UT Claims Three Event Titles Friday Night At Doc Hale Elite Meet

UT Claims Three Event Titles Friday Night At Doc Hale Elite Meet

February 05, 2021 | Track & Field

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Tennessee track & field captured three first-place finishes Friday night, as the Vols and Lady Vols began competition at Virginia Tech's Doc Hale Elite Meet. Joe Hoots (men's 800m), Joella Lloyd (women's 60m) and Anthony Riley (men's long jump) were the top performers in their respective events, while UT also had eight additional top-3 outings on Friday.

JOHNSON ENTERS LADY VOL TOP-10: Lady Vol sophomore Shatara Johnson wrote her name into the Tennessee record books Friday night, as her long jump performance of 6.17 meters (20-3) tied LVFL Vickie Hudson (1992-95) as the No. 9 indoor performer in school history. The mark was good for second place at the meet.

Competing alongside Johnson was sophomore Prom'Myse Hoosier, who turned in a season-best jump of 6.05 meters (19-10.25) for third place overall. Both Johnson and Hoosier's performances were the first above six meters for the Lady Vols this season.

HOOTS FOR THE WIN: UT redshirt sophomore Joe Hoots earned the victory in the indoor 800-meter run, topping his personal-best by more than two seconds with a time of 1:50.68 on Friday. The Nashville native held off Jack Joyce (unattached, 1:50.83) and Willy Fink (District TC, 1:50.86) for the first win of his collegiate career.

FASTEST WOMAN IN THE BUILDING: Antigua and Barbuda international Joella Lloyd picked up her first win of the season in dominant fashion, taking first in the women's 60-meter dash with her season-best mark of 7.33. The Lady Vol redshirt sophomore also had the fastest time in prelims with a 7.43 clocking.

RILEY LEAPS FOR GOLD: True sophomore jumper Anthony Riley also got his first victory of the season with a 2021-best leap of 7.47 meters (24-6.25) in the men's long jump. The OKC native won in a tight battle with Duke's Ezra Mellinger, who took second in 7.44 meters (24-5).

GREEK FREAK RETURNS: Senior thrower Georgios Korakidis made his season debut Friday night in the men's weight throw. The Kilkis, Greece, native had one counting mark of 19.11 meters (62-8.5) that was good for third place at the meet.

ROOKIE VAULTER CLEARS PR: Competing in the unseeded women's pole vault Friday evening, Ellison Colarossi cleared a season-best for the fourth-straight meet, this time achieving a new lifetime-best mark of 3.74 meters (12-3.25). The freshman from Dove Canyon, California, earned her best career finish as she placed third on Friday night in Blacksburg.

TWO BRONZES FOR ROBINSON: Tennessee freshman multi-event athlete Ethan Robinson continued his streak of PRs Friday, posting a pair of personal-bests in the men's 60-meter hurdles (8.06) and pole vault (4.50m / 14-9). Both marks placed Robinson third overall at the meet on Friday and ran his tally to 10 PRs set in the first four meets of his collegiate career.

LONG SPRINTS CAP THE NIGHT: The Big Orange had two sophomore long sprinters record third-place finishes in the 400-meter dash to round out Friday night's performances. Emmanuel Bynum took third on the men's side with a time of 47.74, while Britton Wilson clocked a season-best 54.52 for a third-place finish at Virginia Tech.

PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined for a total of 11 indoor personal records Friday at the Doc Hale Elite Meet.

Joe Hoots - Men's 800m - 1:50.68
Kameron Helmlinger - Men's 800m - 1:52.03
Preston Ruth - Men's 800m - 1:57.06
Fuji Anday - Men's 3,000m - 8:40.61
Ethan Robinson - Men's 60m Hurdles - 8.06
Ethan Robinson - Men's Pole Vault - 4.50m (14-9)
Spencer Brown - Men's Long Jump - 7.04m (23-1.25)
Emma Dilullo - Women's 800m - 2:13.66
Ellison Colarossi - Women's Pole Vault - 3.74m (12-3.25)
Shatara Johnson - Women's Long Jump - 6.17m (20-3)
Mikele Vickers - Women's Long Jump - 5.86m (19-2.75)

UP NEXT: The Vols and Lady Vols continue the Doc Hale Elite Meet on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. with the women's seeded pole vault and concluding at 3:55 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay.

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