University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Logs Five Top-10 Program Marks Friday At FSU, Raleigh Relays
March 27, 2021 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee track & field's all-time outdoor performance lists saw several amendments on Friday as five athletes recorded top-10 program marks at the FSU and Raleigh Relays.
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Those five performances highlighted a day full of impressive marks for the Big Orange as the UT track & field program wrapped up competition at the ACC venues. With Vols and Lady Vols competing in 17 events on Friday, UT totaled 13 top-three finishes and 13 personal records throughout the day.
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"It's been a great two weeks to open our outdoor season, and I'm not surprised at all that we've hit some big throws, jumps, sprints and distance races," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We could feel the momentum building from indoor to outdoor. Just to be back in our element, being at the outdoor track meets just feels really natural. Our young people have just decided to capitalize on it. These two early-season meets set us up into good position as we embark on a long outdoor season.
Â
"I'm very pleased, and think what we've achieved is definitely worth the recognition and praise. I'm really glad that we have a weekend off so we can regroup, continue to put our heads down and just go to work."
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BAILEY'S WORLD: Redshirt sophomore Christopher Bailey stood out at Florida State, running the world's fastest outdoor 400-meter dash during the 2021 season on Friday with a time of 45.25 seconds in his Tennessee outdoor debut. His mark took over the top spot on the 2021 outdoor world leaderboard by two hundredths of a second and made him the No. 7 overall performer this year indoor and outdoors. The Atlanta native now sits fourth on the Tennessee all-time top-10 list in the event.
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"I absolutely am not surprised by Chris' performance today," Sullivan said. "I'm here in Raleigh with our distance crew, but was hitting that refresh button on the results coming in from Florida State. Chris Bailey is demonstrating the composure that it takes to execute a race at that level. He's got another gear, and I'm excited to see him notch it down as we go through the season."
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THRONSON GOES SUB-16: Representing the Lady Vols at the Raleigh Relays Friday night, redshirt sophomore Katie Thronson clocked a time of 15:54.60 to shatter her personal best by more than a minute. The Spokane, Washington, native is just the third Lady Vol to run faster than 16 minutes outdoors in the 5K, joining Kathy Bryant (15:37.73, 1982) and Jackie Areson (15:51.56, 2010) as UT's only women to ever accomplish that feat.
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"Katie has been on a mission from the fall," Sullivan said. "She was running at her best level in the fall and then lost the cross country conference championships to COVID. She was very sick and lost a lot of training time. She's just a great demonstration of being patient, being persistent and believing in the training. She gave herself the time to come back to the strength that she had before late October.
Â
"This virus is real, and it affected her quite a bit. But she just stayed very, very committed to what she wants to be able to achieve. We took the indoor season at about 75 to 80 percent of her fitness, and really in the last month I've seen her fitness take the step up to where she was in the fall. I couldn't be more proud of someone that really had to fight for it."
Â
RASHEEME THE DREAM: Tennessee redshirt freshman Rasheeme Griffith cruised to a victory in the 400-meter hurdles at FSU, finishing first with a personal-best time of 50.61. The mark was the fastest recorded by a Vol since Belfred Clark turned in a time of 49.29 in 1986, and currently ranks No. 4 in the NCAA and No. 7 in the world during the 2021 outdoor campaign.
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"It was tough not to be down at Florida State, because Rasheeme's race was one I was really disappointed I couldn't see with my own eyes," Sullivan said. "You could see it at Auburn that he was putting together a big race, so I figured he would piece one together at Florida State.
Â
"[Ken Harnden] is such an amazing coach, and he and [David Neville] have got this sprint crew going in the right direction. Rasheeme, again, showed the composure through the indoor season. I was so proud to that time come through. He's going to crack the code and break that 50-point open. I know that's his goal this year, so it'll be fun to be a part of that as that unfolds over the next couple of months."
