Guided by a trio of scoring performances from its jumpers including Jah-Nhai Perinchief, No. 16 Tennessee totaled 21 points at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to place 11th in the team standings nationally.
The result marked Tennessee's highest finish at the meet since tying for seventh in 2017.
UT jumpers Carey McLeod, Perinchief, and Darryl Sullivan combined for all 21 of Tennessee's points as all three athletes were making their NCAA Outdoor Championship debuts.
Graduate student Perinchief claimed Tennessee's second Outdoor National runner-up finish in the Triple Jump with a school-record mark of 17.03 meters (55 feet 10.5 inches) on his first attempt. The Bermudian international broke the all-time Tennessee record that had stood since 1985, when VFL John Tillman went 16.94 meters (55 feet 7 inches) at the NCAA Outdoor Meet to also earn a national runner-up result.
"Perinchief is a young man that is just a wonderful person," Sullivan said. "He's had a collegiate path that has taken him to a handful of different places. He ended up with us, and saved his best for last. In his path at other schools, he had qualified for the nationals but been injured and unable to compete. This one, he was healthy and obviously on top of his game. A goal of his was to get that school record, and we're very proud of that effort and his performance here.
"He brings a lot of life to the whole team. A positive guy, a positive person with a big future ahead of him. I'm excited to see what he can do in the Olympics and his post-collegiate career jumping for his native Bermuda. The Orange will always be a piece of him, and he'll always be a piece of our history here now. I couldn't be more proud."
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