University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols To Compete In Tyson Invitational, Husky Classic
February 10, 2016 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- This Friday and Saturday, Tennessee track and field team will compete in both the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash.
SEC Network + will feature live video coverage of portions of the Tyson Invitational. On Friday, SEC Network + will have live online video from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. On Saturday, there will be live coverage from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Fans can view the live broadcasts by logging in online with their cable or satellite accounts.
The majority of the team will compete at the Tyson Invitational at Randal Tyson Track Center, which is the site of the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships. Tennessee director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan is looking forward to the high-level of competition the team will face this week.
"It will give us a good opportunity to get comfortable with Arkansas' facility and compete against some of the best competition, a lot in our conference," Sullivan said. "We are looking forward to it. Last weekend, Felicia Brown and Christian Coleman only ran the 60 meters. This weekend, they are in the 60 meters and the 200 meters. We are going to run both events that they will typically run at the SEC Championships and we are doing that with all of our athletes - having them compete in the events that they typically compete in at conference. You will see some great competition come out of it."
Tennessee distance runners Chelsea Blaase, Austin Whitelaw, Zach Long and Tyler Woodrome are scheduled to compete against some of the nation's top distance stars at the Husky Classic at Dempsey Indoor.
"Seattle has this great 300-meter track and Dempsey Indoor has some phenomenal distance races which brings in runners from around the country," Sullivan said. "It has been very productive all of the years I have been going and it was certainly good for us last year. Our runners are going to be in heats against some of the best in the distance events. It will be a good opportunity to run big."
The Tennessee men are ranked at No. 7 in the latest USTFCCCA poll, moving up two spots. The UT women stayed at No. 14.
Tennessee Men
Coleman owns the nation's top 60-meter time at 6.54 and ranks fifth in the 200 meters with a 20.70. Coleman was named the SEC Co-Men's Runner of the Week, marking his conference weekly honors for the season. He joins Justin Hunter (twice in 2011) and Leonard Scott (twice in 2001) as the only UT men to earn SEC weekly indoor honors twice in the same season.
Jake Blankenship leads the country in the pole vault with a top mark of 18-9.25 (5.72 meters), which he cleared at last week's Virginia Tech "Doc Hale" Elite Meet. Blankenship earned SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week.
Cameron Brown ranks fourth in the nation in the weight throw with a throw of 73-4.50 (22.36 meters) from last month's Conference Clash.
UT's men's 4x400-meter relay of Ari Cogdell, Coleman, Antonio Carter and Nathan Strother clocked a 3:07.83 last week in Blacksburg, Va. That time ranks sixth nationally and was UT's third-fastest ever and the Vols' best time since 2002.
Strother's 46.85 400-meter time from the Conference Clash ranks 17th nationally.
Tennessee Women
Brown was named the SEC Women's Runner of the Week for the third time this season. She ranks second in the nation in the 200 meters (22.88) and 10th in the 60 meters (7.30). Brown is just the third Tennessee woman to earn SEC weekly honors three times in the same season, joining Sarah Bowman (three times in 2009) and Annie Alexander (three times in 2008).
Kali Davis-White is also enjoying an outstanding indoor season in her first year at Tennessee. She ranks sixth nationally in the 60 meters (7.28) and sixth in the 200 meters (23.23).
Cassie Wertman is ninth in the nation in the shot put with a throw of 55-5.00 (16.89 meters) from last month's Conference Clash.
Tennessee's 4x400-meter relay of Lenysse Dyer, Felecia Majors, Layla White and Brown clocked the country's third-fastest time of 3:32.70 last week at the Virginia Tech "Doc Hale" Elite Meet. That time set a facility record at Rector Fieldhouse and was the fifth-fastest time in Tennessee history and its fastest since 2006.
Felecia Majors is 18th in the nation in the 400 meters with a time of 53.70, which she clocked at the Conference Clash.
Chelsea Blaase ranks 25th nationally in the 3,000 meters with a season-best time of 9:24.83.
Tyson Invitational Track Events
| Start Time (CT) | Event | Competing For Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| FRI: 1:15 p.m. | Women's 400m | Felecia Majors, Lenysse Dyer, Layla White |
| FRI: 2 p.m. | Men's 400m | Nathan Strother, Ari Cogdell |
| FRI: 3:15 p.m. | Women's 60m Prelim | Felicia Brown, Kali Davis-White, Maia McCoy, DeAndra Greer |
| FRI: 3:40 p.m. | Men's 60m Prelim | Christian Coleman |
| FRI: 4:25 p.m. | Men's 800m | Antonio Carter |
| FRI: 5:40 p.m. | Women's 60m Semifinals | |
| FRI: 5:45 p.m. | Men's 60m Semifinals | |
| FRI: 6:10 p.m. | Women's 60m Final | |
| FRI: 6:15 p.m. | Men's 60m Final | |
| FRI: 6:20 p.m. | Women's 400m Championship | Felecia Majors, Lenysse Dyer, Layla White |
| FRI: 6:55 p.m. | Men's 400m Championship | Nathan Strother, Ari Cogdell |
| SAT: 12:30 p.m. | Women's 200m | Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors, Maia McCoy |
| SAT: 1:15 p.m. | Women's 200m Championship | Kali Davis-White, Felecia Majors, Maia McCoy |
| SAT: 2:45 p.m. | Men's 200m Championship | Christian Coleman |
Tyson Invitational Field Events
| Start Time (CT) | Event | Competing For Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| FRI: 2 p.m. | Women's Long Jump | Cidae'a Woods, Chyna Ries |
| FRI: 3 p.m. | Women's Weight Throw | Savannah Marlow |
| FRI: 5:30 p.m. | Men's Weight Throw | Cameron Brown, Matthew Zajac, Seth Whitener |
| FRI: 6 p.m. | Men's Pole Vault Invite | Jake Blankenship |
| SAT: 12 p.m. | Men's High Jump College | Wesley Edwards |
| SAT: 12 p.m. | Women's Triple Jump College | Brielyn Rogers, Cidae'a Woods, LaChyna Roe |
| SAT: 1 p.m. | Women's Shot Put | Cassie Wertman |
| SAT: 3 p.m. | Men's Shot Put | Matthew Zajac |
Husky Classic
| Start Time (PT) | Event | Competing For Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| FRI: 6:05 p.m. | Women's 5000m | Chelsea Blaase |
| SAT: 1:30 p.m. | Men's 3000m | Austin Whitelaw |
| SAT: 2:40 p.m. | Men's Mile | Zach Long, Tyler Woodrome |
