• Track Home
• |
• Tom Black Track
• |
• Coaches
• |
• Archive

Taylor Rotella                  Class: Sophomore Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn. High School: Bearden Height: 6-0 Event: Throws

2009: Redshirted due to injury...Made the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

2008: Competed in three meets indoors and six outdoors during her rookie season...Indoors, she had a career best in the weight throw at the Penn State National meet, stretching the tape to 43-6.50...Outdoors, she focused on the hammer throw and posted a career-topping toss of 136-1 to place 16th at the SEC meet in her first-ever league competition...Had a then-PR of 134-6 at the Georgia Invitational the weekend before.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed four years in track & field and two years in basketball at Bearden High School...Finished fifth in the shot put at the TSSAA AAA State Championships as a senior with a throw of 37-1...Finished 10th as a junior at 34-5 1/4...Charted a career-best heave of 130-10 to place 14th in the hammer throw at the 2007 Nike Outdoor Nationals meet...Other top prep marks include 42-7 1/2 in the weight, when she placed 11th at the 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals...Was a Junior-Elite All-American in the hammer throw in 2005 and 2006...Was a top-three finisher in the shot put at the 2005 and 2006 AAU Southeast Indoor meet...Took third in the shot (36-6 1/2) and the weight (37-5) at the 2007 M-F Athletics High School Indoor Invitational...Made the honor roll at BHS and was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, YoungLife and her church youth group.

PERSONAL: Taylor is enrolled in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Tennessee and is interested in pursuing a degree in sport management and a minor in business...Looks up to former Vol QB and NFL great Peyton Manning and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan...Family has a strong athletics lineage at UT...Father played football at UT from 1972-73; her uncle, Jamie, played from 1970-72, captaining the team and earning All-America honors in his final season; and her grandfather, Al, was a Vol in 1942 and from 1946-47...Has a brother, Ryan, 14...Taylor Jean Rotella was born in Trenton, N.J., on April 28, 1989...Her parents are Micheal and Leslie Rotella.