TENNESSEE 2011 CROSS COUNTRY 1 NCAA Championship | 30 SEC Championships | 36 All-Americans
BELMONT-VU OPENER
Sept. 2, 2011 | Percy Warner Park| Nashville,Tenn. Women’s 4K Race - 5:30 p.m. CT Men’s 5K Race - 6 p.m. CT
Big Orange Slices Two Teams, One Coach The Tennessee men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete for the first time ever with one coach leading both programs. After commanding the Lady Vols the past nine seasons, UT Director of Track & Field and Cross Country J.J. Clark will take on the added responsibility of leading the men’s program in 2011. He replaces 16-year veteran George Watts, who was not retained following the 2010-11 school year. Clark is in his third season as the director of the entire track program, but Watts had led the men’s cross country program during the first two years of that arrangement. As the women’s coach, Clark has guided the Lady Vols to four NCAA South Region titles, three SEC Championships and five NCAA Championships berths. Other Cross Country Staff Changes J.J. Clark hired Mary Jayne (Harrelson) Reeves as his assistant cross country/distance coach in August. The 2001 graduate of Appalachian State had previous coaching stops at Virginia and Virginia Tech and trained with Clark in Knoxville during part of her 10-year professional career. Also joining Clark and Reeves is Daniel Goetz, a volunteer assistant. Goetz was an NAIA AllAmerican while running for Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn. Sizing Up The Teams The Tennessee men return six letterwinners and lost five from a squad that finished fourth at both the SEC Championships and NCAA South Regional. They welcome six newcomers. The Tennessee women return eight letterwinners and lost one from a squad that finished a disappointing 12th at the SEC Championships and 18th at the NCAA South Regional. They welcome four newcomers. The Leaders Of The Packs Clark has clear leaders for the men’s and women’s teams. A 2010 All-South Region performer, Chris Bodary, is expected to be the pace-setter for the Vols, while two-time All-South Region and All-SEC honoree Brittany Sheffey should be out front for the Lady Vols. Bodary ran second on the squad in three of his five races in 2010, giving support to Michael Spooner, who has graduated. Sheffey, meanwhile, returns to competition after redshirting a year ago. She was an all-star cross country recipient in 2008 and 2009 and had a strong track season last spring, winning the 1500m and placing third in the 5000m at SEC Outdoors, and taking third in the 3000m run at SEC Indoors.
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Lending Support In addition to Bodary, other key returnees for the Vols include sophomores Jake Rainey and Daniel Tobin, who were SEC All-Freshman honorees in 2010, as well as senior Tom Gilmartin, who scored in two meets for Tennessee in 2010. Rainey counted in the team scoring in five of six meets as a rookie, while Tobin made the cut in three races. If healthy, senior Joe Franklin could contribute, as could sophomore Jordan Chaney, who finally got his college career going during the 2011 track & field season. For the Lady Vols, there are several veterans returning. The top two appear to be sophomore Amber Zimmerman and senior Chanelle Price. In Sheffey’s absence a year ago, Zimmerman led the UT women in five of her six starts. Price, an 800m runner on the track who will see only stra 2011 TENNESSEE CROSS COUNTRY MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT Eric Trainer | Associate Media Relations Director Cell 865.603.2916 | Email etrainer@utk.edu
2011 UT CROSS COUNTRY QUICK FACTS School............................................................. University of Tennessee Location.......................................................................... Knoxville, Tenn. Founded..........................................................1794 as Blount College Enrollment........................................................................................27,523 Colors.........................................................................Orange and White Nicknames......... Lady Volunteers (Lady Vols) & Volunteers (Vols) Conference............................................................ Southeastern (SEC) Affiliation........................................................................NCAA Division I Home Course.........Lambert Acres Golf Club (Maryville, Tenn.) President.............................................................Dr. Joseph A. DiPietro Chancellor..............................................................Dr. Jimmy G. Cheek Faculty Athletics Representative........................ Dr. Dan Murphy Interim Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics......Joan Cronan Director of Track & Field/Cross Country...........................J.J. Clark Alma Mater (Year)......................................................Villanova (1986) Year at Tennessee..............................................................................10th Asst. Cross Country/Distance Coach.....Mary Jayne Reeves Alma Mater (Year)............................Appalachian State (2001) Year at Tennessee........................................................................1st Volunteer Assistant.................................................Daniel Goetz Alma Mater (Year).................................... Bryan College (2010) Year at Tennessee........................................................................1st 2010 SEC Men’s Finish........................................................................4th 2010 NCAA South Regional Men’s Finish..................................4th 2010 NCAA Championships Men’s Finish................................N/A Men’s Letterwinners Returning/Lost/Newcomers............6/5/8 2010 SEC Women’s Finish.............................................................12nd 2010 NCAA South Regional Women’s Finish........................18th 2010 NCAA Championships Women’s Finish.........................N/A Women’s Letterwinners Returning/Lost/Newcomers.......8/1/4
The Scouting Report The Belmont-VU Opener For the second straight season, the Vols and Lady Vols will start the campaign at the BelmontVU Opener in Nashville. The meet will take place on Sept. 2 on the Vaughn’s Creek Course at Percy Warner Park. The women will run a 4000-meter race at 5:30 p.m. Central time, while the men will follow at 6 p.m. CT with a 5000-meter competition. Among the teams expected to be on hand include Belmont, Austin Peay, Brescia, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, UT Martin and Vanderbilt. Looking Back To 2010 Belmont-VU Opener The Vols, competing with a lineup of newcomers, put together a runner-up finish in Nashville on Sept. 3, 2010. Freshman Jake Rainey had a nice UT debut, placing sixth out of 89 runners in 15:46.48 on the 5K layout at Percy Warner Park. Running without injured veterans Brittany Sheffey and Chanelle Price, the Lady Vols were seventh at last year’s Belmont-VU Opener. A freshman also led the UT women, as Amber Zimmerman turned in a 35th-place result in 15:25.47 on the 4K course.
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