Track and fi eld breaks records

Tennessee’s track and fi eld team traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend to compete in the Crimson Tide Invite. Competition began on Friday and ran through Saturday night, with several Vols surpassing school records and totaling event wins.

Typically, much of the focus revolves around Tennessee’s star-studded long jumpers and sprinters such as Wayne Pinnock, Carey McLeod, Charisma Taylor and Favour Ashe. However, at the Crimson Tide invite, the fi eld competitors and distance runners proved to show that Tennessee’s track and fi eld team is holistic in terms of their success. In the fi eld, for real

Greece native Georgios Korakidis got the Vols rolling early on Friday. The senior emitted a distance of 70.51m in the men’s hammer throw to shatter his own school record of 69.45m. Korakidis set the previous record last season at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championship, and he now trying for a bid in this year’s Championships.

On the women’s side of the hammer throw, Chandler Hayden improved in her performance as well. The sophomore Hayden jumped from fi fth to third all-time in schools record books when she hurled a throw of 62.41m on her second attempt. Not only is this Hayden’s fi rst career throw over 60-meters, but she also left Birmingham with her fi rst event win of her collegiate career.

Saturday’s events started with Skylar Coff ey and Israel Adesina placing among the top in the men’s discus throw. Coff ey picked up the win with a personal best of 53.41m. Adesina, a redshirt sophomore, placed fi fth with a lifetime best of 49.32m.

Tennessee’s spotlight in the fi eld would continue through events on Saturday. Seniors Hannah Jefcoat and Jordan West both eventually improved upon their own school records.

In the women’s pole vault competition, Jefcoat leveled her way up to 4.22m (13-10) improving upon her school record in the outdoor vault. Her previous record stood at 4.19m.

Jordan West broke his own school record not once, but three times during his six attempts of the men’s shot put. West eventually landed 20.33m on his last attempt to smash his record from last season of 19.85m.

A nod to the level of competition in Birmingham, both Jefcoat and West placed only in second of their events.

Keeping distance

Another school record was toppled outside of the fi eld by way of Canaan Anderson in the men’s 1,500-meter run. With a time of 3:42.46, Anderson broke a Tennessee freshman-record of 3:44.59 set by Sam James in 1977. In terms of all-time, Anderson’s mark jumps him all the way to fourth in program history.

In addition to Anderson, seven of his teammates competed in the 1,500-meter run, and seven of his teammates fi nished with personal or season-best times.

Olivia Janke and Jette Davidson ran personal-best times of 4:21.33 and 4:49.47, respectively on the women’s side. Jasmine Fehr (4:32.46), Erin Spreen (4:45.35) and Ainsley Cooper (4:46.30) all crossed the line with season-best runs.

For the men, Tim Thacker and Thomas Gardiner each put forth a lifetime best performance in the 1,500-meter. Thacker raced just behind Anderson with a fi nish at 3:32.79 while Gardiner followed at 3:50.76. Up next

Tennessee will split up its squad next week, with some traveling to compete in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the LSU Invitational and some to Philadelphia for the historic Penn ReTennessee’s Canaan Anderson runs the lead leg of the men’s 4x1500 meter race as snow begins to fall. At Tom Black Track, Saturday Apr. 9, 2022. Erick Villeda-Gomez / The

Daily Beacon

‘The Northman’ Review: Viking Hamlet seeks vengeance

KEENAN THOMAS Senior Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

house.” The fi lm was also written by Sjón, who also wrote the fi lm “Lamb.”

Set in the 10th century, Amleth is the prince of a small island kingdom. With his father King Aurvandill’s return, Amleth prepares with his father to eventually take over the kingdom. But after Aurvandill’s brother Fjölnir murders him and steals Amleth’s mother, Amleth fl ees on a boat, swearing that he will avenge his father, rescue his mother and kill Fjölnir.

“The Northman” is a Viking revenge epic that is brutal and barbaric throughout its runtime. It’s more simplistic than Robert Eggers’ previous fi lms, but it carries a similar atmosphere and craftsmanship that he’s become known for. Ultimately, it’s a ferocious fi lm.

The cast list for this fi lm is huge, with several big-name actors and actresses. The fi lm stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, along with several more. Everyone acts with a certain level of intensity and dedication to depicting the time period. Several performances including Skarsgård’s seem feral, representing this blend of man and beast as they pillage and destroy. It’s incredible to watch at times as they go all in within their roles.

