The 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships are May 12-14 at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex. Each day, this page will be updated with Tennessee Track & Field’s results.
Saturday, May 14
Tennessee track & field capped the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday in Oxford with the Vols finishing third in the team standings with 83 points. It is the best team finish for the men since 2008 when they also placed third overall.
The Lady Vols closed out the three-day meet with 34 points, placing ninth in the final standings.
“We have such great momentum with this men’s team,” director of track & field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. “I mean, really both teams, but our men’s team had an exceptional week. We knew we could score between 80 and 85 points and set that challenge heading into the meet. The men were prepared and ready to go and we landed right in the middle with 83 points and a third-place finish. This weekend really backs up our third-place team finish at NCAA indoors back in March and sets us up for another run at some NCAA hardware in a few weeks.
“I also want to give a big shout-out to my coaches. They have done a great job all season and provided good leadership this weekend, keeping people healthy and making good decisions on who to race and when to race them. I hope that people can recognize what this really means for Tennessee. A top-three finish is a really big deal. This is the best conference in the world.”
In the final tally, 23 student-athletes scored points for the Orange & White, including three SEC champions – Wayne Pinnock in the men’s long jump, Jordan West in the men’s shot put and Favour Ashe in the men’s 100-meter dash.
Ashe’s title on Saturday was the third won by the Vols during the three-day meet. Along with it being UT’s third individual SEC title at the 2022 SEC Championships, the crown pushed the Big Orange medal count to eight on the weekend.
The true freshman’s winning time of 10.04 seconds broke the Tennessee freshman record previously held by Olympian Justin Gatlin at 10.08. Ashe’s mark also moved him to second all-time in UT history behind only 2017 The Bowerman award winner and Olympian Christian Coleman.
With Ashe’s 100m crown, the Ughelli, Nigeria, native becomes the ninth Vol in program history to win the SEC title in the 100m/100y dash.
SCORING ON THE FINAL NIGHT
Skylar Coffey opened the scoring for the Vols on Saturday as he posted a seventh-place finish in the men’s discus throw. The freshman threw 54.99m (180-05) on his fifth throw to claim his spot in the points.
Wayne Pinnock, Favour Ashe, Carey McLeod and Emmanuel Bynum raced around the track in the men’s 4×100-meter relay, placing fourth in 39.52 seconds. The foursome picked up five team points with the placement.
Joella Lloyd scored nine points on Saturday for the Lady Vols as she finished in the points in both the women’s 100-meter dash and 200m dash. The sophomore finished fourth and scored five points in the 100m at 11.31 seconds – a season-best time. In the 200m, Lloyd placed fifth – securing four points – in a time of 23.20.
Jalen Tate and Garison Breeding both scored in the men’s triple jump on the conference meet’s final day. Tate finished in fourth at 16.19m (53-1.50), setting an outdoor personal-best mark. Breeding was seventh overall, also notching an outdoor PB with a leap of 15.43m (50-7.50).
In the 400-meter hurdles, the Vols and Lady Vols both secured points. In the women’s race, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard ran a lifetime-best 58.12 to finish seventh. For the men, Jakwan Hale placed fifth in 50.57 seconds.
To cap the weekend, the Lady Vols’ 4×400-meter relay of Uchechi Nwogwugwu, Allison Rand, Robinson-Hubbard and Mia O’Neil came seventh at 3:36.63.