Â
BYNUM'S DEBUT: Memphis native Emmanuel Bynum cracked the 46-second barrier in the 400-meter dash for the first time on Friday, clocking in at 45.96 in his collegiate outdoor debut. His time was .51 seconds off the all-time freshman record and the fastest by a Tennessee rookie since Nathan Strother ran a time of 45.76 to punch his ticket to nationals in 2015.
Â
"E-Man is just coming into his own," Sullivan said. "He's just been absolutely a dedicated and committed Vol. He's doing his job in the classroom, doing his job on the track, bringing the right energy. He's a great piece of the puzzle for the Tennessee Vols to be able to make a podium push this year, and I'm extremely proud of him. He's got to stay patient for the long season ahead, but I think we're going to see some great stuff out of this young man in the Orange & White over the years."
Â
LADY VOL HURDLE SQUAD: Tennessee posted four top-three finishes along with a pair of wins in both hurdling events at Florida State. In the 400-meter hurdles, reigning SEC Runner of the Week Vanessa Watson finished first overall in 58.31 seconds and was followed closely by her classmate Britton Wilson who took second in 59.07. Redshirt senior Alexis Duncan claimed her second-straight 100-meter hurdles victory in a season-best 13.45, while graduate student Domonique Turner finished third with an SB of 13.65.
Â
"You look at Alexis and Domonique, the fact that they're fifth-year seniors that came back for this opportunity, and they're dominating the short hurdles," Sullivan said. "Then you look at this tandem, the dynamic duo of these freshmen in the 400 hurdles and how it's coming together for them. It's really kind of fun to see the seniors putting it together, and see these freshmen taking it to another level.
Â
"The 400-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles, those are all rhythm races. It takes time to get those things in place. The coaches and the athletes themselves have really put in the time and put in the work to have these responses this early in the season. We're excited, and I can promise you there's more to come from all four of those ladies."
Â
ALL SHE DOES IS WIN: Lady Vol graduate student Maia McCoy has won all three individual events she has competed in this season, continuing that trend Friday with a wind-aided (+2.9 m/s) mark of 11.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash. The Memphis native recorded a personal-best of 11.25 in 2018 that ranks her as the No. 6 performer in Lady Vol history.
Â
"Maia's another athlete who has been patiently pursuing this opportunity," Sullivan said. "She's going to end up with two degrees from Tennessee and a great repertoire of experiences here. As a student-athlete, she's been focusing on this year and waiting for the opportunity to break out these kind of performances. I'm very proud of her. She's just competing and leading the sprint corps in a manner that has a gentle, but strong touch to it all."
Â
VOLS 2-3 IN THE TRIPLE JUMP: Tennessee earned a pair of podium finishes in the men's triple jump as Jalen Tate and Daniel Igbokwe made their season debuts. Tate claimed second place with a leap of 16.01 meters (52-6.5), while Igbokwe was third at 15.73 meters (51-7.25).
Â
"Jalen Tate has been a standard for us since he's been here, and it was a good opener for him," Sullivan said. "Daniel is just a great addition to the program. Another graduate student that has come in and made an immediate impact. These guys went out there in relatively windy conditions and handled it well."
Â
Igbokwe was making his Tennessee debut on Friday, joining the Vols as a graduate transfer following a successful four-year stint at Columbia University in New York. The Chelmsford, England, native placed himself No. 9 on the UT triple jump all-time list with his 15.73-meter leap on Friday.
Â
RELAY RECAPS: The reigning SEC indoor 4x400-meter champions put the NCAA on notice with a time of 3:06.64 on Friday from Sebastian Cooper, Bailey, Bynum and Jonathan Sacoor. The group's time ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time it was recorded on Friday.
Â
Additionally, the UT women's 4x100-meter relay claimed a third-place finish in Tallahassee, as Duncan, McCoy, Jada Chambers and Saqukine Cameron combined for a time of 45.64.
