UT Distance Squad Produces Eight Top-10 Program Marks At Wake Forest Invite

Friday, April 19

Winston-Salem, N.C.

University of Tennessee

Wake Forest Invitational

Photo by: Kyndall Williams/Tennessee Athletics

UT Distance Squad Produces Eight Top-10 Program Marks At Wake Forest Invite

April 19, 2024 | Track & Field, Cross Country

Results

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Tennessee track & field distance squad heavily altered the program's all-time outdoor lists on Friday as more than 30 athletes suited up for the Wake Forest Invitational at Kentner Stadium. The collective group logged eight marks that cracked the Tennessee top 10 lists and established 13 new personal records during Friday's competition at the ACC venue.

Lady Vol senior Kayla Gholar kicked off the evening session running her first 3,000-meter steeplechase since 2022. The Richmond Hill, Georgia, native shaved four seconds off her personal best with a time of 10:17.36, placing eighth at the meet and improving her mark as the No. 2 performer in school history.

The Vols had a trio of program-ranked performances in the men's invitational 1,500-meter, beginning with Christopher Cherry shattering his lifetime-best in 3:41.58. The junior from Taylorville, Illinois, was just 0.34 seconds off Tim Pitcher's school record from 1993 and became the second Vol to dip under 3:42 in the event all-time.

Graduate transfer Dalton Hengst made his outdoor season debut in the men's 1,500-meter and clocked in at 3:42.67, grabbing the No. 7 spot on UT's all-time list. Second-year Vol grad student Jacob Lewis narrowly missed the cut for the Tennessee top 10 in the event with a time of 3:43.04 that ranks 11th in program annals.

In the third section of the women's invitational 5,000-meter, three Lady Vols marked the program's top-10 list with sub-16 efforts in 12.5 laps around the oval. Graduate student Emily Covert posted a time of 15:48.29 to rank third on the UT charts, followed by Rachel Sutliff (15:55.48) and Ashley Jones (15:58.77) whose PRs ranked sixth and seventh in program history, respectively.

Rounding out UT's top-10 all-time performances were graduate students Yaseen Abdalla and Brandon Olden in the men's invitational 5k. Abdalla turned in an outdoor personal-best of 13:39.15 for the No. 2 performance in school history, while Olden became Tennessee's No. 4 performer with a personal-best time of 13:42.81. Additionally, rookie Dean Casey posted a time of 14:00.26 that was less than a second off the UT freshman record.

PR TRACKER: Tennessee athletes combined for 13 outdoor personal records on Friday at the Wake Forest Invitational.

Carter Knox – Men's 800m – 1:49.64
Michael Rodriguez-King – Men's 800m – 1:49.98
Christopher Cherry – Men's 1,500m – 3:41.58
Dawson Welch – Men's 1,500m – 3:48.15
Jessie Secor – Women's 1,500m – 4:22.18
Lily Baker – Women's 1,500m – 4:28.28
Will Cahill – Men's 3,000m Steeplechase – 8:54.79
Simon Schabort – Men's 3,000m Steeplechase – 9:11.76
Kayla Gholar – Women's 3,000m Steeplechase – 10:17.36
Yaseen Abdalla – Men's 5,000m – 13:39.15
Brandon Olden – Men's 5,000m – 13:42.81
Rachel Sutliff – Women's 5,000m – 15:55.48
Ashley Jones – Women's 5,000m – 15:58.77

UP NEXT: Tennessee's weekend continues with a subset of sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers competing at the USC Outdoor Open in Columbia, South Carolina. Action begins Saturday at 12:10 p.m. ET with the men's 4x100-meter relay and concludes with the men's 4x400-meter relay at approximately 6 p.m.