University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Indoor Championships
UT Men Finish 3rd, Women Finish 7th at NCAAs
March 12, 2016 | Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Tennessee reclaimed its spot among track and field's elite programs on Saturday as the UT men stormed up the standings to finish third and the UT women fought their way to a seventh-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field National Championships at Birmingham CrossPlex.
Christian Coleman and Felicia Brown are national champions after Coleman won the men's 200-meter title in 20.55 and Brown won the women's 200-meter title in 22.47. Tennessee is the first school in NCAA Indoor Track and Field history to win both men's 200 meters and the women's 200 meters at the same championship meet. The 200 meters became an NCAA Indoor Championships event in 1988.
"It feels great to win a national title," Coleman said. "I feel really blessed and humbled to be out here and represent the University of Tennessee and score that many points for my team."
Coleman is UT's first men's indoor national champion since 2008 when Rubin Williams won the 200 meters. Brown is Tennessee's first women's indoor national champion since 2011 when Jackie Areson won the 5000 meters. Brown is also the first Tennessee woman to capture an NCAA Indoor 200-meter title.
"The run felt good," Brown said. "I just used my advantage of the bank to get up ahead on the last turn. I think everyone did the best they could and that it was a successful day overall."
UT had lots of support in the stands as several members of the Tennessee track and field team who were not competing this weekend traveled to Birmingham to join families and fans and cheer on their teammates. Thirteen of Tennessee's 14 entries at the NCAA Championships produced First Team All-Americans (top eight finish).
The Tennessee men finished third with 34 points. Oregon won the men's title with 62 points and Arkansas was second with 39. The Tennessee women took seventh with 30 points. Oregon won the women's crown with 53 points and Arkansas was the runner-up with 50.
Coleman collected three trophies on Saturday. In addition to his 200-meter national title, he took third in the men's 60 meters with a PR 6.52. Coleman ran the third leg of UT's men's 4x400-meter relay, which took fifth with a blazing time of 3:06.29.
Ari Cogdell, Coleman, Antonio Carter and Nathan Strother combined to run 3:06.29 in the first section of the men's 4x400. Strother ran a scorching 45.55 in the final leg to give Tennessee its second-best 4x400 time ever and its fastest since 2002. That time stood atop the standings until the third section produced four faster times. Darryl Harris added quality depth for Tennessee as the alternate for the 4x400 and was ready to go if Coleman or Strother could not after their earlier races.
Brown reached the podium twice. After capturing her first national title in the 200 meters, she ran anchor on Tennessee's women's 4x400, which took fifth place in 3:31.17. Lenysse Dyer, Felecia Majors and Layla White earned All-America honors in the relay. Majors ran a blazing 50.67 in the second leg.
Strother earned two trips to the podium as well. He took second place in the men's 400-meter final, clocking 46.28. Strother turned on the afterburners in the home straightaway to clock the second-best indoor 400 meters of his career and earn silver and his first First Team All-America honors.
Cassie Wertman captured her First Team All-America honors for the first time in her career with an impressive second-place finish in the women's shot put. Wertman threw a career-best 17.68m (58-0.25) on her fifth throw.
Kali Davis-White earned First Team All-America honors for the first time in her career by taking seventh in the women's 200 meters. Davis-White raced to a career-best 23.08 in a fast first section to give UT a pair of top eight finishers in the event.
The Vols' success on Saturday continued the momentum set by Cameron Brown (third in men's weight throw), Chelsea Blaase (third in women's 5,000 meters) and several great performances in the sprint semifinals on Friday.
NCAA Indoor Championships
SATURDAY TRACK EVENTS
Men's 60m Final: 3. Christian Coleman, 6.52!
Men's 400m Final: 2. Nathan Strother, 46.28
Men's 200m Final: 1. Christian Coleman, 20.55
Women's 200m Final: 1. Felicia Brown, 22.47; 7. Kali Davis-White, 23.08!
Men's 4x400m Final: 5. Tennessee (Ari Cogdell, 47.16; Christian Coleman, 46.63; Antonio Carter, 46.96; Nathan Strother, 45.55), 3:06.29!
Women's 4x400m Final: 5. Tennessee (Lenysse Dyer, 54.44; Felecia Majors, 50.67; Layla White, 53.03; Felicia Brown, 53.05), 3:31.17
SATURDAY FIELD EVENTS
Women's Shot Put Final: 2. Cassie Wertman, 17.68m! (58-0.25)
FRIDAY TRACK EVENTS
Men's 60m Semifinals: 3. Christian Coleman, 6.53Q! (1st in Heat 1)
Women's 60m Semifinals: 10. Felicia Brown, 7.30 (4th in Heat 1); 11. Kali Davis-White, 7.33 (7th in Heat 2)
Men's 400m Semifinals: 6. Nathan Strother, 46.52q (2nd in Heat 4)
Women's 400m Semifinals: 9. Felecia Majors, 53.15 (3rd in Heat 1)
Men's 200m Semifinals: 1. Christian Coleman, 20.63q (1st in Heat 2)
Women's 200m Semifinals: 1. Felicia Brown, 22.59q (1st in Heat 1); 6. Kali Davis-White, 23.23q (2nd in Heat 3)
Women's 5000m Finals: 3. Chelsea Blaase, 15:42.47!
FRIDAY FIELD EVENTS
Men's Weight Throw Final: 3. Cameron Brown, 23.54m! (77-2.75)
Men's Pole Vault Final: Jake Blankenship, nh
