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Chugging around Tom Black Track on Thursday night in the 1,500 meters, Jangy Addy fell behind one runner, then another, then another.

Halfway through the final event of the day, he had settled in ahead of only two competitors.

It sounds like a discouraging scenario, but it wasn't. What it was, in effect, was a leisurely victory lap.

The decathlon hay, so to speak, was already in the barn.

Tennessee's senior did enough in the first nine events of the Scott Hartman Decathlon at the Sea Ray Relays that the 10th didn't matter as he long as he crossed the finish line upright.

Finishing 13th of 15 competitors in the 1,500 cost points off his score, but Addy's winning total of 7,595 was comfortably above the automatic NCAA qualifying standard (7,400).

Mission accomplished.

"We did what we wanted,'' said UT coach Bill Webb. "He obviously needs some 1,500-meter workouts.''

Addy, who scored 4,096 points Wednesday, blasted off Thursday, winning the 110 hurdles in a decathlon meet record (14.02).

He was essentially home free after he cleared his first attempt in the pole vault, the eighth of the 10 competitions and the trickiest.

"It's always a good feeling when you clear your first one and you know you have the points you need,'' Addy said.

After finishing second in the javelin, the ninth event, "I knew I had the qualifier,'' Addy said. "But I wanted to run a little faster than that (in the 1,500).''

The vault claimed ex-Vol Chris Helwick. Helwick, the two-time Sea Ray defending champion, no-heighted and dropped out.

Stephen Harris, a four-time All-American and the 2003 NCAA champion while at UT, took second at 7,414.

Harris teaches world history at his and Addy's alma mater, Norcross (Ga.) High School.

"That's a lot like a decathlon,'' Harris noted. "I've got 140 students and you try to figure out what works.''

UT freshman Michael Ayers was third at 7,227 in his first collegiate decathlon, a provisional NCAA score.

Addy, who graduated in December with a degree in journalism and electronic media, can now set his sights on build toward defending his 2007 SEC decathlon title.

He's also won the past two indoor SEC heptathlons.

Wilhelm Wins: Ashley Wilhelm, formerly of Cincinnati, won the heptathlon with 5,697 points, the highest score since 1996.

Danielle Sampley of Kentucky and William Blount High School finished third at 5,196, a provisional NCAA qualifying score. Sampley won the long jump.

Champion Done: Senior sprinter Courtney Champion will not compete outdoors, Lady Vols coach J.J. Clark said.

Champion will remain in school and finish her degree, Clark said. She was a 12-time All-American whose greatest success came during her indoor seasons.

Today: The schedule starts at 8:45 a.m. with women's hammer throwing and ends at 9:30 p.m. with men's hammer.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.