As for the story, it’s not particularly deep, mostly depicting a revenge tale through the eyes of Amleth. There are more elements to it than that, but at its core, it’s just a revenge fi lm set within the Viking age. However, that’s not a negative criticism. The movie works to present this narrative in a palatable format while going all out within every other aspect.

Along with that, this isn’t to say that the fi lm is devoid of theming and deeper meanings. One of the prominent ones is the idea of fate and our role in fulfi lling prophecies. It treats this as a desirable goal, something that will reward us in the end upon completion. Even when characters decide to go against that path, they fi nd themselves coming back to it.

There’s also a general theme of revenge and the cyclical nature of violence. The movie depicts violence in a gruesome and disgusting way, always showing how brutal it can be. Using this, the fi lm presents the theme of how violence creates more violence, and the only way to squash it all together is to eliminate every source of it — at least from the people involved. It’s fairly surface level, but it is still present.

Although these themes are here, they don’t go as deep as Eggers’ previous fi lms. That being said, the research and Norse mythology that exists within the fi lm does go deeper. There are several myths, gods and Norse concepts presented throughout the fi lm, and it’s clear that they spent a lot of time researching and bringing all of this to the screen. It’s defi nitely the most detailed aspect of the fi lm, yet it feels as if it’s missing parts to it.

This also goes for the opening of the fi lm. The fi rst act is great. It introduces the characters, story, world and themes well in a concise manner. However, it moves a little quickly. It still works, but it seems as if it would benefi t by adding a little more time to the opening act.

However, everything else about this fi lm is incredible. The lighting is dark and atmospheric, creating a natural look to the fi lm like when characters use fi re as a light source. It even looks like a black-and-white fi lm at times — honestly, it makes me want a black-and-white cut of this fi lm.

Along with that, the camera work is mesmerizing and precise. The angles utilized along with the way the camera tracks the characters and action is phenomenal. There are several long sequences that fl ow into each other, moving with the characters as they infi ltrate a camp or play a ball game. It’s extremely impressive, along with how beautifully it captures the landscapes of the fi lm.

This goes right along with the editing, which is subtle and brilliant all at once. The seamless cuts within the long action sequences, the way that it creates a tempo and how it conveys tone and information are all done expertly with the editing. This is the kind of fi lm that might not have its editing recognized fully, but it contains some spectacular editing work.

Tennessee’s senior pitcher Ashley Rogers was ready to have another dominant season in the circle for the Lady Vols at the start of 2022. Tennessee’s ace was coming off one of her most impressive seasons with a 26-10 record that featured 25 complete games, eight shutouts and three saves.

Entering her senior year, Rogers had high hopes for the future. The addition of transfer Erin Edmoundson and Ryleigh White to Tennessee’s pitching staff was a monumental move made over the off-season. The two new arms allowed Lady Vols to take some of the load off of Rogers in the upcoming season.

All the ingredients were there for the Athens, Tennessee, native to have another successful season, but little did Rogers know that the upcoming 2022 campaign would feature some of the veteran’s highest highs and lowest of lows.

Rogers picked up where she left off at the beginning of the season, notching an impressive nine strikeouts in the Lady Vols’ season opener against UNCG. Rogers thrived early in the season against out-of-conference opponents like FIU and BYU.

Around late February, Rogers unexpectedly missed back-to-back road games and was unable to compete in the majority of the Mary Nutter Classic. The prominent Tennessee starter was subsequently sidelined for many of the following games.

“She has been battling some injuries still that started in Clearwater,” head coach Karen Weekly said at the time. “We’ve been trying to work our way back. We have been trying to not give her too many pitches, too many innings at one time.”

Eventually, Rogers was slowly integrated back into the circle, with her pitch count being closely monitored. The starter was used widely in relief while Edmoundson transitioned into the starting position. Rogers’ first home start did not come until April against Mississippi State. Her performance – six strikeouts in four innings – was influential in the win.

Her highest achievement came later in the month on April 23 against Eastern Carolina. Finally, back in her starting pitcher role, Rogers tossed the ever-elusive perfect game, retiring 15 batters with 12 strikeouts. It was her first time in her collegiate career to do so.

“It was definitely really cool to finally have that happen as a senior,” Rogers said after the game. “I’ve had a lot of really close games in the past. I had a lot of one-hitters, a little bloop over a head that would just kind of ruin the perfect game. It’s really cool to finally get one in the Tennessee uniform.”

