University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Cayce Smith/Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Punches 11 Tickets To 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships On Friday
May 24, 2024 | Track & Field
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Tennessee track & field program had a spectacular Friday at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds with 11 performances that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships across numerous event disciplines. Nine individuals booked their trips to Eugene, Oregon, for the national meet, while both men's relays earned automatic bids to the NCAA showcase with their season-best finishes at the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex.
The men's 4x400-meter relay capped the impressive showing for the Big Orange with not only a season-best, but a school-record performance with a time of 3:02.04. Emmanuel Bynum, Christian Parker, Clement Ducos and Rasheeme Griffith took the baton four laps around the oval to take down the previous program standard of 3:02.14 set in 2002. Parker, a true freshman from High Point, North Carolina, had the quartet's fastest split – clocked at 44.90 seconds on the second leg of the race.
The Vols finished second in their 4x400-meter heat and fifth overall to automatically advance to the national semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team led off Friday's running events with another historic time, placing fifth overall and third in their heat with a mark of 38.71 seconds. The group featured T'Mars McCallum, Davonte Howell, Aaron Bell and Javonte' Harding, who posted the No. 2 mark in Tennessee history – only .05 seconds off the school record that has stood since 2002. Tennessee was one of six schools to qualify both of its men's relays squads for the national semifinals out of the East Region – joining Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State and South Florida in accomplishing the feat.
Individually, nine athletes punched their tickets to Eugene with top-12 finishes on Friday in Lexington. Junior pole vaulter Sarah Schmitt led off Day 3 of the regional competition with a 12th-place outing, grabbing the final spot to nationals after a jump-off against two competitors from Penn State and Ohio State. The Midlothian, Virginia, native went out after clearing 4.20 meters (13-9.25) and finished in a tie for 12th, and then cleared 4.24 meters (13-11) on her second attempt of the jump-off to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career.
A pair of Tennessee freshman field athletes earned their spot on the national stage on Friday, beginning with rookie record holder Aron Alvarez Aranda in the men's discus. The Bloemfontein, South Africa, product heaved a toss of 57.25m (187-10) on his third attempt to place seventh at the meet and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Moments later, freshman high jumper and East Tennessee native Grant Campbell leaped over a season-best height of 2.17 meters (7-1.5) to finish ninth overall and claim his entry at nationals. Both Tennessee rookies were one of two freshman in their respective events to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships out of the East Region.
On the track, sophomore standout T'Mars McCallum won his heat in the 100-meter dash quarterfinals with a time of 10.04 seconds to automatically move on to the national meet. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will make his NCAA Championship debut in the 100-meter semifinals on June 5 at approximately 8:46 p.m. ET.
Fifth-year senior Emmanuel Bynum qualified for nationals in the outdoor 400-meter dash for the second year in a row, turning in a time of 45.43 to take second in his heat and earn a capital Q for the Big Orange. The Memphis native will have an opportunity to collect his 10th career All-America certificate at the national meet in two weeks.
Tennessee's elite 400-meter hurdles trio each secured qualification to the national meet, led by Ducos' time of 48.93 that placed second in the field and second in his heat. Fifth-year senior Ja'Kwan Hale won Heat 3 of the quarterfinal with a time of 49.40 that finished fourth overall, while Griffith's time of 49.50 was good for third place in his heat and eighth in the East Region. UT is one of two schools in the country that will have three entries in the men's 400-meter hurdles at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In the final individual running event of the night, Tennessee graduate student Yaseen Abdalla earned his second-consecutive berth to the outdoor national championships in the men's 5,000-meter. The Lanham, Maryland, native clocked a time of 13:59.51 to finish fourth in his heat and earn a capital Q for the Big Orange.
UP NEXT: The fourth and final day of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds will take place Saturday in Lexington. UT will compete in nine events on the track beginning at 5 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay quarterfinals and wrapping up at 8:45 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay quarterfinals.
The men's 4x400-meter relay capped the impressive showing for the Big Orange with not only a season-best, but a school-record performance with a time of 3:02.04. Emmanuel Bynum, Christian Parker, Clement Ducos and Rasheeme Griffith took the baton four laps around the oval to take down the previous program standard of 3:02.14 set in 2002. Parker, a true freshman from High Point, North Carolina, had the quartet's fastest split – clocked at 44.90 seconds on the second leg of the race.
The Vols finished second in their 4x400-meter heat and fifth overall to automatically advance to the national semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team led off Friday's running events with another historic time, placing fifth overall and third in their heat with a mark of 38.71 seconds. The group featured T'Mars McCallum, Davonte Howell, Aaron Bell and Javonte' Harding, who posted the No. 2 mark in Tennessee history – only .05 seconds off the school record that has stood since 2002. Tennessee was one of six schools to qualify both of its men's relays squads for the national semifinals out of the East Region – joining Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State and South Florida in accomplishing the feat.
Individually, nine athletes punched their tickets to Eugene with top-12 finishes on Friday in Lexington. Junior pole vaulter Sarah Schmitt led off Day 3 of the regional competition with a 12th-place outing, grabbing the final spot to nationals after a jump-off against two competitors from Penn State and Ohio State. The Midlothian, Virginia, native went out after clearing 4.20 meters (13-9.25) and finished in a tie for 12th, and then cleared 4.24 meters (13-11) on her second attempt of the jump-off to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career.
A pair of Tennessee freshman field athletes earned their spot on the national stage on Friday, beginning with rookie record holder Aron Alvarez Aranda in the men's discus. The Bloemfontein, South Africa, product heaved a toss of 57.25m (187-10) on his third attempt to place seventh at the meet and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Moments later, freshman high jumper and East Tennessee native Grant Campbell leaped over a season-best height of 2.17 meters (7-1.5) to finish ninth overall and claim his entry at nationals. Both Tennessee rookies were one of two freshman in their respective events to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships out of the East Region.
On the track, sophomore standout T'Mars McCallum won his heat in the 100-meter dash quarterfinals with a time of 10.04 seconds to automatically move on to the national meet. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will make his NCAA Championship debut in the 100-meter semifinals on June 5 at approximately 8:46 p.m. ET.
Fifth-year senior Emmanuel Bynum qualified for nationals in the outdoor 400-meter dash for the second year in a row, turning in a time of 45.43 to take second in his heat and earn a capital Q for the Big Orange. The Memphis native will have an opportunity to collect his 10th career All-America certificate at the national meet in two weeks.
Tennessee's elite 400-meter hurdles trio each secured qualification to the national meet, led by Ducos' time of 48.93 that placed second in the field and second in his heat. Fifth-year senior Ja'Kwan Hale won Heat 3 of the quarterfinal with a time of 49.40 that finished fourth overall, while Griffith's time of 49.50 was good for third place in his heat and eighth in the East Region. UT is one of two schools in the country that will have three entries in the men's 400-meter hurdles at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In the final individual running event of the night, Tennessee graduate student Yaseen Abdalla earned his second-consecutive berth to the outdoor national championships in the men's 5,000-meter. The Lanham, Maryland, native clocked a time of 13:59.51 to finish fourth in his heat and earn a capital Q for the Big Orange.
UP NEXT: The fourth and final day of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds will take place Saturday in Lexington. UT will compete in nine events on the track beginning at 5 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay quarterfinals and wrapping up at 8:45 p.m. with the women's 4x400-meter relay quarterfinals.
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Distance
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Pole Vault
/ Track & FieldEverything Orange S2 | Sarah Schmitt (Track & Field)
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