Brooks, Bynum Post Collegiate Leading Marks Saturday At Tom Jones Memorial

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Brooks, Bynum Post Collegiate Leading Marks Saturday At Tom Jones Memorial

April 15, 2023 | Track & Field

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tennessee track & field wrapped up a stellar showing at the Tom Jones Memorial Saturday afternoon with several strong performances, headlined by collegiate leading marks from graduate student Devon Brooks in the 110-meter hurdles and redshirt junior Emmanuel Bynum in the 400-meter dash.

Brooks dominated the 110mH final on Saturday with a wind-legal, lifetime-best time of 13.26 seconds for the fastest mark in the NCAA this season. The McDonough, Georgia, native ranks No. 2 on the 2023 world list, No. 19 on the all-time collegiate list and No. 2 in Tennessee history in a tie with former Vol dual-sport star Willie Gault.

Bynum followed with a blazing time in the quarter-mile, breaking 45 seconds for the first time in his career with a mark of 44.67 for the fastest time in the country this season. The Memphis native's mark sits fifth on the 2023 world list and third on Tennessee's all-time list.

Lady Vol freshman Cheyla Scott led off UT's successful Saturday tying the school record in the women's high jump, clearing five consecutive bars all the way up to 1.83 meters (6-0). The mark equaled the program standard that has stood for 45 years, since Bridgitte Bittner jumped 1.83m during the 1978 outdoor season.

Graduate student Charisma Taylor also stood out for the Lady Vols in two events to wrap up her weekend, running the 100-meter hurdles final in a slightly wind-aided (2.3 m/s) time of 12.84 seconds to place second overall and rank No. 6 on the 2023 NCAA outdoor list. In the women's triple jump, the versatile athlete from Nassau, Bahamas, leaped 13.58m (44-6.75) in the fourth round to improve her standing as the No. 2 performer in school history and rank seventh in the country this season.

Tennessee had two eight-place finishes in the 100-meter dash competitions, beginning with Jacious Sears running a time of 11.15 seconds with a 2.4 m/s tailwind. Competing in her home state for the first time as a Lady Vol, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native now ranks No. 14 on the NCAA list and sixth in the SEC this season.

Junior Javonte Harding tabbed a wind-legal 10.15 on the men's side, establishing a new season-best that sits 18th in the NCAA and sixth in the conference in 2023.

The Big Orange concluded the Tom Jones Memorial with two season-best, national-caliber performances in both 4x400-meter relays. The Lady Vol quartet of Javonya Valcourt, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard, Jacious Sears and Jonah Ross turned in a time of 3:29.57 to place fourth at the meet, ranking seventh in the country and standing as the fastest outdoor 4x4 for the Tennessee women since 2018.

On the men's side, Tennessee's group of Jakwan Hale, Emmanuel Bynum, Nigel Green and Rasheeme Griffith became the third-fastest 4x4 in school history with a time of 3:02.89 to finish second at the meet and rank ninth in the NCAA this season. The mark was the fastest by the Vols in 21 years, when two relay squads ran 3:02.14 and 3:02.83 during the 2002 outdoor season.

Additional notable performances from Saturday included team captain Jesse Henderson clocking a season-best 13.54 in the 110-meter hurdles, ranking 12th in the NCAA and seventh on UT's all-time list. Freshman Suzan Ogunleye also entered the program's all-time top 10 lists, going 12.49m (40-11.75) to rank eighth in Lady Vol history.

Full results from the 2023 Tom Jones Memorial can be viewed and downloaded at this link.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will send a small contingent of pole vaulters and distance runners to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the Wake Forest Invitational on Friday, April 21. The following weekend, UT's regular season will conclude at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday, April 29.