Alexander wins discus at NCAA Regionals

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Phase One is complete for the Tennessee women’s track team.

Team totals are kept at the NCAA Mideast Regional but no one really cares.

What matters is getting individuals through to the regional finals and then to the national meet.

The Lady Vols did their part Friday at John McDonnell Field.

Tennessee pushed its 400-meter relay team into today’s final as well as two runners in each of the 1,500, 100 and 200 and individual qualifiers in the 400 and 800.

Freshman Annie Alexander won the discus with a throw of 183 feet, 10 inches. Alexander, ranked third nationally, is the reigning SEC champion in the event.

“I am pretty confident for nationals,” Alexander said. “I’ve been doing what I was told, and I’m training pretty hard.”

Junior Celreice Law narrowly missed reaching the 100 hurdles finals. Law was done in, not by a photo finish, but a strong tailwind that benefited a competitor more than her.

“Overall, we advanced everyone we really liked to,” Lady Vols coach J. J. Clark said. “We thought everyone had a realistic chance to get in.

We’re very close to doing that.”

Law finished her heat with a solid time of 13.26 seconds. She missed out by one spot, a spot that was claimed by Michigan’s Charnee Lumbus, who ran 13.19 with a tailwind of 5.3.

When Law ran her heat, her tailwind was 2.6, more than half of Lumbus, whose season-best time had been 13.58. Law will still be eligible for an at-large national bid.

“That’s the luck of the draw,” Clark said. “That’s an element you can’t control.

She was running at her best, but the wind was not in her favor.”

Other than Law’s misfortunte, the Lady Vols had a business-like day.

Lynne Layne ran a season-best 23.19 to reach the 200 final, where she’ll be joined by Jeneba Tarmoh, who ran a season-best 23.19.

Layne’s 11.09 in the 100 was, although wind-aided, the second-fastest in Tennessee history.

The UT men had a strong showing, highlighted by Evander Wells and Rubin Williams in the 200. Williams, the reigning indoor national champion, ran 20.44 while defending regional champion Wells ran 20.27.

Both Wells and Williams also qualified for the 100 final. Yarrick Kincaid qualified in the 800 and Charlton Rolle made the 100 final.

Matt Maloney finished eighth (211-4) in the javelin, and he will have to rely on an at-large invitation to the national meet.

“Evander Wells and Rubin Williams were solid,” UT coach Bill Webb said. “Yarrick Kincaid did us proud, and Charlton Rolle had a nice race for a freshman at his first regional. We have a lot of people going tomorrow and look for a big final day.”