KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After a promising debut season leading the Vols and Lady Vols on the track, Tennessee head coach and director of track & field Duane Ross has agreed to a contract extension through the 2027-28 athletic season.
“In just one season, Duane has started building the foundation to restore our track & field program as one of the nation’s truly elite programs,” said White. “It was an encouraging sign of progress to see both programs finish in the top five at both SEC championship events for the first time since 2008, and watching our women’s program place in the top-10 nationally at indoors and outdoors for the first time since 2009 was eye-opening.”
In Tennessee’s first year under Ross’ leadership, the Vols and Lady Vols totaled 15 school records, 32 All-America honors and 22 SEC medals over the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Big Orange men and women secured top five finishes at both SEC competitions for the first time since 2008, with the Vols placing fifth and third and the Lady Vols placing third and fifth in the team standings at the indoor and outdoor conference meets, respectively.
Ross guided the Lady Vol track & field squads to a pair of top-10 finishes both national meets for the first time since 2009, placing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and tying for 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month.
In the USTFCCCA’s Division I Program of the Year standings released earlier this month, the men of Tennessee were tabbed No. 9 when combining postseason results from cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. The ranking marked the highest position for UT on the list since the award’s inception in 2008-09.
“Our first year here in Knoxville has been special, and we’re just getting started,” Ross said. “The support from Danny White, Marcus Hilliard and the Tennessee administration has been nothing short of incredible. With a strong foundation in place, we are committed to continue building this program into a national championship contender.”
Regarded for his ability to develop sprinters and hurdlers, Ross coached Jacious Sears to USTFCCCA South Region Track Athlete of the Year honors for the 2023 outdoor season. The Lady Vol speedster posted a team-high 11 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and won the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the highest individual point scorer at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Sears tallied 20.5 points for Tennessee…
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