Â
RETURN OF THE BREY: Tennessee's night was capped with an inspirational performance from seventh-year senior Nick Brey. The long-distance specialist from Inverness, Illinois, suited up for the first time in almost two years and recorded a 15-second personal-best in the men's 10,000-meter run at the Raleigh Relays, completing 25 laps in 30:32.06.
Â
"It was great to see Nick suited up," Sullivan said. "He really has a great story. Transferred in, was on the club team before walking on for us in 2016. He's found his niche in the 10K. He'll end his career with two degrees from Tennessee, and I really couldn't be more proud of the student-athlete portion of who he is. At the same time, he goes out there and he's a grinder. Every day he goes to work. To run a 10K and to have that tenacity two years later, after logging 90-mile weeks after 90-mile weeks … it just shows the love that he has for the sport and for the Vols.
Â
"It was a great environment for the 12 young people that we had in Raleigh. I think we had mostly PRs all the way through. To top it off with Nick top it off with Nick having a competitive race and Max Barbour having nearly a minute PR on a hot and humid night, it was great to see the Orange representing so well."
Â
PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined for 13 outdoor personal records on Friday at the FSU Relays and Raleigh Relays.
Â
"We want everybody to stay healthy, stay persistent and stay healthy. We're running with the theme of pride and purpose, and that's what I'm seeing from this team so far. Next time we compete, we'll be at home, and I hope we'll represent the Orange & White as best as we can on our home track.
Â
UP NEXT: After two weeks off from competition, Tennessee is set to host the 53rd Tennessee Relays at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. The annual home meet is set for Thursday to Saturday, April 8-10.
Â
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter and Instagram.
Â
Those five performances highlighted a day full of impressive marks for the Big Orange as the UT track & field program wrapped up competition at the ACC venues. With Vols and Lady Vols competing in 17 events on Friday, UT totaled 13 top-three finishes and 13 personal records throughout the day.
Â
"It's been a great two weeks to open our outdoor season, and I'm not surprised at all that we've hit some big throws, jumps, sprints and distance races," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We could feel the momentum building from indoor to outdoor. Just to be back in our element, being at the outdoor track meets just feels really natural. Our young people have just decided to capitalize on it. These two early-season meets set us up into good position as we embark on a long outdoor season.
Â
"I'm very pleased, and think what we've achieved is definitely worth the recognition and praise. I'm really glad that we have a weekend off so we can regroup, continue to put our heads down and just go to work."
Â
BAILEY'S WORLD: Redshirt sophomore Christopher Bailey stood out at Florida State, running the world's fastest outdoor 400-meter dash during the 2021 season on Friday with a time of 45.25 seconds in his Tennessee outdoor debut. His mark took over the top spot on the 2021 outdoor world leaderboard by two hundredths of a second and made him the No. 7 overall performer this year indoor and outdoors. The Atlanta native now sits fourth on the Tennessee all-time top-10 list in the event.
Â
"I absolutely am not surprised by Chris' performance today," Sullivan said. "I'm here in Raleigh with our distance crew, but was hitting that refresh button on the results coming in from Florida State. Chris Bailey is demonstrating the composure that it takes to execute a race at that level. He's got another gear, and I'm excited to see him notch it down as we go through the season."
Â
THRONSON GOES SUB-16: Representing the Lady Vols at the Raleigh Relays Friday night, redshirt sophomore Katie Thronson clocked a time of 15:54.60 to shatter her personal best by more than a minute. The Spokane, Washington, native is just the third Lady Vol to run faster than 16 minutes outdoors in the 5K, joining Kathy Bryant (15:37.73, 1982) and Jackie Areson (15:51.56, 2010) as UT's only women to ever accomplish that feat.
Â
"Katie has been on a mission from the fall," Sullivan said. "She was running at her best level in the fall and then lost the cross country conference championships to COVID. She was very sick and lost a lot of training time. She's just a great demonstration of being patient, being persistent and believing in the training. She gave herself the time to come back to the strength that she had before late October.
