Knoxville, Tennessee, April 12-14—Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman teamed up at last year’s World Championships to give Team USA an unexpected gold/silver haul in the 100.
While in England they began to talk about a new outlet for the country’s elite sprinters and that plan made its debut at the Tennessee Relays. In what was billed as a shot at the American Record of 37.38, the two Vol alums ran the first two legs on an elite 4×1 that finished off with fellow internationalists Ronnie Baker and Mike Rodgers.
“We are trying to make a different platform for the sprinters instead of competing against each other all the time,” Gatlin told Knox News the day before the race. “It’s really coming together and trying to show some camaraderie throughout the year.”
He continued, “Even just competing against these guys has been awesome. To be able to be on the same team with them—and not forced to be on the same team with them, but wanting to do it together—it’s been something that has been a bucket list thing for me to be able to do and I’m happy to be able to do this tomorrow with these guys.”
Needless to say, the foursome—billed as ProForm Sports—ran away with the race, the quick-starting Coleman giving them a first-leg lead that only grew. The Gatlin/Baker exchange was dangerously close to the end of the zone, but no flags flew and Rodgers crossed the line in a world-leading 38.08, one of the fastest times ever for so early in the year.
“It’s still April,” the 22-year-old Coleman told SEC Country. “We only worked the handoff one time, so the next time around we’ll be more in sync with each other and obviously we’ll be faster later in the season.
“We’re not satisfied with the time, but it’s still a fast time. Later this summer, we’ll definitely run faster.” There are apparently plans for two more runs together, although no details were given.
The women produced a pair of fast—albeit wind-aided—straightaway races. Kendra Harrison used a 3.1 to produce the year’s fastest flight of hurdles, 12.40w, and an even stiffer 3.5 gust helped blow Javiane Oliver (11.04w) and Sydney McLaughlin (11.07w) to fast flat 100s. It should be noted that a wind of that speed is estimated to add 0.18 to a 100 time, so that would adjust to 11.22 and 11.25.
TENNESSEE RELAYS MEN’S RESULTS
Knoxville, April 12-14—
(4/12—HT; 4/13—100, 800, 110H, 400H, LJ, SP, JT)
100(1.6): 1. Riak Reese (Kent) 10.18 PR; 2. Ncincilili Titi’ (SC) 10.19 PR; 3. *Mustaqeem Williams (Tn) 10.22 PR; 4. ***Eric Harrison (OhSt) 10.32; 5. ***Dwight St. Hillaire’ (Ky) 10.33 PR; 6. *Kwantreyl McConico (Tn) 10.35 PR.
200(1.5): 1. Titi’ 20.59; 2. Harrison 20.70 PR; 3. St. Hillaire’ 20.76 PR; 4. Reese 20.82.
800: 1. ***Marco Arop’ (MsSt) 1:47.89; 2. *Daniel Kuhn (In) 1:48.20; 3. **Cooper Williams (In) 1:48.37 PR; 4. *Otis Jones (SC) 1:48.38 PR.
1500: 1. Zach Long (Tennessee) 3:45.51 PR.
110H(2.4): 1. **William Session (In) 13.75w.
400H: 1. Greg Chiles (VaT) 51.25; 2. *Rasheed Tatham (MsSt) 51.34.
4 x 100: 1. ProForm Sports 38.08 (WL, AL) (Coleman, Gatlin, Baker, Rodgers);
2. Ohio State 39.31; 3. Tennessee 39.71.
4 x 200: 1. Tennessee 1:23.29.
4 x 400: 1. Mississippi State 3:06.38; 2. Eastern Michigan 3:07.38; 3. Tennessee 3:07.40; 4. Ohio State 3:08.38.
4 x 800: 1. Indiana 7:22.96.
Field Events
PV: 1. *Deakin Volz (VaT) 18-2½ (5.55).
LJ: 1. *Yann Randrianasolo’ (SC) 26-2¾w (7.99); 2. *Samory Fraga’ (Kent) 25-8 (7.82); 3. Zack Bazile (OhSt) 25-6¾w (7.79).
TJ: 1. Donald Scott (unat) 56-9½w (17.31) (a-c AL) (54-4½w, 54-10¾w, 56-0w, 56-6¾w, 56-9½w, 56-2¾w) (16.57w, 16.73w, 17.07w, 17.24w, 17.31w, 17.14w);
2. *Craig Stevens (Kent) 53-1½w (16.19); 3. *DaJuan Seward (OhSt) 52-8w (16.05).
SP: 1. Josh Awotunde (SC) 65-2¼ (19.87); 2. Jared Kern (SnIl) 64-6 (19.66) PR; 3. Nicholas Demaline (OhSt) 64-4½ (19.62); 4. Josh Freeman (Iron) 63-6¾ (19.37).
DT: 1. **Ricky Hurley (SnIl) 183-11 (56.07).
HT: 1. ***Georgios Korakidis’ (Tn) 208-9 (63.64).
JT: 1. Nicolas Quijera’ (MsSt) 261-7 (79.75).