SEC POINTS SCORERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – 3rd – 69.64m (228-05)
Sydney Seymour – Women’s 10,000 – 4th – 34:39.37
Karl Thiessen – Men’s 10,000 – 4th – 29:32.36
Latavia Maines – Women’s Shot Put – 3rd – 17.86m (58-7.25)
Wayne Pinnock – Men’s Long Jump – 1st – 8.05m (26-5.00)
Carey McLeod – Men’s Long Jump – 2nd – 7.91m (25-11.50)
Caroline Lewis – Heptathlon – 4th – 5,212 points
Katie Thronson – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 5th – 10:04.15
Kayla Gholar – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 8th – 10:21.69
Alex Crigger – Men’s 3,000 Steeplechase – 3rd – 8:52.31
Jordan West – Men’s Shot Put – 1st – 20.28m (66-6.50)
Yariel Soto – Decathlon – 3rd – 7,600 points
Skylar Coffey – Men’s Discus Throw – 7th – 54.99m (180-05)
Wayne Pinnock, Favour Ashe, Carey McLeod, Emmanuel Bynum – Men’s 4x100mR – 4th – 39.52
Joella Lloyd – Women’s 100m – 4th – 11.31
Favour Ashe – Men’s 100m – 1st – 10.04
Jalen Tate – Men’s Triple Jump – 4th – 16.19m (53-1.50)
Garison Breeding – Men’s Triple Jump – 7th – 15.43m (50-7.50)
Joella Lloyd – Women’s 200m – 5th – 23.20
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Women’s 400mH – 7th – 58.12
Jakwan Hale – Men’s 400mH – 5th – 50.57
Uchechi Nwogwugwu, Allison Rand, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard, Mia O’Neil – Women’s 4x400mR – 7th – 3:36.63
ALL-SEC TEAM MEMBERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – Second Team
Latavia Maines – Women’s Shot Put – Second Team
Wayne Pinnock – Men’s Long Jump – First Team
Carey McLeod – Men’s Long Jump – Second Team
Alex Crigger – Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase – Second Team
Jordan West – Men’s Shot Put – First Team
Yariel Soto – Decathlon – Second Team
Favour Ashe – Men’s 100m – First Team
PR TRACKER
Mikele Vickers – Women’s Triple Jump – 12.27m (40-3.25) – Outdoor
Israel Adesina – Men’s Discus – 50.48m (165-07)
Jalen Tate – Men’s Triple Jump – 16.19m (53-1.50) – Outdoor
Garison Breeding – Men’s Triple Jump – 15.43m (50-7.50) – Outdoor
Favour Ashe – Men’s 100m – 10.04 – 2nd in Tennessee History, Freshman Record
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Women’s 400mH – 58.12
Fuji Anday – Men’s 5,000m – 14:39.04
FINAL WORD FROM COACH SULLIVAN
“It was a challenging week for our Lady Vols,” Alford-Sullivan said. “We lost one of our captains in Hannah Jefcoat who was positioned to do well in the pole vault to an injury before getting here. Then when we got here our All-American and all-around superstar Charisma Taylor just wasn’t feeling right. We didn’t feel like we could put her out there and risk her health. Hopefully, she’ll be able to rest and regroup and get ready for NCAAs. Then you turn around and we’ve got young people like Sydney Seymour and Katie Thronson both doing their job in their events and scoring big points for us. In women’s shot put we had Latavia Maines coming away with her fourth SEC medal. We also had a lot of younger women step up this week and really have their best performances. The future of our women’s team is bright and we all share the same vision for what they can achieve.”
UP NEXT
Tennessee athletes that post top-48 marks on the NCAA East outdoor qualifying list will head to Bloomington, Indiana, for the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. The regional meet is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, May 25-28 at Indiana University’s Haugh Track & Field.
Friday, May 13
Following a five-hour and 15-minute delay to the start time, the second day of the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships got underway at 8 p.m. ET at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex.
At the end of two days of competition and with seven events scored, the Vols lead the men’s standings with 55 points. Alabama is second at 54 points and Arkansas is third at 45 points. With eight events scored on the women’s side, the Lady Vols have 21 points and sit tied for eighth with Kentucky. Auburn leads the women’s standings with 36 points.
Day two saw the Tennessee track & field team bring home a pair of individual SEC titles, one silver medal and three bronze medals. Freshman Wayne Pinnock and senior Jordan West won the SEC titles in men’s long jump and men’s shot put.
Pinnock leaped 8.05m (26-5.00) on his opening long jump, which was enough to secure his first conference title. The outdoor league crown is a follow-up to the NCAA indoor long jump national title the Kingston, Jamaica, native won in March.
With the title, the Vols have now won back-to-back outdoor long jump SEC championships and made it a clean sweep in 2022 after Carey McLeod won the indoor long jump SEC gold medal.
McLeod joined his fellow countryman on the medal stand as he placed second in the long jump. The senior leaped 7.91m (25-11.50) to clinch the eighth SEC medal of his career. Friday night’s finish mirrors the 1-2 finish the pair had at indoor nationals in the men’s long jump.
West claimed his first-career SEC title in the men’s shot put with a winning throw of 20.28m (66-6.50). The heave came on his fifth throw of the night and vaulted him up the standings from fourth to first. West’s throw also set a new Ole Miss Track & Field facility record.
The first medal of day two came courtesy of senior Latavia Maines. The Centralia, Illinois, native placed third in the women’s shot put with an outdoor season-best toss of 17.86m (58-7.25). The bronze medal is the fourth SEC medal of Maines’ Tennessee career.
