A stumble and fumble made a big difference in Tennessee’s 1998 pursuit of the college football championship.
Four foes fumbled batons to help Tennessee sprinters win the 4×100 relay Friday evening in the NCAA track championships at Eugene, Oregon.
Of greater significance, Tennessee finished third in men’s team competition. Southeastern Conference teams dominated. Arkansas won the title with 56 points. Georgia scored 49. Tennessee had 46 and LSU 42.
Traunard Folson, Davonte Howell, T’Mars McCallum and Elijah Clark ran a school-record 37.98 seconds to win the featured event for UT for the first time since 1983. Their time was fourth-fastest in NCAA history.
Auburn, which broke the NCAA record in the semifinals, did not finish after a botched handoff on the final exchange in the finals. SEC champion Arkansas dropped the baton. Two other foursomes fumbled. Tennessee executed flawlessly.
Volunteers scored in nine events. International recruits produced. A win was worth 10 points. Second earned eight, third was good for six, fourth was rewarded with five, etc.
JL Van Rensburg, big sophomore from Mossel Bay, South Africa, put the shot 66 feet, 8.5 inches for second place. Grant Campbell cleared seven feet, four and a half inches in the high jump for third place. That was a career best for Grant and fourth best in school history.
Ismaila Sawaneh, from Normandy, France, finished fourth in the pole vault. Marc Anthony Ibrahim (from Mashghara, Lebanon) added five points for fourth in the 400-meter hurdles. His time was 49.06. It was Tennessee’s best showing in that event since 1983.
Relay runners were factors in individual events. Howell ran 9.88 in the 100 for fourth place. McCallum was fifth in the 200 in 20.09.
Tennessee’s 4×400 relay unit (of Andre Jackson, Premier Wynn, Harry Barton and Ibrahim) set a school record with 3:00.74 but it was good for only seventh place.
The Vols got a point for eighth from Igor Olaru. He placed eighth in the hammer throw. Igor is from Chisinau, Moldova.
Coach Duane Ross said he was “incredibly proud of the way our men competed … the way we came together … the work these young men have put in throughout the year.”
Ross praised Vols for stepping up in every phase of the meet, the throwers and jumpers, sprinters and quarter-milers.
“That’s what it takes to contend for a national trophy. This group represented Tennessee with tremendous heart, and we’re excited about the future of our program.”
Hannah Grace with NCAA trophy
Tennessee women scored 23 points and finished 11th in team standings. Lady Vols ran third in the 4×400 relay and anchor Javonya Valcourt (Nassau, Bahamas) was third in the 400 run with a lifetime-best 50.16.
Her partners in the relay were Cydney Wright, Esther Joseph (Delta State, Nigeria) and Maira Scott. They ran 3:23.75.
The quartet of Lauren Jarrett, Dana Wilson, Avia Jones and Wright placed fifth in the 4×100 relay. Wilson ran fifth in the individual 100 in 11.09 and looked very much like the top freshman sprinter in the country.
Freshman pole vaulter Hannah Grace placed sixth by clearing 14 feet, 10.75 inches. That was a school record.
The SEC went 1-2-3 in women’s team standings – Georgia 50 points, Florida 43 and Arkansas 38.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com
