Sears Sprints 60-Meter World Lead At Ted Nelson Invite

Saturday, January 20

College Station, Texas

University of Tennessee

Ted Nelson Invitational

Photo by: Cayce Smith/Tennessee Athletics

Sears Sprints 60-Meter World Lead At Ted Nelson Invite

January 20, 2024 | Track & Field, Cross Country

Ted Nelson Invite - Results Vandy Invite - Results Photo Gallery

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Tennessee sprint star Jacious Sears posted another world-class performance on Saturday at the Ted Nelson Invitational, clocking in with a time of 7.10 in the women's 60-meter dash final that ranked No. 1 in the NCAA this season and edged Olympian Aleia Hobbs by one hundredth of a second for the 2024 world lead.

Sears' win marked a second consecutive meet logging a world No. 1 mark after posting a time of 22.88 in the 200-meter dash last week at the Gamecock Opener. That time now sits third globally and still leads the collegiate ranks after competitions took place around the country this weekend.

In the 60-meter prelims, Sears turned in a time of 7.12 seconds before improving to a meet record 7.10 in the final, giving her two of the four fastest recorded performances in the world this year. Her season-best is .09 faster than the closest challenger on the 2024 collegiate list.

Two weeks into the indoor season, Tennessee's squad showed promise as it posted 11 top-three finishes at Texas A&M's Ted Nelson Invitational and logged six marks that landed on the program's all-time top 10 lists. The Big Orange also sent a contingent of distance runners and pole vaulters to Nashville for the Vanderbilt Invitational, where UT logged nine top-five placements and 11 personal-best marks on Saturday.

One week after tying his school record in the 300-meter, fifth-year senior quarter miler Emmanuel Bynum saw action in his first 400-meter dash of the year at Texas A&M. The Memphis native finished second with a time of 46.05, which ranks second in the NCAA this season and No. 2 on the World Athletics top list for 2024.

Freshman Zyaire Nuriddin also impressed in his first collegiate 400-meter, posting a time of 47.08 to place fifth. The mark was just .03 seconds shy of Shannon Wheatley's UT freshman record 47.05 that was set in 2000.

Junior hurdler Layla Anderson continued chipping away and broke through with a personal record on Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles final, finishing second with a time of 8.06. Her new PR ranks sixth on the 2024 NCAA leaderboard and vaulted Anderson to No. 3 in the SEC and No. 3 on the all-time Lady Vol charts in the event.

Rookie standout Myla Greene also had a strong showing in the 60-meter hurdles, posting a lifetime-best mark of 8.32 in prelims that ranks No. 9 in program annals. She followed up that performance with a PR in the indoor 200-meter when she stopped the clock at 24.12.

Competing alongside Sears in the 60-meter dash final, graduate transfer Dennisha Page was second across the line with a personal-best time of 7.23. She equaled the No. 6 spot on Tennessee's all-time list and now ranks sixth in the NCAA in 2024. The Camden, New Jersey, native also set a new indoor PR in the 200-meter dash on Saturday with her time of 23.60.

Freshman jumper Grant Campbell got the day started with his first collegiate victory in the men's high jump, clearing 2.16 meters (7-1) for the win and a new indoor personal best. The Maryville native now ranks No. 10 on UT's all-time indoor list, sits 17th in the country this season and ranks fourth among NCAA Division I freshmen in 2024.

In the women's 400-meter dash, Bahamian sophomore Javonya Valcourt lowered her indoor personal record to 53.03 seconds for a fourth-place finish in College Station. The time ranks No. 11 in the NCAA this season and No. 7 on Tennessee's all-time list. Senior Brianna White finished eighth at A&M in a season-best 54.36, while graduate Kyla Robinson-Hubbard turned in a personal-best 54.39 for the Lady Vols.

Sophomore T'Mars McCallum and freshman Kalib Branch each logged a pair of PRs on Saturday, beginning with McCallum's 6.68 clocking in the 60-meter dash that was the fastest time in prelims. Branch qualified for the 60-meter hurdles final and cracked eight seconds for the first time with a mark of 7.92 in the final, good for fifth place at the meet and .07 seconds shy of Aries Merritt's freshman record from 2004. Both sprinters tabbed indoor PBs in the 200-meter dash with McCallum and Branch tallying times of 21.15 and 22.11, respectively.

Rookie mid-distance-long sprinter hybrid Ka'Myya Haywood competed in her first collegiate 800-meter on Saturday at Texas A&M, earning a runner-up finish with her indoor PR of 2:08.10. Her time is the fastest by a Lady Vol this season, the fastest by an NCAA Division I freshman in 2024 and the No. 20 mark on the 2023-24 NCAA DI list.