Alex Crigger made it four medals in four tries in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase as he took home his third steeplechase bronze medal. The Johnson City, Tennessee, native got over the barriers and through the water in a season-best 8:52.31.
Over the course of his career, Crigger has one steeplechase SEC title (2019) and has taken home bronze on three other occasions (2018, 2021 and 2022).
At 2 a.m. ET, the second day of the 2022 SEC Track & Field Championships concluded with Yariel Soto taking home a bronze medal in the decathlon. The Hatillo, Puerto Rico, native finished the 10-event competition with 7,600 points.
It is the second multi-event bronze medal Soto has won in his collegiate career and the second this track & field season after finishing third in the heptathlon at the SEC Indoor Championships.
MULTIS WRAP UP
In addition to Soto’s third-place finish in the decathlon, Peyton Davis secured points for the Vols as he finished fifth in the event. Davis scored 7,246 points – a personal best – and added four points to the team score.
Freshman Ethan Robinson, unfortunately, could not run in the final event of the decathlon – the 1,500-meter – but still placed ninth overall with a personal-best 5,627 points.
In the heptathlon, Caroline Lewis closed out with a fourth-place finish. She tallied a career-high 5,212 points over the seven events and secured five points going towards the Lady Vols’ overall team score.
ADVANCING TO FINALS
A pair of Tennessee sprinters secured their place in the finals Friday as Favour Ashe and Joella Lloyd advanced in the men’s and women’s 100-meter dash.
Ashe is the top qualifier for the men’s 100m dash finale on Saturday as he clocked a 10.18 second run in prelims. Lloyd won her heat of the women’s 100m, finishing in 11.54, and is the No. 3 seed heading into the finals.
WOMEN’S STEEPLECHASE MAGIC
In the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Katie Thronson and Kayla Gholar threw down a pair of impressive points-scoring performances.
Thronson lowered her school record in the event as she finished fifth in 10:04.15. Her fifth-place outing picked up four points for the women. Gholar raced home for the Orange & White, placing eighth and picking up one point for the team.
Gholar’s finishing time of 10:21.69 is now the Tennessee freshman record, shattering the previous rookie record of 10:32.53 set by Jackie Areson in 2007. Gholar’s mark also ranks second all-time in Lady Vol history.
SEC POINTS SCORERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – 3rd – 69.64m (228-05)
Sydney Seymour – Women’s 10,000 – 4th – 34:39.37
Karl Thiessen – Men’s 10,000 – 4th – 29:32.36
Latavia Maines – Women’s Shot Put – 3rd – 17.86m (58-7.25)
Wayne Pinnock – Men’s Long Jump – 1st – 8.05m (26-5.00)
Carey McLeod – Men’s Long Jump – 2nd – 7.91m (25-11.50)
Caroline Lewis – Heptathlon – 4th – 5,212 points
Katie Thronson – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 5th – 10:04.15
Kayla Gholar – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 8th – 10:21.69
Alex Crigger – Men’s 3,000 Steeplechase – 3rd – 8:52.31
Jordan West – Men’s Shot Put – 1st – 20.28m (66-6.50)
Yariel Soto – Decathlon – 3rd – 7,600 points
ALL-SEC TEAM MEMBERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – Second Team
Latavia Maines – Women’s Shot Put – Second Team
Wayne Pinnock – Men’s Long Jump – First Team
Carey McLeod – Men’s Long Jump – Second Team
Alex Crigger – Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase – Second Team
Jordan West – Men’s Shot Put – First Team
Yariel Soto – Decathlon – Second Team
PR TRACKR
Yariel Soto – Decathlon Pole Vault – 4.85m (15-11.00) – Outdoor
Yariel Soto – Decathlon Javelin Throw – 48.59m (159-05)
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon Discus Throw – 32.85m (107-09)
Caroline Lewis – Heptathlon Javelin Throw – 34.66m (113-08)
Brooke Dixon – Women’s 1,500m – 4:23.86
Katie Thronson – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 10:04.15 – School Record
Kayla Gholar – Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase – 10:21.69 – 2nd in School History / Freshman Record
UP NEXT
The 2022 SEC Championships conclude Saturday with the Vols and Lady Vols contesting 14 events. The day begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with Mikele Vickers competing in the women’s triple jump.
Thursday, May 12
Tennessee came away with one medal and three points-scoring finishes on the opening day of the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex.
Georgios Korakidis brought home Tennessee’s first medal of the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, capturing bronze in the men’s hammer throw. The senior topped 69-meters on three of his six throws, with a best heave of 69.64m (228-05).
