UT MARTIN TRACK AND FIELD BEGINS 2023-24 CAMPAIGN THIS SATURDAY
12/1/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
MARTIN, Tenn.- Another year approaches for the University of Tennessee at Martin track and field teams as the Skyhawks start the season this weekend with their eyes set on more history.
Saturday will be the first of seven indoor meets with the Ohio Valley Conference Championship concluding the indoor season during late February in Birmingham, Ala. The outdoor campaign will begin a little over three weeks later which will see eight outdoor meets take place including the outdoor OVC Championship that is set for early May in Charleston, Ill.
During the indoor season, UT Martin has trips scheduled to the Saluki Fast Start (Dec. 2) in Carbondale, Ill., the Commodore Challenge (Jan. 12-Jan. 13) in Nashville, Tenn. and an appearance in both the Bellarmine Open (Jan. 19) and the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic (Feb. 3) in Louisville, Ky. The final two indoor meets will take place at the Music City Challenge (Feb. 9-Feb. 10) in Nashville, Tenn. and the Redhawks Open (Feb. 17) in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The OVC Indoor Championship will be decided in Birmingham, Ala. at the Birmingham Crossplex from February 21-22.
Last season, the Skyhawk men finished fifth in the indoor conference championship while the women finished eighth. Khalid White broke the school record in the men's 400m dash (49:07) in that meet, and the women's distance medley relay team of Rita Eimer, Janay Chapman, Maggie Roy and Lydia Tankersley crushed a program record by 16 seconds with a time of 12:02.92. The men's DMR team performed solid as well, the combination of Cole Davis, John Collin Askew, Hudson Hall and Luke McNair won the event for the second consecutive year. UT Martin broke a total of seven school records in a two day span.
The outdoor season opens up at the Rhodes College Invitational (Mar. 16) in Memphis, Tenn., then the Skyhawks will travel to Murray, Ky. for the Margaret Simons Invite. Following the trip to the blue grass state, UT Martin heads for Cape Girardeau, Mo. to participate in the Joey Haines Invitational. To start the final month of the regular season, the Skyhawks will trek down to the Magnolia State for the Joe Walker Invite (Apr. 5-Apr. 6) in Oxford, Miss., then conclude the year with meets at the Little Rock Invitational (Apr. 12-Apr. 13) in Little Rock, Ark., the Alumni Classic (Apr. 19-Apr. 20) in Jonesboro, Ark. and the Music City Challenge (Apr. 26-Apr. 27) in Nashville, Tenn.
After two months of preparation, UT Martin will take its talents to Charleston, Ill. for the OVC Outdoor Championships. Last year, White was named the school's first OVC Outdoor Track and Field Male Freshman of the Year after his third-place performance in the 400m which established a new school record, along with his showing in the 4x100m relay. Five Skyhawks took home medals in the three-day meet and six new school records were set in stone.
For this upcoming season, head coach Jolyta Henderson and her staff bring back a plethora of talent. White and Darius Holland (2022 OVC Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year) return for another year and are primed to rewrite the record books. Holland broke the school record for the high jump (1.98m) and long jump (7.57m) in the OVC Outdoor Championship last season.
Sophomore Sam Shuman is coming off a career-best performance in cross country season where he was named to the All-OVC first-team. Shuman landed a runner-up performance in the men's 3k steeple to end the year at the outdoor conference championship. Junior Hudson Hall looks to build upon his output last season where he placed sixth at the OVC indoor championship in the men's 1500m with a time of 3:56.20.
Newcomer Brooke Skoog looks to make an impact after a strong cross country season where she was named second-team all-conference while JaDerrika Welch-Fields aims to defend her high jump title during the OVC Indoor Championship. Lydia Tankersley had quality performances throughout the year, gathering eight total points at the outdoor conference championship and tallying four points in the indoor championship from her fourth place finish in the mile run.
Players Mentioned
