Vols Wrap Up Hokie Invite With Five Event Wins On Saturday

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Tennessee track & field claimed five first-place finishes on Saturday as the program completed competition at Virginia Tech's Hokie Invitational. Going up against eight ACC programs at the meet, the Big Orange tabbed victories in the men's shot put, women's 400-meter, men's 400-meter, men's 5,000-meter and women's 4x400-meter relay inside the Rector Field House.

"It was really, really encouraging to see some great performances this weekend," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said after the meet. "I was impressed with all the different event areas representing. We broke the rust off [last week] after 321 days without competition, and this week we just started to turn up the focus and the intensity. Still competing and having fun, and not necessarily worrying about the outcome, but focused on the process of just getting better every single time we're out there. I was proud to see that, and I thought the Vols and Lady Vols rose up on all occasions."

Redshirt junior Jordan West highlighted the afternoon with his second-straight shot put victory, as the Rahway, New Jersey, native heaved a new personal-best mark of 19.69 meters (64-7.25). His mark currently ranks as the No. 4 performance in the NCAA this season and improved his standing as the No. 2 performer in Tennessee history by 43 centimeters (17 inches).

Lady Vol sophomore Britton Wilson took first place in her 400-meter dash season opener, dropping a time of 55.17 in Blacksburg. She was followed closely by her classmate Vanessa Watson, who took third in the event at 56.17.

The Volunteer men earned a 1-2-3 podium sweep in the men's 400-meter, led by junior Belgian international Jonathan Sacoor who clocked in at 47.36 in two laps around the track. Tennessee sophomores Emmanuel Bynum (47.60) and Sebastian Cooper (47.74, PR) finished second and third, respectively, as all three Vols were running the event for the first time this season.

Max Barbour represented the Vols in the 5,000-meter, placing first overall with his time of 14:36.58 that was a personal-best by more than 18 seconds. The senior distance specialist from Baltimore was making his season debut Saturday afternoon.

The Tennessee women's 4x400-meter relay squad posted a season-best at Virginia Tech, as Britton Wilson (54.77), Joella Lloyd (56.55), Vanessa Watson (54.61) and Martina Weil (53.76) combined for a winning time of 3:39.68 in Blacksburg. The performance ranks the Lady Vols top-10 in the country so far this season.

MAINES KEEPS STREAK ALIVE: Lady Vol senior and reigning SEC champion Latavia Maines was the top collegiate athlete in the women's shot put for the sixth meet in a row on Saturday. Her performance of 16.18 meters (53-1) finished second at the meet behind Jamaican national record holder Danniel Thomas-Dodd.

ROBINSON ROCKS MULTI DEBUT: Competing in his first career indoor heptathlon this weekend, Vol rookie Ethan Robinson finished fourth at the meet with 5,062 points. The Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, native recorded indoor personal-best marks in four of the seven events: 60-meter dash (7.08), long jump (6.55m / 21-6), high jump (1.87m / 6-1.5) and 1,000-meter run (2:59.28).

PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined for six indoor personal records Saturday at the Hokie Invitational.

Martina Weil - Women's 200m - 24.97
Sebastian Cooper - Men's 400m - 47.74
Ethan Robinson - Men's 1,000m - 2:59.28
Max Barbour - Men's 5,000m - 14:36.58
Jordan West - Men's Shot Put - 19.69m (64-7.25)
Chance Crawford - Men's Shot Put - 15.14m (49-8.25)

CLOSING THOUGHTS FROM COACH SULLIVAN: "We just want to climb the ladder, you know? Every rung on a ladder is important to get to the top, and I feel like our team is starting to gain some momentum up the ladder. I want our success to transition to outdoor, because I think the Vols and the Lady Vols need to look big picture and view the top of the ladder as the outdoor championships. We just keep piecing it together one step at a time, one climb at a time.

"It was great to be with our team to announce our new athletic director on Friday. Shoutout to Danny White joining our department and leading our department. We're excited for some great leadership moving forward."

UP NEXT: The Vols and Lady Vols will head to Clemson, S.C. next weekend, continuing their regular indoor season at the Bob Pollock Meet on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29-30.

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

University of Tennessee Athletics

Vols Wrap Up Hokie Invite With Five Event Wins On Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Max Barbour

Emmanuel Bynum

Sebastian Cooper

Chance Crawford

Joella Lloyd

Latavia Maines

Ethan Robinson

Jonathan Sacoor

Vanessa Watson

Martina Weil

Jordan West

Britton Wilson

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