Tennessee Volunteers track and field

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Tennessee Volunteers track and field
Tennessee Volunteers track and field athletic logo

University University of Tennessee
Conference SEC
Location Knoxville, TN
Head Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan (June 2014 - present year)
Outdoor Track Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium
Nickname Volunteers
Colors [[ (color)|]] and [[ (color)|]]

             

NCAA Indoor Championships
2002
NCAA Outdoor Championships
1974, 1991, 2001
Conference Indoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1996
Conference Outdoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2007
Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium is the home of the Tennessee Vols track and field teams.

The Tennessee Volunteers track and field program represents the University of Tennessee in the sport of track and field. The indoor and outdoor programs compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols host their home indoor meets in the Stokely Athletics Center and their home outdoor meets at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, both located on the university's Knoxville, Tennessee campus.

History

The Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field program began in 1901 and first started intercollegiate competition in 1909 when the SIAA was formed. Records before the 1921 season were not kept, and are therefore incomplete. The Vols did not compete in the 1918 and 1919 seasons due to World War I. The team later joined the Southeastern Conference in 1933 where they have competed for the past 75 years. The sport was also kept on hold from 1943-1946 because of World War II and would later resume outdoor meets in 1947 and indoor meets in 1960.

Since the formation of the SEC the Tennessee Volunteers have been a consistent force in competition winning a combined 47 SEC titles, 3 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and 1 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship.[1][2]

Several coaches are responsible for the historical success of the UT track & field program. Chuck Rohe finished with a record of 87-10 (.896) and won an astonishing 15 consecutive SEC titles. Stan Huntsman took over the program in 1971 and would continue the success started by Rohe. During his tenure he led the Vols to a record of 93-26-3 (.775), 20 SEC titles and won the program's first NCAA title. In 1986 Doug Brown became the 4th coach for the Vols track & field team and finished with a 53-8 (.869) record and won 4 SEC titles and 1 NCAA title. Bill Webb took the program over following the 1995 season and would finish with a 52-1 (.981) record and an unprecedented 4 SEC titles and 2 NCAA titles, becoming the first coach to win multiple national titles at Tennessee.[3]

Coaching staff

It was released on May 21, 2014, that Coach JJ Clark would not be retained as Director of Track and Field/Cross Country. Penn State's Beth Alford-Sullivan was hired as UT head coach in June 2014.

Tennessee Olympic track and field medalists

  • Justin Gatlin, American gold, silver and bronze medalist at 2004 Athens Olympics
  • Sam Graddy, American gold medalist and silver medalist at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
  • Lawrence Johnson, American silver medalist at 2000 Sydney Olympics
  • Tim Mack, American gold medalist at 2004 Athens Olympics
  • Aries Merritt, American gold at the 2012 London Olympics

See also

References

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  2. http://www.utsports.com/fans/sec.html
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External links

  • [1] – Tennessee Volunteers sports news from The Knoxville News Sentinel.
  • [2] – Official webpage of the Tennessee Volunteers track and field teams.