Four Vols Punch NCAA Tickets Wednesday At East Prelims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Four members of the Tennessee men's track & field team punched their tickets to the 2021 NCAA Outdoor National Championships, as UT opened up NCAA East Preliminary Round action at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium on Wednesday. The Vols also had three athletes advance past the first rounds in their respective running events, with quarterfinals set for Friday evening in Jacksonville.

TWICE AS NICE: Tennessee had two athletes qualify for nationals in the men's long jump, standing out as one of two schools in the region to have multiple athletes advance in the event.

Redshirt sophomore Carey McLeod had the day's second-best performance with a leap of 8.08 meters (26-6.25) on his second attempt. The Kingston, Jamaica, native and reigning SEC long jump champion will be a top contender in two weeks at the outdoor national meet, as his personal-best of 8.34 meters (27-4.5) ranks second in the NCAA this season.

Anthony Riley booked his trip to Eugene in dramatic fashion, sitting on two fouls before recording a jump of 7.58 meters (24-10.5) on his third and final attempt. The redshirt freshman from Oklahoma City placed 11th at the regional competition, one spot inside of the top-12 that earned a bid to the national championship.

BEAST FROM GREECE: Redshirt junior Georgios Korakidis will make his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after a seventh-place finish in the hammer throw Wednesday afternoon. The Kilkís, Greece, native went 66.08 meters (216-9) on his first attempt to earn a spot at nationals.

BACK TO EUGENE: Tennessee shot put record holder Jordan West needed just one throw to earn his second NCAA outdoor national championship bid, launching the metal sphere 19.60 meters (64-3.75) on his opening attempt. The redshirt sophomore from Rahway, New Jersey, last qualified for outdoor nationals in 2018, earning Second Team All-America acclaim with a 12th-place finish.

ON TO THE NEXT ROUND: The Big Orange had three athletes advance past first rounds of running events on the track Wednesday night. Top-12 finishers from the quarterfinal rounds on Friday evening will advance to the national championships in two weeks.

Christopher Bailey won his heat in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 45.81 seconds to automatically advance to Friday's quarterfinal, scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Rasheeme Griffith also claimed an automatic qualifying spot, turning in a mark of 51.31 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles to place second in his heat. The Bridgetown, Barbados, native will compete in the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:55 p.m.

Redshirt freshman Alex Kay was the lone Vol to earn a timed qualifying spot, as his mark of 1:49.32 in the 800-meter run was 12th-fastest on the day to advance to the quarterfinal. He will vie for a spot at the NCAA Championships Friday at 7:35 p.m.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will begin competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Thursday, beginning at 1:30 p.m. with Chandler Hayden and Nayoka Clunis in the hammer throw.

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

University of Tennessee Athletics

Four Vols Punch NCAA Tickets Wednesday At East Prelims

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Players Mentioned

Christopher Bailey

Nayoka Clunis

Rasheeme Griffith

Chandler Hayden

Alex Kay

Georgios Korakidis

Carey McLeod

Anthony Riley

Jordan West

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