Â
"This virus is real, and it affected her quite a bit. But she just stayed very, very committed to what she wants to be able to achieve. We took the indoor season at about 75 to 80 percent of her fitness, and really in the last month I've seen her fitness take the step up to where she was in the fall. I couldn't be more proud of someone that really had to fight for it."
Â
RASHEEME THE DREAM: Tennessee redshirt freshman Rasheeme Griffith cruised to a victory in the 400-meter hurdles at FSU, finishing first with a personal-best time of 50.61. The mark was the fastest recorded by a Vol since Belfred Clark turned in a time of 49.29 in 1986, and currently ranks No. 4 in the NCAA and No. 7 in the world during the 2021 outdoor campaign.
Â
"It was tough not to be down at Florida State, because Rasheeme's race was one I was really disappointed I couldn't see with my own eyes," Sullivan said. "You could see it at Auburn that he was putting together a big race, so I figured he would piece one together at Florida State.
Â
"[Ken Harnden] is such an amazing coach, and he and [David Neville] have got this sprint crew going in the right direction. Rasheeme, again, showed the composure through the indoor season. I was so proud to that time come through. He's going to crack the code and break that 50-point open. I know that's his goal this year, so it'll be fun to be a part of that as that unfolds over the next couple of months."
Â
BYNUM'S DEBUT: Memphis native Emmanuel Bynum cracked the 46-second barrier in the 400-meter dash for the first time on Friday, clocking in at 45.96 in his collegiate outdoor debut. His time was .51 seconds off the all-time freshman record and the fastest by a Tennessee rookie since Nathan Strother ran a time of 45.76 to punch his ticket to nationals in 2015.
Â
"E-Man is just coming into his own," Sullivan said. "He's just been absolutely a dedicated and committed Vol. He's doing his job in the classroom, doing his job on the track, bringing the right energy. He's a great piece of the puzzle for the Tennessee Vols to be able to make a podium push this year, and I'm extremely proud of him. He's got to stay patient for the long season ahead, but I think we're going to see some great stuff out of this young man in the Orange & White over the years."
Â
LADY VOL HURDLE SQUAD: Tennessee posted four top-three finishes along with a pair of wins in both hurdling events at Florida State. In the 400-meter hurdles, reigning SEC Runner of the Week Vanessa Watson finished first overall in 58.31 seconds and was followed closely by her classmate Britton Wilson who took second in 59.07. Redshirt senior Alexis Duncan claimed her second-straight 100-meter hurdles victory in a season-best 13.45, while graduate student Domonique Turner finished third with an SB of 13.65.
Â
"You look at Alexis and Domonique, the fact that they're fifth-year seniors that came back for this opportunity, and they're dominating the short hurdles," Sullivan said. "Then you look at this tandem, the dynamic duo of these freshmen in the 400 hurdles and how it's coming together for them. It's really kind of fun to see the seniors putting it together, and see these freshmen taking it to another level.
Â
"The 400-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles, those are all rhythm races. It takes time to get those things in place. The coaches and the athletes themselves have really put in the time and put in the work to have these responses this early in the season. We're excited, and I can promise you there's more to come from all four of those ladies."
Â
ALL SHE DOES IS WIN: Lady Vol graduate student Maia McCoy has won all three individual events she has competed in this season, continuing that trend Friday with a wind-aided (+2.9 m/s) mark of 11.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash. The Memphis native recorded a personal-best of 11.25 in 2018 that ranks her as the No. 6 performer in Lady Vol history.
Â
"Maia's another athlete who has been patiently pursuing this opportunity," Sullivan said. "She's going to end up with two degrees from Tennessee and a great repertoire of experiences here. As a student-athlete, she's been focusing on this year and waiting for the opportunity to break out these kind of performances. I'm very proud of her. She's just competing and leading the sprint corps in a manner that has a gentle, but strong touch to it all."
