Tennessee Caps SEC Championships With Six Podium Performances

Hannah Grace - 2026 SEC Outdoor Championships

Tennessee Caps SEC Championships With Six Podium Performances

May 16, 2026 | Track & Field

AUBURN, Ala. – Tennessee track & field totaled six top-three finishes on Saturday as UT rounded out the SEC Outdoor Championships at Auburn University's Hutsell-Rosen Track. The podium performances were highlighted by freshman Hannah Grace's title in the women's pole vault, clearing 4.41 meters (14-5.5) in her conference meet debut.

Grace became Tennessee's first SEC champion in the women's outdoor pole vault since 2004 and fourth all-time, placing first overall after being the only athlete to clear 4.41 meters (14-5.5). The Wilmington, North Carolina, native is the first freshman to win the event since Arkansas' Alexis Weeks in 2016.

Tennessee opened Saturday's action with Cedricka Williams in the women's discus, earning a runner-up finish with a mark of 60.64 meters (198-11) to claim silver in her first career SEC Outdoor Championships appearance. The result gave Tennessee a podium finish in the women's discus for the second year in a row and marked the Lady Vols' best finish in the event since 2022.

UT opened Saturday's track events by winning bronze in both 4x100-meter relays, beginning with the women's quartet of Lauren Jarrett, Dana Wilson, Avia Jones and Cydney Wright taking third with a season-best 42.77 that ranks third in school history. On the men's side, Traunard Folson, Davonte Howell, T'Mars McCallum and Elijah Clark secured third place with a season-best 38.51 that ranks second on UT's all-time list.

Folson also earned an individual medal on Saturday, placing second in the 100-meter dash final with a wind-legal PR of 10.03 seconds (-0.2). His mark ranks fourth in school history and was the best finish by a Vol in the SEC 100-meter final since Favour Ashe won the conference crown in 2022.

The Lady Vols capped the meet with a school-record performance for third place in the women's 4x400-meter relay, as the group of Wright, Javonya Valcourt, Maira Scott and Esther Joseph turned in a time of 3:22.73. The mark moved Tennessee to fifth on the all-time collegiate list and made the Lady Vols the 11th-fastest relay team in NCAA history.

In the team standings, the men of Tennessee finished sixth with 60.5 points. The Lady Vols placed eighth overall with 56.75 points.

SCORING PERFORMANCES: Including its six podium finishes, the Big Orange logged 18 top-eight scoring marks on Saturday at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Traunard Folson – Men's 100m – 10.03 (2nd)
Elijah Clark – Men's 100m – 10.19 (8th)
Traunard Folson – Men's 200m – 20.23 (4th)
Oliver MacDonald – Men's 1,500m – 3:45.63 (8th)
Marc Anthony Ibrahim – Men's 400m Hurdles – 49.81 (6th)
Zouhair Redouane – Men's 5,000m – 13:35.30 (8th)*
Men's 4x100m Relay – 38.51 (3rd)
Aron Alvarez Aranda – Men's Discus – 58.53m / 192-0 (7th)
Dana Wilson – Women's 100m – 11.11 (4th)^
Lauren Jarrett – Women's 100m – 11.15 (5th)
Javonya Valcourt – Women's 400m – 50.93 (6th)
Mary Nyaboke Ogwoka – Women's 1,500m – 4:13.76 (6th)
Women's 4x100m Relay – 42.77 (3rd)
Women's 4x400m Relay – 3:22.73 (3rd)*
Hannah Grace – Women's Pole Vault – 4.41m / 14-5.5 (1st)
Skye Tolbert – Women's Pole Vault – 4.06m / 13-3.75 (T-7th)
Endia Smith – Women's Triple Jump – 12.96m / 42-2 (8th)
Cedricka Williams – Women's Discus – 60.64m / 198-11 (2nd)

* - School Record
^ - UT Freshman Record

UP NEXT: Tennessee athletes that post top-48 marks on the NCAA Division I East Region qualifying list will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for the 2026 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. The four-day contest will take place at the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility May 27-30.