With the third-place finish, the Kilkis, Greece, native has now won three SEC medals during his Tennessee career – two indoor and one outdoor. Korakidis’ bronze medal is the first hammer throw medal for the Vols since 2006.
The senior scored six points with his third-place finish.
In the nightcap, Sydney Seymour and Karl Thiessen posted a pair of fourth-place finishes in the women’s and men’s 10,000-meter run. The placements scored five points for the Lady Vols and five for the Vols – the men have 11 points at the end of day one.
In the women’s race, Seymour ran a lifetime-best 34:39.37, which makes her the fifth-fastest 10k performer in Lady Vol history. For the men, Thiessen ran 29:32.36 to capture his points-scoring position.
MULTI UPDATE
In the decathlon, Peyton Davis, Ethan Robinson and Yariel Soto performed well for the Orange & White. After five events, Soto leads the Vol trio and sits second overall in the decathlon standings with 4,066 points.
Robinson (3,937) and Davis (3,777) currently rank sixth and eighth, respectively, heading into Friday and the final day of the decathlon competition. Robinson had an exceptional day one as he set personal-best marks in all five events contested Thursday.
In the 100-meter dash, he went 10.63 seconds before moving over to the long jump and leaping an outdoor PB of 6.79m (22-3.50). In the shot put, the freshman threw 11.67m (38-3.50) and followed it up with a high jump clearance of 1.94m (6-4.25). He wrapped it up with a PB in the 400m at 48.33.
Davis set two personal bests as he joined the two-meter club in the high jump, clearing 2.00m (6-6.75). He then ran 50.24 in the 400m. Soto cleared 1.94m (6-4.25) in the high jump to set an outdoor PB.
Caroline Lewis competed for the Lady Vols in the heptathlon, scoring 3,148 points through the first four events. Lewis bookended the day with fourth-place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles and 200m dash. She ran 14.10 seconds in the 100mH and 25.20 in the 200m.
ADVANCING TO FINALS
Four Tennessee student-athletes punched their tickets to the finals Thursday night at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex.
Joella Lloyd was the first to advance to the finals as she placed ninth in the women’s 200-meter dash preliminaries in 23.25 seconds.
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard advanced in the women’s 400-meter hurdles as she finished ninth in a personal-best 58.16 seconds. The Calabasas, California, native now ranks eighth all-time in program history in the event.
In the men’s 400m Hurdles, Rasheeme Griffith and Jakwan Hale placed eighth and ninth in prelims to secure their spots in the final. Both men ran lifetime bests, with Griffith running 50.36 and Hale going 50.39.
Griffith’s time is the fourth-fastest 400mH mark in program history, while Hale’s ranks fifth.
All four student-athletes will run their respective finals on Saturday.
SEC POINTS SCORERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – 3rd – 69.64m (228-05)
Sydney Seymour – Women’s 10,000 – 4th – 34:39.37
Karl Thiessen – Men’s 10,000 – 4th – 29:32.36
ALL-SEC TEAM MEMBERS
Georgios Korakidis – Men’s Hammer – Second Team
PR TRACKER
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon 100m – 10.63
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon Long Jump – 6.79m (22-3.50) – Outdoor
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon Shot Put – 11.67m (38-3.50)
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon High Jump – 1.94m (6-4.25)
Ethan Robinson – Decathlon 400m – 48.33
Yariel Soto – Decathlon High Jump – 1.94m (6-4.25) – Outdoor
Peyton Davis – Decathlon High Jump – 2.00m (6-6.75)
Peyton Davis – Decathlon 400m – 50.24
Joe Hoots – Men’s 800m – 1:48.72
Emmanuel Bynum – Men’s 200m – 20.93 – Outdoor
Kyla Robinson-Hubbard – Women’s 400mH – 58.16 – Eighth in School History
Rasheeme Griffith – Men’s 400mH – 50.36 – Fourth in School History
Jakwan Hale – Men’s 400mH – 50.39 – Fifth in School History
Sydney Seymour – Women’s 10,000m – 34:39.37 – Fifth in School History
Callie Tucker – Women’s 10,000m – 36:06.70
Rachel Sutliff – Women’s 10,000m – 36:14.15
UP NEXT
Action at the SEC Championships resumes Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET with the conclusion of the decathlon and heptathlon. The Vols and Lady Vols have entries in 19 events scheduled for the conference meet’s second day.
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter and Instagram.