Vols Add Two Medals On Friday At SEC Outdoor Championships

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tennessee rounded out a busy afternoon on the track with a pair of podium finishes in Friday's final two events at the 2025 SEC Outdoor Championships. Zach Jaeger took home bronze in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Cade Gray secured silver in the men's pole vault.

Jaeger rallied from behind to earn his first career conference medal, nipping Alabama's Ezekiel Pitireng at the finish line and stopping the clock at 8:45.40. The third-place finish was the best for the Vols since Alex Crigger also claimed bronze at the 2022 outdoor SEC meet.

Friday's competition finished with the men's pole vault, which saw Gray soar 5.55 meters (18-2.5) to finish second at the conference meet. The mark secured a new outdoor personal-best for the Oclawaha, Florida, native and was UT's best finish in the outdoor pole vault at the SEC Championships since Jake Blankenship won the title in 2016.

The Vols tallied 12 points in the men's pole vault competition on Friday, combining Gray's eight points for second place with four points courtesy of Blake Sifferlin who finished fifth in the league. The junior from Akron, Ohio, towered over a lifetime-best 5.50m (18-0.5), equaling his PR that won the 2025 SEC Indoor crown in late February.

MOVING ON: Tennessee's sprint and hurdles group saw six athletes advance past their respective preliminary rounds to Saturday's finals.

Lady Vol graduates Myreanna Bebe (12.85) and Kiara Smith (13.07, PR) each secured spots in the women's 100-meter hurdles final, placing second and sixth in the field respectively.
Vol sophomore Kalib Branch earned his first career SEC finals trip in the men's 110-meter hurdles, clocking in at 13.75 seconds to place 8th in prelims.
In the women's 100-meter dash, Lady Vol senior Milan Fields qualified for the SEC final with her wind-aided time of 11.36 (+2.6) that finished sixth in the prelims.
The Volunteer speedster duo of Davonte Howell (10.15) and T'Mars McCallum (10.16) each secured timed qualifiers in the men's 100-meter – placing 7th and 9th respectively.

UP NEXT: The 2025 SEC Outdoor Championships conclude on Saturday at the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex. Action begins at 2:30 p.m. with Donna Douglas in the women's discus, and the conference meet will wrap up at approximately 9:40 p.m. with the men's 4x400-meter relay final.