The Lady Vol 4x400-meter squad of Valcourt, DaJour Miles, White and Robinson-Hubbard closed out the meet with a runner-up finish in a season-best 3:33.89. Their time ranks No. 6 in the country this season and No. 9 in Lady Vol history.

In Nashville, freshman pole vaulter Caroline Weems secured her first collegiate win as she cleared a season-best height of 3.94m (12-11) at Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility. Junior Sarah Schmitt and sophomore Kendall Ford tied for third behind the rookie, each clearing 3.82m (12-6-25).

Sean Carlson's distance crew saw 11 athletes tab personal bests at Vanderbilt, headlined by a 2-3 finish in the women's 800-meter from Jaylee Wingate and Maia Stewart. Wingate clocked in at 2:11.14 in her collegiate debut, while Stewart shaved two seconds off her PR with a time of 2:11.24.

In the men's 800-meter, freshman Dawson Welch returned to Nashville for the second week in a row and posted a third-place finish with his new indoor PR – crossing the line in 1:52.03.

Three freshman milers posted indoor PBs in Nashville, including Lily Baker topping her previous best by more than 36 seconds with a time of 4:47.67 to place fourth on the women's side while Teegan Anderson placed 26th in a personal-best 5:00.26. Rookie Aidan Ryan took 11th on the men's side with a mark of 4:07.64.

Tennessee's 3k squad at Vanderbilt posted five top-10 finishes to round out a busy day of competition for the program. Summer Schuster (9:37.49) and Andie-Marie Jones (9:38.42) took sixth and seventh place on the women's side in their collegiate track debuts, while Brett Brady (8:10.47), Thomas Rice (8:11.33) and Will Cahill (8:12.16) suited up in Tennessee orange for the first time on the track and place fifth, sixth and ninth, respectively. All three marks for the UT men registered new indoor personal records.

BIG ORANGE DEBUTS: A total of 12 athletes made their Tennessee track & field debuts on Saturday, including three transfers and nine freshmen: Gr. Kiara Smith, Fr. Davonte Howell, R-Fr. Andie-Marie Jones, Fr. Teegan Anderson, Fr. Lily Baker, Fr. Rondi Quass, Fr. Summer Schuster, Fr. Jaylee Wingate, Gr. Brett Brady, Jr. Will Cahill, Fr. Thomas Rice and Fr. Aidan Ryan

PR TRACKER: Tennessee track & field athletes combined for 28 indoor personal records on Saturday at the Ted Nelson Invitational and Vanderbilt Invitational.

T'Mars McCallum – Men's 60m – 6.68
Nakhi Benjamin – Men's 60m – 7.11
Dennisha Page – Women's 60m – 7.23
T'Mars McCallum – Men's 200m – 21.15
Davonte Howell – Men's 200m – 21.61
Kalib Branch – Men's 200m – 22.11
Dennisha Page – Women's 200m – 23.60
Layla Anderson – Women's 200m – 23.80
Myla Greene – Women's 200m – 24.12
Avaunt Ortiz – Men's 400m – 48.42
Javonya Valcourt – Women's 400m – 53.03
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Women's 400m – 54.39
Dawson Welch – Men's 800m – 1:52.03
Ka'Myya Haywood – Women's 800m – 2:08.10
Jaylee Wingate – Women's 800m – 2:11.14
Maia Stewart – Women's 800m – 2:11.24
Aidan Ryan – Men's Mile – 4:07.64
Lily Baker – Women's Mile – 4:47.67
Teegan Anderson – Women's Mile – 5:00.26
Brett Brady – Men's 3,000m – 8:10.47
Thomas Rice – Men's 3,000m – 8:11.33
Will Cahill – Men's 3,000m – 8:12.16
Msgana Araya – Women's 3,000m – 9:46.78
Rondi Quass – Women's 3,000m – 10:18.43
Kalib Branch – Men's 60m Hurdles – 7.92
Layla Anderson – Women's 60m Hurdles – 8.06
Myla Greene – Women's 60m Hurdles – 8.32
Grant Campbell – Men's High Jump – 2.16m / 7-1

UP NEXT: The Big Orange has a pair of meets on the docket for Jan. 26-27, sending its elite distance runners to Boston University of the John Thomas Terrier Classic while the sprinters, hurdlers, pole vaulters and jumpers will travel to Clemson, South Carolina, for the Bob Pollock Invitational.