April 28, 2009

Tennessee 800m specialist Joseph Franklin was named SEC Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. The honor is Franklin's second of the outdoor season as he was also selected as the league's top freshman performer after the Sea Ray Relays on April 8-11.

The Tallahassee, Fla., native ran sub-1:49.00 anchor legs on the UT sprint medley and 4x800 relays at the Penn Relays over the weekend. Franklin's best split, 1:48.00, came on his come-from-behind effort in the sprint medley, helping the Vols to their 33rd all-time Penn Relays wheel. He clocked in at 1:48.42 as the anchor of the 4x800m unit that finished sixth.

Franklin is one of 16 UT athletes who have posted marks good enough to qualify them for the NCAA Mideast Regional, which takes place May 29-30 in Louisville, Ky. The Vols next major competition is the SEC?Championships on May 14-17. UT hosts the Smoky Mountain Twilight on May 5 as a final tune-up for the postseason.