia McCoy and Mustaqeem Williams each advanced to the 60m and 200m finals on the women's and men's sides, respectively.

McCoy (Memphis, Tenn.) opened the meet with a mark of 7.25 in the 60m dash, good for the third-fastest time in prelims. The senior then dominated her 200m heat in 23.03, setting a new PR that ranks No. 3 in Lady Vol history indoors.

Williams (Woodbridge, Va.) clocked a 6.66 in the 60m prelims to win his heat and automatically advance to Saturday's final. The defending 200m SEC Champion posted a season-best time of 20.84 in that event to move on to the final, scheduled for Saturday at 4:40 p.m CT.

BIG MILER PR: Sophomore Alex Crigger turned in the fastest mile of his career to advance to the event's final on Saturday. The Johnson City, Tenn. native crossed the finish line at 4:08.37, beating his previous best time by more than six seconds to place third in prelims.

SEC SCORERS: In addition to Maxwell, five other Tennessee athletes placed in the top-8 of their events to score points for their respective squads.

For the second-straight SEC Indoor meet, pole vaulter Tristan Slater scored for the Vols. The junior from Charleston, W.Va. towered over a lifetime-best 5.34m (17-6.25) to take fifth place in one of the most competitive collegiate fields the sport has seen this season, tallying four points for UT.

Zach Long also added four points for the Big Orange with a fifth-place result in the men's 5K. Running the event for the second time in his career, the Rutledge, Tenn. native clocked a mark of 14:15.93 Friday night.

Junior high jump specialist Darryl Sullivan came in sixth place for the Vols, clearing 2.19m (7-2.5) on his first attempt at the height. The mark tied his third-best career performance and it was the second time Sullivan scored at the SEC Indoor Championships.

Rookie jumper Alonie Sutton tacked on four points for the Lady Vols in her SEC Championship debut, leaping a distance of 6.17m (20-3) on her fifth attempt Friday night. The Smiths Station, Ala. native will next compete in the women's triple jump final Saturday afternoon.

Stamatia Scarvelis put up a point for the Tennessee women with an eighth-place finish in the shot put, heaving a mark of 15.78m (51-9.25). The senior captain will look to make it back-to-back All-SEC honors in the weight throw on Saturday, as the 2019 SEC leader and UT record holder competes at 3:30 p.m. CT.

RELAY SQUAD TABS FIFTH: Tennessee's men's distance relay crew of Nick Boogades, Nickson Pierre, Joe Hoots and Adam Johnston combined for a time of 9:56.70 to place fifth at the SEC meet. It was the highest DMR finish for UT at the SEC Indoor meet since 2013, as the current Vols posted the following splits:

Boogades - 1200m - 3:03.07
Pierre - 400m - 47.06
Hoots - 800m - 1:52.18
Johnston - 1600m - 4:14.41

#PRTRACKER: Eight Tennessee athletes combined to break or tie 10 indoor personal records Friday evening at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Saqukine Cameron - 200m - 23.80
Lenysse Dyer - 400m - 53.53
Maia McCoy - 200m - 23.03
Kiara Rhodes (pent.) - 60m Hurdles - 8.47
Kiara Rhodes (pent.) - High Jump - 1.67m / 5-5.75
Kiara Rhodes (pent.) - 800m - 2:30.54
LaChyna Roe - Long Jump - 5.82m / 19-1.25
Layla White - 400m - 53.91
Alex Crigger - Mile - 4:08.37
Tristan Slater - Pole Vault - 5.34m / 17-6.25

The Vols continue SEC Indoor action Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. CT with Georgios Korakidis and Seth Whitener in the men's weight throw. The conference championships will conclude with the men's 4x400m relay at 5:50 p.m.

Full results from Friday can be found at this link. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.