The senior talent explained that the accomplishment was made possible because of her support staff behind her. During her stellar performance, Rogers stayed true to her same pitching mechanics and focused on one batter at a time.

“I just threw my usual pitches,” Rogers said. “I was executing the pitches that I was being called like usual. I was just trying to attack every single pitch and not leaving anything back. Just going out there and throwing my best every single pitch.”

Rogers left her mark on Tennessee program history becoming the 13th Lady Vol to pitch a perfect game.

Her senior season has certainly featured road bumps along the way, but Rogers’ perfect game is a testament to her ability to battle back and push forward despite adversity.

“You know, just everyone was just so happy for her because of everything she’s gone through, especially this year,” Weekly said. “Perfect games are really hard to come by. Nohitters are hard but to not let anybody on base — no walks, no errors, no hit batters, nothing. That is really really hard to do. I’m just so happy for her. She needed a day like that after everything that she’s battled with this year.” Ashley Rogers No. 14 prepares to pitch the ball during the NCAA Regional Final against the University of North Carolina on Sunday, May 19, 2019. File / The Daily Beacon

ANDREW PETERS Staff Writer

Over the weekend, No. 1 Tennessee made another SEC opponent the victim of a series sweep. This time it was Florida, which the Vols had not swept on the road since 2001 before the series.

With the win on Sunday, the Vols made history yet again, securing the best start to SEC play in conference history at 17-1, beating their old record of 16-1 set in 1951.

At some points, the Vols looked flat out dominant, but Florida also gave Tennessee some headaches. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee’s historic weekend in Gainesville, Florida.

Burns has bounce back game

After a scorching hot start from freshman pitcher Chase Burns, he slowed down and had a rough stretch in two straight appearances against Missouri and Alabama.

Burns bounced back Friday against Florida and picked up his first win in two weeks, nabbing five strikeouts and allowing just two hits on the game.

The coaching staff could have swapped Burns out for one of their other big-time pitchers, but the confidence and trust in their freshman paid off this weekend.

“We all felt good coming to the yard knowing he was going to be on the mound today,” acting head coach Josh Elander said Friday. “Just elite competitiveness and a great start from him tonight.”

Vols win pitcher’s duel

Tennessee’s win to clinch the series on Saturday came behind a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, one of the first ones the Vols have played in this season.

Blade Tidwell was the starter on the mound for Tennessee, as the Vols usual Saturday starter Chase Dollander was still out with a right elbow injury he suffered against Alabama.

Tidwell, who made his return from injury in late March, led the Vols in a huge defensive performance, allowing just two hits and picking up five strikeouts in his four innings on the mound.

Camden Sewell took over on the mound for Tidwell and continued to punish the Gators, allowing no hits or runs while guiding the Vols to a 3-0 victory.

The Vols offense wasn’t firing the way it normally does, but a pair of home runs was enough to get Tennessee past Florida to clinch the series.

Moore has career day

Christian Moore has been one of the most exciting pieces for Tennessee this season. The freshman from Brooklyn, New York, chose Tennessee over the draft and has made an impact from the start.

Moore has been ultra-efficient, making the most of every opportunity at the plate. He’s hitting at a .342 clip and has 25 hits, nine home runs and 27 RBIs in his 72 at-bats. He also has the highest slugging percentage on the team at .795.

Moore’s numbers back up his game, so when the Vols trailed by a pair of runs with two outs in the ninth inning, he was ready for his big moment.

With bases loaded, Moore hit a single through the left side of the field to drive in a pair of runs and push Tennessee to at least another half inning. It was the biggest hit of his young career.

He wasn’t done yet, though.

In the 11th inning, tied at four, Moore was up to bat again with a runner on base. He saw a pitch inside and tucked in his elbows to make solid contact and send the ball over the left center wall, giving the Vols a 6-4 lead.

Tennessee’s defense held tight in the bottom of the 11th and the Vols hung on to win behind Moore’s heroic plays.

“It felt amazing,” Moore said. “Close game, bottom of the 11th is kind of something you dream of as a kid, to hit a go-ahead home run. I put a pretty good swing on it on the fast ball and it went over and I got to celebrate with my teammates.”

Just elite competitiveness and a great start from (Burns) tonight.

JOSH ELANDER ACTING HEAD COACH