UT Wraps Regular Season With 15 Wins At Tennessee Challenge

Saturday, May 1

Knoxville, TN

University of Tennessee

Tennessee Challenge

Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

UT Wraps Regular Season With 15 Wins At Tennessee Challenge

May 01, 2021 | Track & Field

Results Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee track & field program dominated on its home track to close out the outdoor regular season, winning 15 events and posting numerous historic marks at the Tennessee Challenge on Saturday. The Big Orange logged two school records, two freshman records, 10 UT all-time top-10 performances and 21 personal records on the afternoon.

STEEPLE RECORD FALLS: Lady Vol redshirt sophomore Katie Thronson clocked a 20-second personal best to take down the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, turning in a time of 10:13.42 for the win on Saturday. The mark topped the previous program standard of 10:27.20 set by Minttu Hukka in 2019.

With her performance, Thronson ranks eighth in the SEC this season and No. 19 on the 2021 NCAA East Outdoor Qualifying list.

BROUGHT THE HAMMER: UT capped the meet with three historic outings in both hammer throw competitions. Redshirt junior Georgios Korakidis topped his own all-time Tennessee record in the fifth round, heaving a lifetime-best mark of 69.21 meters (227-0) to capture the event title. His throw ranks fifth in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA during the 2021 outdoor season.

On the women's side, grad student Nayoka Clunis claimed victory with a new personal-best, launching the hammer 65.03 meters (213-4) to improve her mark as the No. 2 performer in school history. The Kingston, Jamaica, native moved up to No. 7 on the 2021 SEC leaderboard and now ranks top-20 in the country this season.

Chandler Hayden earned a runner-up finish Saturday and broke her own Lady Vol freshman record in the hammer throw, tossing a mark of 58.64 meters (187-5) in the sixth round. The performance moved the Pittsfield, Illinois, native to No. 5 on UT's all-time list.

NEED FOR SPEED: Redshirt freshman Joella Lloyd became the No. 3 performer in Lady Vol history in the 100-meter dash, dropping a wind-legal (+1.2 m/s) time of 11.19 for the win. The mark broke a 13-year-old Lady Vol freshman record of 11.21 set by Jeneba Tarmoh in 2008. Additionally, Lloyd's performance ranks fourth in the conference and No. 8 on the 2021 NCAA DI list.

Grad student Maia McCoy was right on Lloyd's heels, clocking in at 11.23 to equal her personal-best time set earlier this season. The Memphis native sits sixth in the SEC and 12th in the nation during the 2021 outdoor season.

HURDLES UNIVERSITY: The Lady Vols earned a podium sweep in the 100-meter hurdles with seniors Alexis Duncan, Domonique Turner and Kiara Rhodes taking the top three spots on Saturday. Duncan clocked in at 13.13 seconds, marking her sixth-consecutive meet setting a season-best time and fifth victory of the 2021 outdoor season. Turner was second in 13.39, while Rhodes had a PR of 13.51 for third and moved up to No. 7 on the program's all-time list.

The Big Orange also claimed victories in both 400-meter hurdle events from redshirt freshmen Rasheeme Griffith (52.93) and Vanessa Watson (57.87). Watson's time went down as a top-10 mark in school history, improving her standing as UT's No. 7 performer all-time.

RELAY WRAP UP: Tennessee won all three of its relay events on Saturday, beginning with a quick 43.59-second clocking in the women's 4x100-meter. The Lady Vol quartet of Jada Chambers, Joella Lloyd, Saqukine Cameron and McCoy tied the No. 4 mark in school history and currently find themselves ranked No. 3 in the SEC and No. 6 in the NCAA this year.

The Vols and Lady Vols each earned season-best times en route to victories in both 4x400-meter relays. On the men's side, UT's lineup of Emmanuel Bynum, Sebastian Cooper, Rasheeme Griffith and Christopher Bailey finished in 3:05.71, while Lady Vols Vanessa Watson, Britton Wilson, Allison Rand and Kiara Rhodes crossed the line first at 3:38.18.

MID-DISTANCE DUBS: Tennessee natives Joe Hoots (Nashville) and Alex Crigger (Johnson City) each picked up middle distance wins on Saturday for the Big Orange. Hoots ran sub-1:50 for the first time in his career in the 800-meter, clocking a time of 1:49.77, while Crigger had a 7-second PB in the 1,500-meter at 3:47.35.

FLIGHT SCHOOL: Lady Vol redshirt freshman Prom'Myse Hoosier claimed her second-straight victory in the long jump on Saturday, leaping a wind-legal personal-best of 6.29 meters (20-7.75). The mark moved her up two spots to No. 8 on UT's all-time list.

On the men's side, Jah-Nhai Perinchief made his Tom Black Track debut with a new PR of 7.81 meters (25-7.5) that ranks seventh in the SEC and 12th on the NCAA East qualifying list this year. Additionally, redshirt freshman Anthony Riley jumped a season-best 7.62 meters (25-0) to take third place at the meet and solidify his bid to the East regionals.

BOMB SQUAD: The Tennessee duo of Jordan West and Latavia Maines earned a shot put double for the third time this season as both athletes placed first yet again on Saturday. West heaved a throw of 19.42 meters (63-8.75), while Maines launched the metal sphere 16.95 meters (55-7.5) for the victory.

PR TRACKER: Tennessee's attached athletes combined to record 21 outdoor personal records on Saturday at the Tennessee Challenge.

Joella Lloyd - Women's 100m - 11.19
Maia McCoy - Women's 100m - 11.23
Emma Dilulllo - Women's 800m - 2:11.22
Ainsley Cooper - Women's 1,500m - 4:41.34
Kathleen Maley - Women's 1,500m - 4:56.74
Sarah McCabe - Women's 3,000m - 10:23.69
Kiara Rhodes - Women's 100m Hurdles - 13.51
Katie Thronson - Women's 3,000m Steeplechase - 10:13.42
Prom'Myse Hoosier - Women's Long Jump - 6.29m (20-7.75)
Nayoka Clunis - Women's Hammer Throw - 65.03m (213-4)
Chandler Hayden - Women's Hammer Throw - 58.64m (187-5)
Joe Hoots - Men's 800m - 1:49.77
Will Mazur - Men's 800m - 1:51.92
Preston Ruth - Men's 800m - 1:54.79
Alex Crigger - Men's 1,500m - 3:47.35
Nick Brey - Men's 1,500m - 3:58.82
Devin Sullivan - Men's 3,000m - 8:50.90
Peyton Davis - Men's Pole Vault - 4.28m (14-0.5)
Jah-Nhai Perinchief - Men's Long Jump - 7.81m (25-7.5)
Peyton Davis - Men's Discus - 38.62m (126-8)
Georgios Korakidis - Men's Hammer Throw - 69.21m (227-0)

UP NEXT: Championship season begins in two weeks, as Tennessee will travel to Bryan-College Station, Texas, for the 2021 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The conference meet will run Thursday through Saturday, May 13-15 at Texas A&M's E.B. Cushing Stadium.

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