Vols Close Out Texas Tech Invite With Five Wins, 10 PRs Saturday

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2020.01.06 - Track and Field Photo Day

Photo by: Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

Vols Close Out Texas Tech Invite With Five Wins, 10 PRs Saturday

February 01, 2020 | Track & Field

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Tennessee track & field totaled five event victories, 13 top-five finishes and 10 personal records on Saturday as UT wrapped up competition at the Texas Tech Invitational, competing against 14 nationally ranked programs over the past three days.

"Amongst all the successes and challenges we had this weekend, I'm really proud of the Vols and Lady Vols," director of track & field Beth Alford-Sullivan said following the meet. "As I stressed to the team, it's not so much always just focusing on the outcome. It was about the process this weekend.

"We had three days of high-level competition, and we had to keep a lot of focus. I was really pleased with that component of the weekend. This meet's schedule provided us with a really good dress rehearsal for the SEC Championships a month from now."

SHOT PUT DOUBLE: Tennessee picked up event titles in both the men's and women's shot put on Saturday from redshirt-sophomore Jordan West and junior Latavia Maines.

West heaved a new indoor personal-best of 19.26m (63-2.25) to win the men's competition by more than seven feet. The mark ranks sixth in the SEC this season and moved West from No. 5 to No. 2 on Tennessee's all-time performance list in the indoor shot put.

Maines picked up her second consecutive shot put victory on Saturday, tossing a mark of 16.55m (54-3.75) that was comfortably ahead of all other competitors by at least three feet, 10.5 inches.

VOLS REIGN OVER 3K: Two of Tennessee's event wins on Saturday came from the men's and women's 3,000-meter run, as Alex Crigger (8:30.88) and Olivia Janke (9:50.20) picked up the first victories of their respective indoor careers.

On the women's side, Tennessee had five finishers in the top-7 at Texas Tech, as Janke was followed by Katie Thronson (2. 9:54.09), Megan Murray (3. 9:57.40), Sydney Seymour (5. 10:16.15) and Abigail Smith (7. 10:27.94).

LONG JUMP SBs ALL AROUND: All five Tennessee athletes that competed in the long jump on Saturday recorded season-best marks, with four of those either breaking or tying career records indoors.

On the men's side, freshman Anthony Riley logged a PR for the third-consecutive meet with a leap of 7.57m (24-10) to win the B section at Texas Tech. Junior college transfer Carey McLeod followed with a jump of 7.60m (24-11.25) in the A section for the furthest mark by a Vol this season.

Sophomore Alonie Sutton jumped 6.20m (20-4.25) to tie her indoor personal best that ranks sixth in Lady Vol history, as she was the No. 3 collegiate finisher at the meet. Freshman Prom'Myse Hoosier entered the program's top 10 with her 6.12m (20-1) performance, tying her indoor PR from high school to rank No. 10 on the Tennessee performance list. Lastly, UT rookie Shatara Johnson broke the six meter barrier indoors for the first time in her career with a jump of 6.02m (19-9) on Saturday.

FOUR-BY-FOURS FIND RHYTHM: UT track & field finished the meet with season-best times in both the women's and men's 4x400-meter relays. Brooklynn Broadwater, Britton Wilson, Vanessa Watson and Jada Chambers teamed up for a mark of 3:38.73 for the Lady Vols, while Emmanuel Bynum, Jonathan Sacoor, Rasheeme Griffith and Alex Kay put together a time of 3:09.10 on the men's side.

PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined to break or tie 10 indoor personal records on Saturday at the Texas Tech Invitational.

Jada Chambers - Women's 200m - 23.88
Olivia Janke - Women's 3000m - 9:50.20
Prom'Myse Hoosier - Women's Long Jump - 6.12m (20-1)
Shatara Johnson - Women's Long Jump - 6.02m (19-9)
Alonie Sutton - Women's Long Jump - 6.20m (20-4.25)
Alex Kay - Men's 800m - 1:50.65
Blake Ewaskey - Men's 800m - 1:52.96
Nick Boogades - Men's 800m - 1:53.20
Anthony Riley - Men's Long Jump - 7.57m (24-10)
Jordan West - Men's Shot Put - 19.26m (63-2.25)

FINAL WORDS FROM COACH SULLIVAN: "We have an expression we've been using this season, which is 'Practice, Compete, Learn, Repeat.' We have been able to go into this weekend and compete, and now the learning starts. When we go to Clemson in two weeks, we plan to produce at another level. From that, we'll go on to SECs with everything in the right place."

"My coaches did a great job this weekend. I asked them to be prepared that this was going to be a demanding weekend on coaching, and it certainly was. Our coaches stepped up and I was impressed with everybody. We are fired up. We're going to take it Clemson in two weeks, and then on to the SEC Championships. I'm glad it's February."

UP NEXT: Tennessee will take another two-week break from competition in preparation for its indoor regular season finale at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational. The meet is set for Friday and Saturday, February 14-15 at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.