January 20, 2024, in College Station, Texas, at the Faskin Indoor Track and Field Facility, during the Ted Nelson Invitational, featuring the Tennessee Volunteers’ Kalib Branch. courtesy of Tennessee Athletics/Cayce Smith

The Tennessee 2023–2024 track and field team started their weekend competition early on Friday at the Bob Pollock Invitational at Clemson and the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University.

The Tennessee track and field team participates in Boston on January 26–27, while the women’s and men’s distance teams travel to Clemson for the weekend.

John Thomas Terrier Classic

 

In the men’s 800-meter race, men’s mile run, and men’s 3000-meter run, the Tennessee men’s distance runners demonstrated their supremacy.

In the men’s 800-meter event, sophomore Michael Rodriguez-King started the Vols’ run with a time of 1:52.03, finishing third in his heat and 20th overall.

Seniors Dalton Hengst and Jacob Lewis, along with junior Christopher Cherry, kept Tennessee’s intensity high. In the men’s mile run, the three placed first in their heat.

Junior Gabriel Sanchez led the Vols to victory in the men’s 3000-meter race, capping an outstanding performance. With a time of 7:56.89, senior Brandon Olden improved on his sub-8-minute personal best from the same competition last year and finished in the top 10. It was a personal best both times.

On Saturday, January 26, the Lady Vols are scheduled to participate in their events.

 

Invitational Bob Pollock

Tennessee’s hurdlers and sprinters at Clemson showed strength for the Vols and Lady Vols in their respective events, fostering a more competitive atmosphere before Saturday’s portion of the meet.

The Vols’ hurdlers were on display when Kiara Smith set a new season record and finished fourth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.

In the meantime, freshman Kalib Branch of the Vols set a personal record and placed among the top ten in the preliminary 60-meter hurdles. Tennessee secured three top-10 positions in the hurdles category when senior Sam McLendon finished ninth in the same preliminary.

Zyaire Nuriddin, a freshman sprinter from Tennessee, set a new personal best time of 46.45 to finish second overall in the men’s 400-meter final. This broke another record for Tennessee.

Senior Javonte Harding achieved his season’s best time of 6.74 in the men’s 60-meter final, finishing in the top five.

On Saturday, January 27, the Tennessee track and field team will begin their final day of competition following a demanding day of intense competition.