University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
SEC Indoor Championships
Four Medals for Track & Field on Day One
February 27, 2015 | Track & Field
| Name | Event/Place/Mark |
|---|---|
| Cameron Brown | Weight Throw/1st/22.60m (74-1.75) |
| Tavis Bailey | Weight Throw/2nd/21.49m (74-1.75) |
| Wesley Edwards | High Jump/8th/2.10 (6-10.75) |
» Full Results
| Name | Event/Place/Mark |
|---|---|
| Cassie Wertman | Shot Put/3rd/17.16m (56-3.75) |
| Chelsea Blaase | 3000m/3rd/9:26.06 |
| Erin Champion | Pole Vault/6th/4.03m (13-2.5) |
» Full Results
Brown became Tennessee's first-ever SEC champion in the men's weight throw, turning in a winning toss of 74 feet, 1.75 inches (22.60) to grab the gold. Entering the meet with the SEC's top mark in the weight throw, Brown solidified his place atop the league headed into the NCAA Championships next month.
After suffering through a disappointing preliminary round that saw her just squeak into the finals, Wertman fought her way onto the medal stand with a career-best throw of 56 feet, 3.75 inches (17.16). It was the second-farthest throw in UT's indoor history.
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tennessee opened up the 2015 SEC Track & Field Championships with four medals at Nutter Field House on Friday as Cameron Brown and Tavis Bailey went one-two in the men's weight throw before Cassie Wertman and Chelsea Blaase turned in gutsy efforts to earn bronze in the shot put and 3000 meters, respectively.
Those performances left the Volunteers in the thick of things on the team leaderboard. The No. 13 UT men finished the day with 19 points over four scored events to sit in fourth place while the women are in fifth place with 15 points over five events. Arkansas leads both sets of team standings, posting 33 points on the men's side and 49.50 points on the women's side.
Entering the weekend, Brown and Bailey ranked as the SEC's top two individuals in the men's weight throw. The duo did not disappoint as it surged past the field for the first Tennessee medals of the weekend. The school record-holder at 76 feet, 8.5 inches (23.38m), Brown put an exclamation point on his first SEC gold in making his best throw of the night was also his last. The junior capped the evening with a throw of 74 feet, 1.75 inches (22.60) making him Tennessee's first-ever SEC champion in the event and solidifying his place as the league's top athlete in the weight. Brown placed third in the event a year ago.
Not far off the pace was Bailey, who joined Brown on the medal stand with silver after a throw of 70 feet, 6.25 inches (21.49). Bailey also collects his first SEC hardware in the men's weight throw and will look to carry that momentum into Saturday's shot put final.
Brown and Bailey accounted for 18 of the 19 points accumulated by the Volunteer men, but the man who got UT on the board early was high jumper Wesley Edwards. The junior transfer placed eighth in the high jump with a new career-best leap of six feet, 10.75 inches (2.10).
On the track, true freshman Christian Coleman continued his strong rookie season when he qualified for Saturday's finals in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. The Atlanta native won his 60-meter heat in a time of 6.62 before turning in a time of 21.19 to advance in the 200.
Wertman opened up the scoring for the Tennessee women on Friday and did so in gritty fashion. After opening up the shot put with a disappointing three throws that saw her just narrowly advance into the finals, the junior turned an about-face in the championship round. Wertman uncorked a massive PR of 56 feet, 3.75 inches (17.16) with her penultimate throw of the night, vaulting herself into third place behind only Jill Rushin of Missouri and LSU's Tori Bliss -- the new SEC record-holder in the event after her winning throw of 60 feet, one inch (18.31). The dramatic turnaround moves Wertman into second all-time at Tennessee in the event and provides the first-year captain her first career SEC medal.
The Orange and White witnessed even more resiliency later in the evening when Blaase worked her way back from a second lap mishap to clinch a third-place finish in the 3000 meters. While the stumble (and subsequent barrel roll) may have slowed her overall time (9:26.06), the junior displayed poise in fighting her way from the back of the pack and into medal position.
The women also got solid contributions from pole vaulter Erin Champion (4.03/13-2.50) -- who opened the meet with a sixth-place finish and three points -- as well as sprinters Felecia Majors and Felicia Brown. The pair advanced to Saturday's final in the 400-meter dash with qualifying times of 53.37 and 53.63, respectively.
The second and final day of the Championships get underway at 11:30 a.m. ET when Jake Blankenship and Michael Maira take to the pole vault.
WOMEN'S RESULTS FRIDAY AT SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Long Jump: 14. Felecia Majors, 5.90 (19-4.25); 16. Cidae'a Woods, 5.89 (19-4.0)!
Pole Vault: 6. Erin Champion, 4.03 (13-2.50); Morgan Allen - nh
400m (prelim): 5. Felecia Majors, 53.37 - adv; 6. Felicia Brown, 53.63 - adv; 38. London Freeland, 57.94 - dna; 41. Megan Linder, 59.21 - dna
Shot Put: 3. Cassie Wertman, 17.16 (56-3.75)!
200m (prelim): 11. Felecia Majors, 23.85 - dna; 26. Felicia Brown, 24.43 - dna
3000m: 3. Chelsea Blaase, 9:26.06
MEN'S RESULTS FRIDAY AT SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
High Jump: 8. Wesley Edwards, 2.10 (6-10.75)!
Weight Throw: 1. Cameron Brown, 22.60 (74-1.75); 2. Tavis Bailey, 21.49 (70-6.25); 16. Deon McAdoo, 18.51 (60-8.75); Carson Frost - f
60m (prelim): 3. Christian Coleman, 6.62 - adv
Mile (prelim): 20. Drew Kelley, 4:21.12! - dna
400m (prelim): 18. Nathan Strother, 47.45 - dna
800m (prelim): 21. Antonio Carter, 1:53.13 - dna; 24. Chase Hilton, 1:53.30 - dna
200m (prelim): 6. Christian Coleman, 21.19 - adv; 20. Nathan Strother, 21.76 - dna; 23. Jerimy Strainge, 22.11 - dna; 26. Malik Elion, 22.77 - dna
3000m: 14. Kyle Walter, 8:35.77
! - Personal Best, $ - SEC Record, a - American Record, b - Banked Track, c - Collegiate Record, adv. - Advanced, dna - Did Not Advance, dnf - Did Not Finish, dnr - Did Not Run, dns - Did Not Score, dq - Disqualified, F - Foul, f - Facility Record, fr - Freshman Record, fr* - Tied Freshman Record, fs - False Start, H - Heptathlon, h - Hand-Timed, mr - Meet Record, nh - No Height, nm - No Mark, P - Pentathlon, sr - School Record, u - Undersized Track, w - wind-aided, wr - World Record
