University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Cayce Smith/Tennessee Athletics
Vols No. 9 On 2022-23 USTFCCCA Program of the Year Final Standings
June 14, 2023 | Track & Field, Cross Country
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After a strong debut campaign under the direction of track & field head coach Duane Ross and cross country head coach Sean Carlson, the Tennessee Volunteers finished ninth overall in the 2022-23 NCAA Division I John McDonnell Men's Program of the Year Award final standings released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
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The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at the NCAA Championships.
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In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team's finish at each NCAA Championship in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points … 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award winner. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
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The Vols tallied 54 points in the final John McDonnell Program of the Year standings to finish ninth nationally and third among SEC schools. UT placed 20th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, 11th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March and tied for 22nd at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week.
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Last fall, the Tennessee men's cross country team reached heights the Big Orange had not seen in more than two decades. The Vols won the NCAA South Region title to book their first team trip to nationals since 2005, and Tennessee placed 20th at the NCAA Championships behind a pair of All-America performances from Dylan Jacobs (4th) and Yaseen Abdalla (33rd)—representing UT's best team placement at the national meet since 1995.
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Tennessee earned an 11th-place finish with 18 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, headlined by Jacobs' national title run in the 5,000-meter with a facility record time of 13:36.93. The Orland Park, Illinois, native also tabbed three points in the 3k with a 6th-place outing (7:52.25), and senior Emmanuel Bynum captured five points in the 400-meter dash with his school record clocking of 45.30 seconds to place fourth in the national final.
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UT posted three podium finishes last week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scoring 11 points to tie for 22nd nationally. The effort was led by Bynum's bronze medal performance in the 400-meter dash as he turned in a lifetime-best 44.49 that ranks eighth on the 2023 world list. Vol hurdlers Rasheeme Griffith and Rasheem Brown also nabbed scoring performances for the Vols, placing fifth and eighth in the 400- and 110-meter hurdles with times of 49.17 and 13.50, respectively.
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The 2022-23 season marks the first time since the award's inception in 2008-09 that Tennessee has finished top 10 in the John McDonnell Program of the Year standings.
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2022-23 John McDonnell Program of the Year Award — Final Standings
1. BYU (25.5 points)
2. Arkansas (26 points)
3. Washington (27 points)
4. Oklahoma State (36.5 points)
t5. Texas (37.5 points)
t5. Wisconsin (37.5 points)
7. Stanford (41 points)
8. Alabama (44.5 points)
9. Tennessee (54 points)
10. Virginia (61.5 points)
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The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at the NCAA Championships.
Â
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team's finish at each NCAA Championship in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points … 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award winner. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
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The Vols tallied 54 points in the final John McDonnell Program of the Year standings to finish ninth nationally and third among SEC schools. UT placed 20th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, 11th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March and tied for 22nd at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week.
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Last fall, the Tennessee men's cross country team reached heights the Big Orange had not seen in more than two decades. The Vols won the NCAA South Region title to book their first team trip to nationals since 2005, and Tennessee placed 20th at the NCAA Championships behind a pair of All-America performances from Dylan Jacobs (4th) and Yaseen Abdalla (33rd)—representing UT's best team placement at the national meet since 1995.
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Tennessee earned an 11th-place finish with 18 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, headlined by Jacobs' national title run in the 5,000-meter with a facility record time of 13:36.93. The Orland Park, Illinois, native also tabbed three points in the 3k with a 6th-place outing (7:52.25), and senior Emmanuel Bynum captured five points in the 400-meter dash with his school record clocking of 45.30 seconds to place fourth in the national final.
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UT posted three podium finishes last week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, scoring 11 points to tie for 22nd nationally. The effort was led by Bynum's bronze medal performance in the 400-meter dash as he turned in a lifetime-best 44.49 that ranks eighth on the 2023 world list. Vol hurdlers Rasheeme Griffith and Rasheem Brown also nabbed scoring performances for the Vols, placing fifth and eighth in the 400- and 110-meter hurdles with times of 49.17 and 13.50, respectively.
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The 2022-23 season marks the first time since the award's inception in 2008-09 that Tennessee has finished top 10 in the John McDonnell Program of the Year standings.
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2022-23 John McDonnell Program of the Year Award — Final Standings
1. BYU (25.5 points)
2. Arkansas (26 points)
3. Washington (27 points)
4. Oklahoma State (36.5 points)
t5. Texas (37.5 points)
t5. Wisconsin (37.5 points)
7. Stanford (41 points)
8. Alabama (44.5 points)
9. Tennessee (54 points)
10. Virginia (61.5 points)
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