Track Central: Gamecock Opener / Commodore Challenge

Saturday, January 13

Columbia, S.C.

University of Tennessee

Gamecock Opener

Kayla Sweeney / Jacob Lewis - Tennessee Track & Field Portraits

January 12, 2024 | Track & Field, Cross Country

Gamecock Opener - Meet Schedule Gamecock Opener - Heat Sheets Gamecock Opener - Live Results Commodore Challenge - Meet Schedule Commodore Challenge - Heat Sheets Commodore Challenge - Live Stream (SECN+)Commodore Challenge - Live Results 2023-24 Season Stats - Men 2023-24 Season Stats - Women

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee track & field program kicks off 2024 with a pair of meets this weekend, traveling to two SEC universities for the Gamecock Opener at South Carolina and the Commodore Challenge at Vanderbilt. Both competitions run all day Saturday and begin a six-week stretch of meets leading into the 2023-24 indoor postseason.

Second-year head coach Duane Ross will lead a group of 35 athletes to Columbia, debuting Tennessee's top sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and pole vaulters in their respective season openers. UT will have 52 entries on Saturday at South Carolina, beginning at 9 a.m. ET with the men's high jump and concluding at 7:45 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay.

Live results from the Gamecock Opener will be provided by AdkinsTrak, and the meet schedule can be viewed HERE.

Sean Carlson's distance crew will head to the midstate for the Commodore Challenge with 13 athletes set for action in Nashville. Six middle-distance specialists will contest the 800-meter run, while seven Vols are scheduled to run the men's mile at Vanderbilt.

PrimeTime Timing, Inc. will provide live results from the Commodore Challenge, and the meet will be streamed live via SEC Network+ on the ESPN app.

BIG ORANGE DEBUTS: A total of 21 athletes will make their Tennessee track & field debuts on Saturday, including 10 transfers and 11 true freshmen.

Gamecock Opener – 18 debuts (eight transfers, 10 freshmen)

So. Aaron Bell (60m, 200m)
Fr. Nakhi Benjamin (Men's 200m)
Fr. Kalib Branch (Men's 60m Hurdles)
Fr. Grant Campbell (Men's High Jump)
Fr. Zyaire Nuriddin (Men's 60m, 300m)
Fr. Medwin Odamtten (Men's 60m, 200m)
Fr. Avaunt Ortiz (Men's 400m)
Fr. Christian Parker (Men's 300m)
Gr. DaJour Miles (Women's 60m, 200m)
Gr. Dennisha Page (Women's 60m, 300m)
Gr. Jada Seaman (Women's 60m, 200m, Long Jump)
Gr. Kiara Smith (Women's 60m Hurdles)
Sr. Kayla Sweeney (Women's 60m, 200m)
Jr. Layla Anderson (Women's 60m Hurdles)
Jr. Brianna White (Women's 400m)
Fr. Myla Greene (Women's 60m Hurdles)
Fr. Alyssa Raymond (Women's Long Jump)
Fr. Caroline Weems (Women's Pole Vault)

Commodore Challenge – Three debuts (two transfers, one freshman)

Gr. Gabriel Sanchez (Men's Mile)
Jr. Christopher Cherry (Men's Mile)
Fr. Dawson Welch (Men's Mile)

2023 REWIND: In Tennessee's first year under Duane Ross' leadership, the Vols and Lady Vols totaled 15 school records, 32 All-America honors and 22 SEC medals over the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Big Orange men and women secured top five finishes at both SEC competitions for the first time since 2008, with the Vols placing fifth and third and the Lady Vols placing third and fifth in the team standings at the indoor and outdoor conference meets, respectively.

Ross guided the Lady Vol track & field squads to a pair of top-10 finishes at both national meets for the first time since 2009, placing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships and tying for 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the USTFCCCA's 2022-23 Division I Program of the Year final standings, the men of Tennessee were tabbed No. 9 when combining postseason results from cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. The ranking marked the highest position for UT on the list since the award's inception in 2008-09.

UP NEXT: Tennessee's indoor season continues next weekend with three meets on the docket for Jan. 19-20. The distance squad will return to Nashville for the Vanderbilt Invitational, while the remaining event groups will split up for the New Balance Collegiate Showdown (Boston, Mass.) and the Ted Nelson Invitational (Bryan-College Station, Texas).