TRACK CENTRAL: Tiger Paw Invite/Music City Challenge/BU Valentine Invite

Friday, February 9

Clemson, S.C.

University of Tennessee

Tiger Paw Invitational

TRACK CENTRAL: Tiger Paw Invite/Music City Challenge/BU Valentine Invite

February 08, 2024 | Track & Field

Tiger Paw Invite - Meet Schedule Tiger Paw Invite - Live Results Tiger Paw Invite - Friday Stream Tiger Paw Invite - Saturday Stream Music City Challenge - Meet Schedule Music City Challenge - Live Results Music City Challenge - Friday Stream Music City Challenge - Saturday Stream BU Valentine - Meet Schedule BU Valentine - Live Results BU Valentine - Live Stream

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With two weeks remaining until indoor postseason, the Tennessee track & field program will have its busiest competition weekend of the year as more than 60 UT athletes are set to compete Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10 at three separate meets. A collection of sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers head to Clemson, South Carolina, for the Tiger Paw Invitational, while a group of sprinters, distance runners and pole vaulters travel to Nashville for the Music City Challenge. Additionally, 10 distance specialists will fly to the Northeast for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University.

Action from Clemson begins at noon ET with the qualifying round of the women's 60-meter hurdles. Three Lady Vols that rank top 10 on the program's all-time list are entered in the event: Layla Anderson, Kiara Smith and Myla Greene. The Tiger Paw Invite will conclude Saturday at approximately 3:50 p.m. ET with the men's 4x400-meter relay, with UT's top group coming off a season-best 3:04.30 performance last week at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.

Clemson will provide live streaming from the Tiger Paw Invitational both days via ACC Network Extra, while live results will be available via Flash Results.

The Music City Challenge springs into action Friday at 3 p.m. ET with freshman Alyssa Raymond competing in the women's long jump, and the meet concludes Saturday at 5:35 p.m. ET with rookie Thomas Rice running the men's 3,000-meter. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+, and live results will be updated by PrimeTime Timing, Inc.

Tennessee's squad in Boston includes four Lady Vols running the 5k Friday night at approximately 8:25 p.m. ET. Emily Covert, Ashley Jones and Caroline Lyerly will make their UT track & field debuts in the 25-lapper, while senior Callie Tucker will also open her 2024 indoor campaign at Boston University.

Six Vols are set for action Saturday night in Boston, with Brett Brady running the 3k at 7 p.m. followed by Yaseen Abdalla, Will Cahill, Nate Kawalec, Brandon Olden and Gabriel Sanchez running the 5,000-meter to cap the weekend.

The David Hemery Valentine Invitational will be streamed on FloTrack both days, and live results will be posted by Lancer Timing.

LAST TIME OUT: Tennessee sent a crop of its top sprinters and hurdlers to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic which ran Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2-3. Top performances included an impressive double from senior sprint star Jacious Sears, running times of 7.09 and 22.57 in the 60- and 200-meter invitationals, respectively. Both marks sit top 10 on the 2024 World Athletics top list and rank top five in the NCAA this season.

Additionally highlights included a 400-meter season best of 45.45 for senior quarter miler Emmanuel Bynum, which currently stands as a top five time in the world this season. UT closed out the meet with a pair of victories in the 4x400-meter relays, turning in times of 3:04.30 and 3:31.19 for the men and women that both rank top 10 in the NCAA this year.

UT's pole vault squad also traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, for the South Carolina Invitational. Junior Sarah Schmitt was victorious for the second time this season, clearing a personal-best height of 4.12 meters (13-6.25) that ranks No. 5 in Lady Vol history and No. 6 in the SEC this season.

RUNNER OF THE WEEK, PART 2: The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday afternoon that Jacious Sears was named SEC Women's Runner of the Week for the second time this season.

Her Friday performance of 22.57 in the 200-meter ranked No. 3 in the world in 2024 and is the fastest time in the collegiate ranks under all conditions. She finished as the top collegian and second overall at the meet behind Julien Alfred's world leading sprint of 22.16.

Sears then ran the invite 60-meter on Saturday, winning her preliminary heat in 7.18 seconds before dropping to a season-best 7.09 to finish as the fastest collegiate athlete in the final. Her time ranked No. 7 on the 2024 World Athletics top list and is the second-fastest all-conditions mark by a collegiate athlete this season.

RANKINGS UPDATE: In the latest installment of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) track & field rating index, the Lady Vols rose two spots to No. 15 in the country while the men of Tennessee held at No. 23 nationally.

Five individuals and two relays hold nine marks in their respective events that rank top 20 in the country as of Feb. 5.

Javonte' Harding – Men's 200m – 20.77 (NCAA No. 20)
Emmanuel Bynum – Men's 400m – 45.56@ (NCAA No. 3)
Yaseen Abdalla – Men's 3,000m – 7:42.63 (NCAA No. 7)
Men's 4x400m Relay – 3:04.74@ (NCAA No. 5)
Jacious Sears – Women's 60m – 7.10 (NCAA No. 2)
Dennisha Page – Women's 60m – 7.23 (NCAA No. 14)
Jacious Sears – Women's 200m – 22.64@ (NCAA No. 3)
Dennisha Page – Women's 200m – 23.19@ (NCAA No. 14)
Women's 4x400m Relay – 3:31.63@ (NCAA No. 9)

@ - altitude conversion

UP NEXT: The 2023-24 indoor regular season will wrap up next week with a pair of distance medley relay squads traveling South Bend, Indiana, for the Alex Wilson Invitational. The meet is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 17.