Hukka Downs Program Record; Vols Log 11 Top-5 Finishes Saturday

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2019.04.12 - 52nd Tennessee Relays

Photo by: Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

Hukka Downs Program Record; Vols Log 11 Top-5 Finishes Saturday

April 20, 2019 | Track & Field

War Eagle Invite Saturday Results Virginia Challenge Results

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee graduate student Minttu Hukka broke a 14-year-old program record to highlight the UT track & field program's respective performances at the Virginia Challenge (Charlottesville, Va.) and War Eagle Invitational (Auburn, Ala.) on Saturday. The Big Orange combined for three event victories and 11 top-5 finishes on the day.

HUKKA'S HISTORIC HUSTLE: Running the event for the first time as a Lady Vol, Hukka clocked a time of 10:27.20 in the women's invite 3,000m steeplechase at the Virginia Challenge for the fastest mark in Tennessee history. A graduate transfer from Boise State, the Kotka, Finland native edged the all-time Lady Vol school record by 0.45 seconds.

The program standard was previously held by Lady Vol alumna Elizabeth McCalley (2002-05), who set the mark at the 2005 SEC Outdoor Championships in Nashville.

Hukka's mark of 10:27.20 currently ranks first in the SEC this season and 21^st on the 2019 NCAA East Preliminary qualifying list. The top-48 regional qualifiers at the end of the regular season will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA East prelims, scheduled for May 23-25 in Jacksonville, Fla.

STAM KEEPS WINNING: Senior captain Stamatia Scarvelis picked up two more event victories Saturday afternoon, moving her season total to six through the first four meets of outdoor competition in 2019. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native struck gold in both the discus throw and hammer throw at Virginia.

Scarvelis' opening discus throw of 53.83m (176-7) on Saturday was the best in the field by four feet, six inches as the senior earned her fifth victory of the season. Hours later in the hammer throw, she broke the meet record with a heave of 66.45m (218-0) that bested all other competitors by more than seven feet.

VAULTERS RAISE THE BAR: Tennessee sophomore Jack Rhea earned his first collegiate victory in the men's invite pole vault at Virginia, clearing a lifetime-best bar of 5.27m (17-3.5) for the best mark by a UT athlete this season. His clearance ranks No. 5 on the 2019 SEC performance list as well as ranking No. 11 in the NCAA East region. Additionally, teammates Tristan Slater and Andrew Ference tied for third in the event with season-best marks of 5.07m (16-7.5) for the Big Orange.

On the women's side, Hannah Jefcoat (4.02m / 13-2.25) and Kim Spritzky (3.87m / 12-8.25) each recorded new outdoor PRs to place fifth and sixth at the meet, respectively.

NOTABLE THROWS: Knoxville native Tamia Crockett started the afternoon with a season-best in the women's open shot put, hurling a mark of 15.92m (52-2.75) to place third at the meet. The distance currently ranks No. 8 on the 2019 SEC Performance List.

School-record holder Georgios Korakidis took a fifth-place finish in the men's invite hammer, vaulting himself to that position with a throw of 67.37m (221-0) on his final attempt.

NOTABLE JUMPS: LaChyna Roe competed in the first event for UT on Saturday with the women's open long jump at 10 a.m. A native of Richmond, Va., Roe finished fourth overall with a lifetime-best performance of 5.90m (19-4.25) in her home state.

Meanwhile at Auburn, high jump specialist Darryl Sullivan claimed a third-place finish with a clearance of 2.14m (7-0.25). The junior out of Marion, Ill., passed on 2.18m and was unable to clear 2.21m in his three allotted attempts.

NOTABLE DISTANCE: Abingdon, Va. native Karl Thiessen closed the night with a three-second PR in the men's 5K, crossing the line in 14:37.73 in his home state of Virginia. Earlier in the day, Adam Johnston took third place in the men's open 1500m with a time of 3:58.24.

UP NEXT: Tennessee continues its 2019 outdoor track & field season next weekend, returning to the Sunshine State for the third time this year for the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. The meet will be hosted by the University of Florida at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville on Friday and Saturday, April 26-27.

Full results from Saturday can be found at the links at the top of the article. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.