By Dave Ford
While some athletic programs at the University of Tennessee struggled over the past year to maintain their championship status, the Lady Vols track team proved again it is a national championship contender year in and year out.
A measure of the team’s ability to shine brighter than the competition was the commitment of a select group of athletes who proved their worth in the classroom.
UTs three athletes who were named to the 15-member ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country All-America Team were seniors Sarah Bowman and Amanda Alexander, as well as junior Phoebe Wright.
Bowman recently completed one of the most decorated careers in program history.
Academically, she owns a 3.87 grade point average, is a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV honoree, a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a two-time member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, 2008 and 2009 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for track & field and was the 2008 USTFCCCA Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On the track, however, Bowman was even better.
She was a 10-time All-American, three-time NCAA champion and 12-time SEC winner. She led Tennessee to an NCAA Indoor National Championship in 2009 and SEC Indoor titles in both 2007 and 2009.
Against in-conference competition, Bowman became the first SEC woman to win three straight league indoor titles in the mile, 3000m and distance medley relay. In outdoor competition, she won two consecutive 1500m crowns and placed fifth in the 800 meters. She also tied LaVonna Martin for the school record with 12 overall wins at the conference level.
Bowman also excelled in cross country.
From 2005-09, she was a four-time All-SEC performer and been All-South Region three times. She also helped the Lady Vols claim the SEC and NCAA South Region cross country titles in 2005 and made NCAA appearances in 2005 and 2006. And this year, Bowman became the UTs first All-American in nine seasons when she finished 36th overall at the national meet.
Although a tough comparison to her nearly iconic teammate, Wright has already enjoyed a stellar career in the orange and white. She currently owns a 3.96 GPA in biological sciences, is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV and
SEC Academic Honor Roll member and also a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team selection.
In track competition, Wright is a six-time All-American, and has won a national championship with the UT distance medley relay team in 2008 and 2009.
“Sarah continuing to receive these awards just reiterates her commitment to her academic and athletic successes,” said J.J. Clark, who was recently appointed to oversee both the men’s and women’s programs at UT.
“Phoebe has always gotten good grades, and now she is being noticed for both her outstanding academic and athletic achievements. These are very bright and intelligent young ladies.”
Alexander has had to work significantly harder to get where she is, but still managed to produce a great collegiate career on the track.
She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology and maintained a 4.00 GPA for the 2008-09 academic year. She also graduated from Chattanooga last May with a 3.92 in psychology, and has been a two-time academic all-district selection.
Alexander made the finals at the Outdoor SEC Championships in the long hurdles, finishing ninth in a career-best 1:01.34.
She also played a key role on UTs 4x400m relay team this season.
“It’s also rewarding to see Amanda, our fifth-year senior, recognized as a second-team All-American,” said Clark. “She, too, is able to get good marks and balance the demands of both the academic and athletic arenas in great fashion.
“I’m very proud of this group, and it just shows what we are about at Tennessee. We place a very high premium on academics in our program.”
In his new role as overall head coach of both track and field programs at UT, Clark can only hope to continue his great run of double-threat student-athletes.
