University of Tennessee Athletics
Bynum’s Bronze Headlines Friday Performances At NCAA Championships
June 10, 2023 | Track & Field, Cross Country
AUSTIN, Texas — Tennessee track & field rounded out the men's portion of the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships Friday night with six All-American caliber performances, highlighted by junior Emmanuel Bynum earning a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash final for the best placement by a Volunteer in the event in more than two decades.
The Memphis native clocked a lifetime-best time of 44.49 in the quarter-miler, moving up to No. 2 on Tennessee's all-time list and setting the fastest-ever time by a Vol in the NCAA final. Bynum's performance marked the highest finish in the outdoor 400-meter national championship since Gary Kikaya won the NCAA title in 2002, and equaled Ronnie Harris' third-place outing in 1979 as the second-best result in program history in the NCAA outdoor 400-meter.
First-year Tennessee head coach Duane Ross has had tremendous success guiding athletes to glory in the outdoor 400-meter dash. Including Bynum's third-place result Friday night, his athletes have garnered five top-five finishes and a pair of national titles in the 400-meter at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2019.
Bynum headlined a trio of top-8 finishes for the Big Orange on Friday. Coming off a Barbadian national record performance of 49-flat on Wednesday in the 400-meter hurdles prelims, Rasheeme Griffith made his NCAA finals debut as an individual and turned in a time of 49.17 seconds to place fifth overall. His performance was the second-fastest by a Vol in a 400-meter hurdles national final and was the highest placement for UT since Mark Patrick was fourth in 1983.
In the final race of his collegiate career, graduate student Rasheem Brown ran a wind-legal PR and became a First Team All-American in the 110-meter hurdles. The Cayman Islands international clocked in at 13.50 to place eighth overall, scoring one point for the Volunteers in his NCAA finale.
Bynum, Griffith and Brown helped Tennessee finish 22nd in the team standings with 11 points.
SECOND TEAMERS: UT had three athletes earn Second Team All-America honors by placing ninth through 16th at the national meet. Junior Javonte Harding ran the 200-meter final and finished ninth in 20.90 seconds, while Yaseen Abdalla made his outdoor nationals debut and took 12th in the 5k with a time of 14:14.16.
Harding secured Tennessee's 20th all-time All-America certificate in the 200-meter dash, while Abdalla tallied UT's first All-America nod in the 5,000-meter since Zach Long in 2017.
Competing in his home state for his first career NCAA Championship, Tennessee redshirt sophomore Garison Breeding posted a lifetime-best mark of 15.56 meters (51-0.75) to place 15th overall and earn Second Team All-America status. The Midland, Texas, native became the fourth Vol in the past three years to be an outdoor triple jump All-American and the ninth in program history to accomplish the feat.
UP NEXT: The 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships wrap up Saturday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, with Charisma Taylor contesting the women's triple jump at 9:10 p.m. ET and Jacious Sears running the women's 100- and 200-meter dash finals and 9:52 and 10:37 p.m., respectively.
The Memphis native clocked a lifetime-best time of 44.49 in the quarter-miler, moving up to No. 2 on Tennessee's all-time list and setting the fastest-ever time by a Vol in the NCAA final. Bynum's performance marked the highest finish in the outdoor 400-meter national championship since Gary Kikaya won the NCAA title in 2002, and equaled Ronnie Harris' third-place outing in 1979 as the second-best result in program history in the NCAA outdoor 400-meter.
First-year Tennessee head coach Duane Ross has had tremendous success guiding athletes to glory in the outdoor 400-meter dash. Including Bynum's third-place result Friday night, his athletes have garnered five top-five finishes and a pair of national titles in the 400-meter at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2019.
Bynum headlined a trio of top-8 finishes for the Big Orange on Friday. Coming off a Barbadian national record performance of 49-flat on Wednesday in the 400-meter hurdles prelims, Rasheeme Griffith made his NCAA finals debut as an individual and turned in a time of 49.17 seconds to place fifth overall. His performance was the second-fastest by a Vol in a 400-meter hurdles national final and was the highest placement for UT since Mark Patrick was fourth in 1983.
In the final race of his collegiate career, graduate student Rasheem Brown ran a wind-legal PR and became a First Team All-American in the 110-meter hurdles. The Cayman Islands international clocked in at 13.50 to place eighth overall, scoring one point for the Volunteers in his NCAA finale.
Bynum, Griffith and Brown helped Tennessee finish 22nd in the team standings with 11 points.
SECOND TEAMERS: UT had three athletes earn Second Team All-America honors by placing ninth through 16th at the national meet. Junior Javonte Harding ran the 200-meter final and finished ninth in 20.90 seconds, while Yaseen Abdalla made his outdoor nationals debut and took 12th in the 5k with a time of 14:14.16.
Harding secured Tennessee's 20th all-time All-America certificate in the 200-meter dash, while Abdalla tallied UT's first All-America nod in the 5,000-meter since Zach Long in 2017.
Competing in his home state for his first career NCAA Championship, Tennessee redshirt sophomore Garison Breeding posted a lifetime-best mark of 15.56 meters (51-0.75) to place 15th overall and earn Second Team All-America status. The Midland, Texas, native became the fourth Vol in the past three years to be an outdoor triple jump All-American and the ninth in program history to accomplish the feat.
UP NEXT: The 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships wrap up Saturday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, with Charisma Taylor contesting the women's triple jump at 9:10 p.m. ET and Jacious Sears running the women's 100- and 200-meter dash finals and 9:52 and 10:37 p.m., respectively.
Players Mentioned
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