A true freshman wide receiver in the fall, Wade will take his talents to the track (UTsports.com) |
It's hard to ignore how certain athletes follow in line to try and match another's footsteps. That's exactly what many people see in the talents of Tennessee freshman Jonathan Wade. Although they were teammates this past fall on the football field, Wade and former Volunteer All-American Leonard Scott will not be on the track due to Scott running out of eligibility.
Both athletes hail from the state of Louisiana as Wade is very familiar with what Scott has accomplished, not only as a freshman, but during his career at Tennessee as well. Scott was a tremendous competitor and world-class sprinter who rewrote the Tennessee record books in his rookie campaign. He shocked many experts by taking the NCAA Indoor 60 meter dash title in 6.58 to earn his first All-America selection on the year.
In high school, Scott took home the Louisiana state titles in both the 100 and 200 meters. Wade also won the 100 and 200 meter titles for Louisiana in 2001. He holds the state record in the 200 meters (21.03), along with a personal best time of 10.15 in the 100 meters. For his efforts, Wade was named the 2001 Louisiana Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year. Wade then won the 200 meters with a time of 20.95 at the 2001 World Youth Championships. A fierce competitor in the classroom as well, Wade made the Principal’s List in 2001 and was an honor roll student.
At the SEC Challenge on January 25, Wade posted two NCAA provisional marks and led all Volunteers with 18 points scored on the day. Wade won the 200 meters in 21.18 which was his first collegiate race in the event. Wade also took second in the 60 meters with a time of 6.72, which was just .02 of a second off his lifetime best a week earlier at Virginia Tech.
With the losses of Justin Gatlin and Leonard Scott, Head Coach Bill Webb knows that he has an athlete in Wade that will do everything he can to help Tennessee claim the SEC and NCAA team titles. Don’t be surprised if the Vols can make another run at the NCAA indoor title as several teams have been known to step up in the past. Tennessee takes next weekend off for training. In two weeks, the Volunteers split the squad. Tennessee's distance men return to Nutter Field House for the Kentucky Invitational. The remaining Volunteers head south for the Florida Invitational to scout out the site of the SEC Indoor Championships.