Perkins graduate Matt Hoty was among seven athletes from Tennessee to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Hoty followed his indoor qualification in the men’s shot put with a trip to nationals outdoors. The first-year performer, though, made it by the slimmest of margins, punching out a throw of 59-10 1/2 on his first attempt that withstood the next five rounds of throws from his competitors. We wound up with the 12th and final qualifying spot.

“The first throw, I came out and said `I’m going to give it what I’ve got,’ and I hung on from there,” Hoty said. “I don’t think I’ve ever thrown my best throw with my first attempt, so it was kind of nerve-racking holding on the entire time.”


Hoty earned second team All-American honors in the event during the indoor season. 

Perkins graduate Matt Hoty, who red-shirted last season at Tennessee after breaking his wrist in his senior season at Perkins, has rediscovered the magic formula at just the right time to match his SEC Indoor finish in the men’s shot put with a third place result outdoors.

The 6-3, 300-pounder unloaded a blast of 60 feet, 10 inches to improve his UT freshman outdoor record in the event and deliver his squad six points.

This year, he made the 2012 USTFCCCA Indoor All-America Second Team and was a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team. In Indoors, he qualified for the NCAA Indoor meet and finished 15th in the shot put with a mark of 59-10 1/2.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins graduate Matthew Hoty was recognized for his performance over the weekend at the Auburn Invitational. The Southeastern Conference announced on Tuesday that Hoty was chosen SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week.

Hoty, a redshirt freshman, broke his week-old UT freshman indoor record in the men’s shot put. He did so by stretching the tape to 60-0 1/4 to finish second at the Auburn Invitational behind defending SEC Outdoor champion Stephen Saenz of Auburn.

After making a victorious college debut last weekend at the Kentucky Invitational and snapping Chip Kell’s 1968 Vol rookie record of 58-7 by a half inch, Hoty improved his ranking this week from 12th to ninth on UT’s all-time performers list in that event. He ranks No. 3 in the SEC and No. 15 nationally at this point in the season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com