Tennessee Track & Field Hosts Thorpe Cup

With its smoky grey surface and orange accents, Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium set the perfect landscape for the 2018 Thorpe Cup. Named after the American super-athlete and Olympic gold medalist, Jim Thorpe, this international decathlon and heptathlon competition brings together world-class track & field athletes from the United States and Germany to battle it out in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Home of the University of Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols track & field teams, the facility has already hosted several premier track events, including the 2018 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Completed in 2017, the eight-lane oval situated in the heart of the University of Tennessee's campus was surfaced by Beynon Sports to allow the program to host elite competitions.

“Tom Black Track is a mainstay in the world of track and field, there’s been many personal bests set, records set, collegiate records, we’ve hosted so many meets here over the years at Tennessee and it needed a great upgrade and we were able to do that,” said Beth Alford-Sullivan, University of Tennessee Head Track Coach. “It epitomizes Tennessee, it’s got the orange, it’s got the white, it’s got the grey, and it has all of the amenities of a first-class facility.”

“We have a tremendous tradition in track and field on this campus,” said Donna Thomas, University of Tennessee Senior Associate Athletic Director. “We believe that this new surfacing and this revitalization will help continue that tradition, build on that tradition, grow that tradition, and provide the student-athletes that are here today an opportunity to recapture some of that great history we have in the sport.”

Officials opted for Beynon’s BSS 2000 system with Hobart texture. Regarded as the ultimate edge in performance, the Olympic-caliber BSS 2000 system is IAAF certified and offers athletes the highest level of control and maximum energy return. Want to learn more about the BSS 2000 system? Click Here.

In the SEC, Beynon Sports is currently the surface of choice for the University of Tennessee, the University of Kentucky, the University of South Carolina, the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi, Texas A&M University and Mississippi State University.