UT Sets Five NCAA Top 25 Marks On Opening Day Of Big Orange Invite

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The nationally ranked Tennessee track & field program opened up its final home meet of the season with four victories and five marks that rank top 25 on the NCAA Division I list for the 2025 outdoor season, rounding out a successful Day 1 of the Big Orange Invite at Tom Black Track on Friday.

Meanwhile in Nashville, Tennessee's distance squad logged five personal-bests – including two marks that ranked top 10 in program history and a 5k victory to wrap up the 10-hour day of competition.

BIG ORANGE INVITE NOTABLES

For the fourth time during her senior outdoor campaign, Sarah Schmitt topped her own school record in the women's pole vault – clearing an outdoor personal best of 4.45 meters (14-7.25). The mark currently ranks 10th in the NCAA and earned Schmitt her fourth victory in five outdoor meets in 2025.
True freshman Mya Strahm also notched a new outdoor PR in the pole vault, clearing 4.35 meters (14-3.25) to place third at the home meet. The performance shattered her own UT freshman record and currently ranks 23rd in the country during the 2025 outdoor campaign.
On the men's side, Blake Sifferlin was UT's top performer with an outdoor personal-best jump of 5.44m (17-10.25). His leap ranks 17th on the NCAA list for the 2025 outdoor season, giving the Tennessee pole vault squad three athletes in the men's national top 25.
Sophomore All-American Kevin Burr Jr. shattered his personal record in the men's javelin with a winning heave of 75.19 meters (246-8), moving to No. 9 nationally in his signature event. The mark ranks the Eastampton, New Jersey, native sixth in Tennessee history and makes UT one of two schools in the country with multiple throwers above 75 meters this season.
In the men's discus, all four Tennessee athletes set new personal-bests – led by sophomore Aron Alvarez Aranda's heave of 61.14 meters (200-7) to finish second at the meet. The Bloemfontein, South Africa, product ranks 11th in the NCAA and became the third Vol in history to log a throw further than 200 feet in the discus.
True freshman Donna Douglas picked up Tennessee's first win of the afternoon in the women's discus, launching a mark of 57.02 meters (187-1) for the second-best throw of her career.
On the track, Cydney Wright earned the win in the women's 200-meter dash. Running against four other teammates in her heat, the grad student from Daytona Beach, Florida, clocked in at 23.46 seconds.

MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE NOTABLES

True freshman Gavin Genisio had Tennessee's top performance in Nashville, finishing third overall in the men's 1,500-meter with a personal-best clocking of 3:41.73. His time shattered the Tennessee freshman record, ranks third in school history and is less than half a second from breaking UT's overall school record in the event.
In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Maryville native Andie-Marie Jones shaved 20 seconds off her PR with a time of 10:31.28 – finishing second at the meet. The Lady Vol sophomore now ranks sixth in school history in the event.
Redshirt freshman Hudson Betts rounded out Friday's action with a first-place finish in the men's 5,000-meter, breaking 14 minutes for the first time in his career with a time of 13:57.94.

PR TRACKER

Tennessee athletes combined to break or tie eight outdoor, wind-legal personal records on Friday at the Big Orange Invite and Music City Challenge.
- Elo Blessing Okpah – Women's 200m – 23.89
- Jaylee Wingate – Women's 1,500m – 4:32.35
- Savannah Rivera – Women's 1,500m – 4:35.98
- Andie-Marie Jones – Women's 3,000m Steeplechase – 10:31.28
- Sarah Schmitt – Women's Pole Vault – 4.45m (14-7.25)
- Mya Strahm – Women's Pole Vault – 4.35m (14-3.25)
- Gavin Genisio – Men's 1,500m – 3:41.73
- Hudson Betts – Men's 5,000m – 13:57.94
- Blake Sifferlin – Men's Pole Vault – 5.44m (17-10.25)
- Aron Alvarez Aranda – Men's Discus – 61.14m (200-7)
- Seth Apple – Men's Discus – 55.22m (181-2)
- Joel Gates – Men's Discus – 53.59m (175-10)
- Kevin Burr Jr. – Men's Javelin – 75.19m (246-8)

SATURDAY SCHEDULE UPDATE
Due to the forecast of inclement weather on Saturday, there were several changes made to the 2025 Big Orange Invite meet schedule. Action from Tom Black Track begins at 10 a.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay, men's high jump, women's triple jump and women's shot put. Competition will conclude at approximately 12:20 p.m. with the women's 100-meter hurdles final.

Tennessee's senior day ceremony will take place Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

The distance crew will round out the Music City Challenge on Saturday evening in Nashville, running the women's and men's 800-meter at 6:15 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. ET, respectively.

University of Tennessee | Official Athletics Site

UT Sets Five NCAA Top 25 Marks On Opening Day Of Big Orange Invite

Players Mentioned

Aron Alvarez Aranda

Seth Apple

Hudson Betts

Kevin Burr Jr.

Donna Douglas

Joel Gates

Gavin Genisio

Andie-Marie Jones

Elo Blessing Okpah

Savannah Rivera

Sarah Schmitt

Blake Sifferlin

Mya Strahm

Jaylee Wingate

Cydney Wright

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