An internationally acclaimed pole-vaulter and a local sprint state champion headline eight new Tennessee track and field signees.
Jacob Blankenship of Blacklick, Ohio, won the bronze medal in the pole vault at the 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships in France.
Blankenship has since raised his personal best to 17 feet, 6.50 inches and has won the 2012 New Balance Indoor national championship.
Emily Yarnell of Hardin Valley High School is the defending Class AAA state champion in the 100 meters at 12.08 seconds. She was runner-up in the 200.
Four other signees will join the Lady Vols.
Chelsea Blaase of St. Joseph, Ill., won the Class A state cross country title last fall in a state-record time of 17:12.
Alexis Panisse of Bellerose, N.Y., has won the state title at 3,000 meters and finished top six in the 5,000 and the mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Felicia Brown of Ellenwood, Ga., has top-10 national rankings in the 200 and 400 sprints.
Cassie Wertman of Holland, Ind., is ranked No. 4 nationally in the shot put and has won a state title in the discus.
Cameron Brown of Ravenwood High School in Franklin, Tenn., joins the men's throwing squad. He has a top-5 ranking in the indoor weight throw and a hammer best of 195-6.
Michael Libruck of Watervliet, N.Y., was a first-team all-state cross-country selection and has a best of 4:23.66 in the mile.
"We covered a lot of different areas with these young men and women,'' said J.J. Clark, director of track and field.
"These signees … are very important because they should allow us the chance to put points on the board.''
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 12
greatdaysahead writes:
For some reason I just do not like JJ Clark...
BigBadVol writes:
You do not like him personally or what you have read about him? Just wondering.
Mack_Jackelroy writes:
Hey JJ, where in Hades are the male sprinters & jumpers?! You do realize you're being paid to recruit & coach men, too, don't you?! Are you forgetting to recruit them or do they just want nothing to do with your Lady Vol program? Either way it's a disgrace!
trgclychip writes:
The vaulter looks good, but that covers one event. The weight man isnt mentioned with a decent shot or disc mark. The miler is a walk on type. might or might not ever contribute. Good recruits on the women's side. Not muich help for the men thus far. Very disappointing.
LordWebb writes:
well, looks like we're in for another couple years of mediocrity
PatrickGildea writes:
Oh goodness, here we go again. What a shame that JJ was able to con these kids in to coming to UT. He probably shows them the pictures and blueprints for the state-of-art indoor facility that couldn't be any where near the funding as I am 6 feet tall. For those that know me, understand the joke.
If JJ does nothing else, which he hasn't done much lately, he makes me laugh - at what a fool he really is with quotes such as, "These signees … are very important because they should allow us the chance to put points on the board." And the current men's team doesn't do that? Of course, I realize that he needs to continue to recruit, or should I say, begin to recruit but why don't you try paying more attention to the athletes that you inherited? At this point, many of these athletes would likely be better off with a cardboard cut-out coach.
LordWebb, it would be great if we could say that we we're in for another couple of months of mediocrity, not years. It's unfortunate, but like many things in life; for one, JJ being the director of this program, things happen and we have to live with it.
Congratulations to Russ Johnson on nabbing such a top notch vaulter.
Vol_alum writes:
It's sad that our program has taken a turn for mediocrity. Say what you want in his defense, but JJ Clark doesn't have the skills to run a combined program. He lacks communication skills and leadership ability. We have too many great Alum in the coaching world and to not have an alum on staff to even help with the direction of the program is mind boggling.
I don't wish anyone to lose their job but I hope he goes to another program... Bring back a winning tradition! He fires 2coaches that were successful, but his best friend John Frazier can only account for the success of ONE thrower in his whole tenure there, and that's not a make thrower, it's Annie Alexander. Then the hire of two first year coaches as the sprint coaches is ignorant. We are now on the same competitive level as Miss State and Ole miss. What a sad past few years. We need one of our own to come back and resurrect this program.
trgclychip writes:
I am heart sick over what has become of a decades long proud tradition. Isnt anyone down there paying attention to what is going on? Talk is cheap and that seems to be all we get. The coach was talking about "success at penn relays with 2 of 3 5000 meter men setting PR's. Look, I am all for PR's, as long as you keep setting them, eventually you get to be good. But he was talking about a couple 14:55 guys. Just NOT Tennessee caliber. Or, I guess maybe it is now. In my book this does not represent "bricks in the foundation" or any such nonsense. Bring back the Big Orange!!!!
tenntrackXC writes:
Mac_Jackelroy is correct - “no male sprinters & hurdlers - - - it’s a disgrace!”
trgclychip is correct - “Not much help for the men - - - Very disappointing”
PatrickGildea is correct that JJ is basically a “fool” and not much better than a “cardboard cut-out coach”
Vol_alum is correct “JJ Clark doesn't have the skills to run a combined program. He lacks communication skills and leadership ability. However he is wrong about one thing, our competitive level, as Miss St & Ole Miss will both kick our @$$ at the SEC’s.
Now then, let’s look at the current situation and how these recruits will give us a chance to “put points on the board.”
After his 3rd full year in charge of men’s track & field JJ is a complete failure - can’t coach, can’t recruit and can’t manage the team!
UT finished 7th at the indoor SEC’s and did not score a point at the NCAA’s
UT will be fighting KY for 8th at the upcoming outdoor SEC’s and probably won’t score a point again at the Outdoor NCAA’s
Numerous athletes have jumped ship since he took over (that’s another discussion!) however this group of Vol's could have easily put 50 or more “points on the board”
Re: recruiting there are a lot of holes to fill as it appears there will be at least 9 of the 18 individual events where UT will not even score a point in the conference meet
Sr’s leaving include: Benson (top 110 hurdler & 400 hurdler); Rasnick (top pole vaulter); Brown (top long & triple jumper); Tucker (top 400 man); Franklin (top 800 man); Gilmartin (top steeplechaser) & Dailey (#2 400 man) - - - so we are basically replacing Rasnick & Berry (who was kicked off the team) with a very good vaulter and nobody else!!
Oh yeah, I forgot that Texas A&M & Missouri will be in the SEC next year so it can and will get worse - - - unless we cut bait!!
tenntrackXC writes:
Oh I forgot to mention that UT Men’s Track is currently ranked # 100 just behind Univ of La. Monroe in the
current team rankings (USATF Coaches Assoc) & is not projected to score in the NCAA’s by Track & Field News
greatdaysahead writes:
I don't know him personally, but I've seen videos of him and read articles about him and he always rubs me the wrong way. He fired a couple of proven assistant coaches, seems to focus mainly on the women's team (with more of an emphasis on longer distance races and field events), and has pushed away some top talent. I know track and field isn't a high-profile sport in college like football or basketball, but it's one of the classics that Tennessee is used to putting its stamp on and lately, the only thing UT has done with Clark at the reigns is look up to Arkansas, LSU, and Florida. Clark just seems too arrogant (which is less intolerable when you are successful, but he clearly is no Saban) and doesn't show much appreciation toward men's sprints. It bugs me.
FormerTrackVol writes:
Don't forget JJ and the extensive time spent with his professional women he coaches. That seems like a little too much micro-managing for this "director".
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