A newcomer to Big Orange Country turned in a solid effort and another with Tennessee ties earned a trip to the IAAF World Championships to lead the UT contingent Saturday at the USA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Tavis Bailey, who joined the Vols after foregoing a potential football career and transferring from Lenoir-Rhyne College this summer, posted a fifth-place finish in the junior division of the men’s discus throw. The native of Kannapolis, N.C., stretched the tape measure to a career-best distance of 178 feet, three inches to turn in a highly-respectable finish after opting to leave the gridiron behind and devote his attention to the throws.
In the men’s 110m hurdles, former Vol Aries Merritt became the second Tennessee man to make the U.S. world championship team.  After Justin Gatlin made the cut on Friday in the 100m dash, Merritt followed suit on Saturday by punching his ticket in the hurdles.  After moving from the semifinals to the final with a 13.25 effort, the UT-ex handled the barriers in 13.12 to finish second and book a trip to Daegu, South Korea, for the meet, which begins on Aug. 27.
Former Lady Vol DeeDee Trotter saw her quest to make the U.S. team come to an end Saturday, as the 2004 Olympic gold medalist wound up sixth in the women’s 400m at 51.17.  Another UT alum also missed out on the opportunity, as Jackie Areson turned in a 12th-place outcome in the 1500m run in 4:25.04.
In the junior division of the women’s 800, Tennessee had two freshmen in action. Kianna Ruff carved out a sixth-place finish in 2:10.74, while Brittney Jackson was ninth in 2:17.84.

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