Â
VOLS 2-3 IN THE TRIPLE JUMP: Tennessee earned a pair of podium finishes in the men's triple jump as Jalen Tate and Daniel Igbokwe made their season debuts. Tate claimed second place with a leap of 16.01 meters (52-6.5), while Igbokwe was third at 15.73 meters (51-7.25).
Â
"Jalen Tate has been a standard for us since he's been here, and it was a good opener for him," Sullivan said. "Daniel is just a great addition to the program. Another graduate student that has come in and made an immediate impact. These guys went out there in relatively windy conditions and handled it well."
Â
Igbokwe was making his Tennessee debut on Friday, joining the Vols as a graduate transfer following a successful four-year stint at Columbia University in New York. The Chelmsford, England, native placed himself No. 9 on the UT triple jump all-time list with his 15.73-meter leap on Friday.
Â
RELAY RECAPS: The reigning SEC indoor 4x400-meter champions put the NCAA on notice with a time of 3:06.64 on Friday from Sebastian Cooper, Bailey, Bynum and Jonathan Sacoor. The group's time ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time it was recorded on Friday.
Â
Additionally, the UT women's 4x100-meter relay claimed a third-place finish in Tallahassee, as Duncan, McCoy, Jada Chambers and Saqukine Cameron combined for a time of 45.64.
Â
RETURN OF THE BREY: Tennessee's night was capped with an inspirational performance from seventh-year senior Nick Brey. The long-distance specialist from Inverness, Illinois, suited up for the first time in almost two years and recorded a 15-second personal-best in the men's 10,000-meter run at the Raleigh Relays, completing 25 laps in 30:32.06.
Â
"It was great to see Nick suited up," Sullivan said. "He really has a great story. Transferred in, was on the club team before walking on for us in 2016. He's found his niche in the 10K. He'll end his career with two degrees from Tennessee, and I really couldn't be more proud of the student-athlete portion of who he is. At the same time, he goes out there and he's a grinder. Every day he goes to work. To run a 10K and to have that tenacity two years later, after logging 90-mile weeks after 90-mile weeks … it just shows the love that he has for the sport and for the Vols.
Â
"It was a great environment for the 12 young people that we had in Raleigh. I think we had mostly PRs all the way through. To top it off with Nick top it off with Nick having a competitive race and Max Barbour having nearly a minute PR on a hot and humid night, it was great to see the Orange representing so well."
Â
PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined for 13 outdoor personal records on Friday at the FSU Relays and Raleigh Relays.
- Jordan West - Men's Discus - 53.99m (177-1)
- Chance Crawford - Men's Discus - 53.18m (174-6)
- Alex Kay - Men's 800m - 1:50.85
- Kameron Helmlinger - Men's 800m - 1:51.04
- Joe Hoots - Men's 800m - 1:51.52
- Allison Rand - Women's 800m - 2:12.35
- Christopher Bailey - Men's 400m - 45.25
- Emmanuel Bynum - Men's 400m - 45.96
- Rasheeme Griffith - Men's 400m Hurdles - 50.61
- Olivia Janke - Women's 1,500m - 4:32.43
- Katie Thronson - Women's 5,000m - 15:54.60
- Nick Brey - Men's 10,000m - 30:32.06
- Max Barbour - Men's 10,000m - 30:49.56
Â
"We want everybody to stay healthy, stay persistent and stay healthy. We're running with the theme of pride and purpose, and that's what I'm seeing from this team so far. Next time we compete, we'll be at home, and I hope we'll represent the Orange & White as best as we can on our home track.
Â
UP NEXT: After two weeks off from competition, Tennessee is set to host the 53rd Tennessee Relays at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. The annual home meet is set for Thursday to Saturday, April 8-10.
Â
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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XC/Distance
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XC/Distance
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Throws
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Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
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XC/Middle Distance
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XC/Distance
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Jumps
/ Track & FieldXC/Distance
/ Track & Field
XC/Middle Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
XC/Middle Distance
/ Track & FieldSprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
XC/Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & FieldEverything Orange S2 | Sarah Schmitt (Track & Field)
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