Dec: 1. **TJ Lawson (Kent) 7724.
TENNESSEE RELAYS WOMEN’S RESULTS
(4/12—HT; 4/13—100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 100H, 400H, HJ, LJ, SP, Hept)
100(3.5): 1. Javianne Oliver (Nik) 11.04w;
2. ***Sydney McLaughlin (Ky) 11.07w (a-c: =7, =11 AJ);
3. *Jasmine Camacho-Quinn’ (Ky) 11.24w; 4. *Kianna Gray (Ky) 11.27w; 5. ***Celera Barnes (Ky) 11.31w; 6. Felicia Brown (adi) 11.34w.
200: I(2.6)–1. Kayelle Clarke’ (Ky) 22.88w; 2. Felicia Brown (adi) 22.96w; 3. Oliver 22.98w; 4. Shania Collins (Tn) 23.12w; 5. *Kianna Gray (Ky) 23.20w.
II(3.8)–1. *Lenysse Dyer (Tn) 23.28w; 2. Felecia Majors (Tn) 23.36w; 3. ***Edidiong Odiong’ (MTn) 23.40w. III(2.0)–1. Maggie Barrie’ (OhSt) 23.37. IV(2.0)–1. *Maia McCoy (Tn) 23.34.
400: 1. **Aliyah Abrams’ (SC) 52.78; 2. Barrie’ 52.88.
800: 1. *Abike Egbeniyi’ (MTn) 2:03.66 (out CL);
2. Marta Freitas’ (Por) 2:03.95; 3. Rhianwedd Price-Weimer’ (MsSt) 2:06.29; 4. **Nia Akins (Penn) 2:06.74 PR; 5. **Mikayla Schneider (Penn) 2:07.08.
1500: 1. *Rachel Pocratsky (VaT) 4:16.06 PR; 2. *Katherine Receveur (In) 4:16.19 PR.
100H(3.1): 1. Kendra Harrison (adi) 12.40w (a-c: WL, AL);
2. Kori Carter (Jord) 12.82w; 3. **Alexis Duncan (Tn) 12.92w; 4. Jacklyn Howell (Ky) 12.93w; 5. Chantel Ray (OhSt) 13.11w; 6. **Domonique Turner (Tn) 13.18w.
400H: 1. **Faith Ross (Ky) 58.37.
4 x 100: 1. Kentucky 43.47 (Barnes, Camacho-Quinn’, Clarke’, Gray); 2. Tennessee 43.74.
4 x 200: 1. Kentucky 1:30.76 (CL) (#6 school) (McLaughlin, Camacho-Quinn’, Clarke’, Barnes);
2. Tennessee 1:32.92; 3. South Carolina 1:35.14; 4. Indiana 1:35.62.
4 x 400: 1. Mississippi State 3:34.77 (Lewis, Mosley, White, Smith); 2. Kentucky 3:34.80; 3. Tennessee 3:37.49; 4. Penn 3:37.77; 5. Mid. Tenn. State 3:38.46; 6. Ohio State 3:38.67.
4 x 800: 1. Indiana 8:43.43 (Pinkston, Calder, Harris, Wiles).
SpMed: 1. Kentucky 3:56.20 (Ross, O’Connor, Howell, Mitchell).
DisMed: 1. Vanderbilt 11:22.86 (Derry, Edobi’, Hutton, Bustamante).
Fieldl Events
HJ: 1. *Loretta Blaut (Cinc) 5-11¼ (1.81); 2. **Lissa Labiche’ (SC) 5-11¼.
PV: 1. ***Rachel Baxter (VaT) 14-1¼ (4.30); 2. **Kristen Denk (Vand) 14-1¼ PR; 3. Marissa Kelsey (unat) 14-1¼ PR; 4. **Laura Marty (Duke) 13-9¼ (4.20) =PR.
LJ: 1. Cidaea’ Woods (Tn) 20-9¾w (6.34); 2. *Marie-Josée Ebwea-Bile’ (Ky) 20-9w (6.32); 3. *Rougui Sow’ (SC) 20-9w (6.32); 4. *Aaliyah Armstead (In) 20-4½w (6.21).
TJ: 1. *LaChyna Roe (Tn) 43-6w (13.26); 2. *Latavia Coombs (Ky) 42-11¾w (13.10); 3. **Leah Moran (In) 42-6¾w (12.97); 4. Woods 42-5¼w (12.93); 5. **Alexis Farley (MsSt) 42-4¾w (12.92); 6. Dace Dreimane’ (EnMi) 42-2w (12.85).
SP: 1. **Khayla Dawson (In) 55-7 (16.94) PR.
DT: 1. Alex Morgan (Iron) 179-6 (54.72); 2. ***Ashley Anumba (Penn) 171-11 (52.41); 3. *Stamatia Scarvelis’ (Tn) 170-5 (51.94).
HT: 1. DeAnna Price (NYAC) 226-11 (69.17).
Hept: 1. *Maya Neal’ (Tn-Lbr) 5456 NR.□
