Beth Sullivan making headlines at UT

Beth's mission, or not? wrote:

From UT's Athletic Website.

Our Mission

To inspire and support our student-athletes in the pursuit of comprehensive excellence.

Our Vision

To represent the University of Tennessee among the nation's premier athletics programs by developing student-athletes who graduate, compete for championships and conduct themselves in a first-class manner, honoring and fulfilling the Volunteer spirit.

Core Values

Integrity without compromise

National leadership

Service to our students, fans, and community

Personal accountability

Inclusion and respect for the individual

Relentless competitiveness

Excellence in education

Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't seem that the Beth Sullivan is living up to the Mission, Vision, or Core values set out by UT's athletic department.

Well, um, no, she isn't, but who's the highest paid college coach [any sport, any school] who IS living up to that statement?

fwiw, I believe BAS behaved badly but I don't think anyone in the UTK athletic department cares. Nor do I believe they care about how poorly her teams have done this year. I believe she'll also get a pass for 2015/2016. What I believe they will care about are results in 2016/2017 and beyond.

"First year director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan has announced her first recruiting class on Rocky Top. Fifteen future Volunteers comprise the class, which includes nine women and six men."

This is typical of Beth. Notice the wording. It's her first recruiting class. It's all about Beth.

Any more on Beth? Stealing candy (scholarships) from children?

Cats in the Cradle wrote:

Any more on Beth? Stealing candy (scholarships) from children?

Guess who is the President of the Board of Directors of USTFCCCA?

None other than BAS:

I get that USTFCCCA is an organization by and for coaches, but they should be ashamed that the President of their Board is best known for screwing the athletes they are supposed to be coaching.

Can't you find someone to lead your organization this isn't hostile to athletes?

Agree, as a member of this organization I don't feel her character adequately represents me or fellow members. Unfortunately I don't believe there is an impeachment/removal bylaw in place.

i can't believe it wrote:

Cats in the Cradle wrote:

Any more on Beth? Stealing candy (scholarships) from children?

Guess who is the President of the Board of Directors of USTFCCCA?

None other than BAS:

http://www.ustfccca.org/about-us/ustfccca-board-of-directors

I get that USTFCCCA is an organization by and for coaches, but they should be ashamed that the President of their Board is best known for screwing the athletes they are supposed to be coaching.

Can't you find someone to lead your organization this isn't hostile to athletes?

Current term ends: Summer 2015

great results so far:

http://ky.milesplit.com/meets/211587/results/400233

4th at a big invite! 20 solid points ahead of UTM

Anybody that thinks she's going to be fired because she hurt the feelings of a few freshman runners is delusional.

BigDuh wrote:

Anybody that thinks she's going to be fired because she hurt the feelings of a few freshman runners is delusional.

Nobody has claimed that they expect her to be fired merely for hurting the feelings of her athletes.

There were claims however that her actions were morally reprehensible. There were also claims that she didn't fulfill her duty to her athletes. If committing morally reprehensible actions or failing to fulfill one's duty to someone makes one unfit to be a coach, then Beth ought to be fired.

random3 wrote:

great results so far:

http://ky.milesplit.com/meets/211587/results/400233

4th at a big invite! 20 solid points ahead of UTM

Big Invite?!?! The two meets that are the headliners on this site are "big" meets, the one UT went to is......insignificant.

Also, the CLAIM is that the behavior was reprehensible is just that, A CLAIM. I really don't care one way or the other, but it seems like on this site if something gets repeated enough, it just becomes fact. My favorite so far is the old "Adams State beat Arkansas on their home course in their Dynasty years." Classic.

Beth very well might be an absolute snake, but let's at least base it on more than internet smack talk and the word of one side of the story.

Not too bad this weekend

Tennessee track and field has improved drastically since Beth has arrived. I am sure the alumni are happier. They should be.

the only good thing she did was hire Tim Hall away from Kentucky and Abigi from George Mason, two of the best young sprint minds in the NCAA. Tennessee Sprints was the winner here. so a pat on the back for that.

The T wrote:

the only good thing she did was hire Tim Hall away from Kentucky and Abigi from George Mason, two of the best young sprint minds in the NCAA. Tennessee Sprints was the winner here. so a pat on the back for that.

They had a 4th in 5000 but how have those distance recruits done?

This makes me so happy. It's not because I think what BAS did was right or wrong. It is because it gets tiring to read every day the same bs from whiny parents, friends or the athletes themselves. They did this very obviously because they thought their childish actions would somehow be taken seriously by continuing to say the same thing over and over again.

Good for you Beth. I love it. You obviously made the right moves removing those cancerous children (and maybe more importantly their enabling parents) from your roster.

Well gee, I wonder if that makes her a good HC? Hiring good people...

The T wrote:

the only good thing she did was hire Tim Hall away from Kentucky and Abigi from George Mason, two of the best young sprint minds in the NCAA. Tennessee Sprints was the winner here. so a pat on the back for that.

Though I coached DI and DIII in the Northeast for 20+ years, I never met BAS and have no opinion of her personally, either positive or negative.

But I can look at her teams' results at Penn State, and now at Tennessee. I suspect that multiple success stories are not a coincidence.

lease wrote:

Though I coached DI and DIII in the Northeast for 20+ years, I never met BAS and have no opinion of her personally, either positive or negative.

But I can look at her teams' results at Penn State, and now at Tennessee. I suspect that multiple success stories are not a coincidence.

She's a poisonous human being. End of story.

Calling myself (who has no connection to the parties involved) and others that pointed out that what BAS did was wrong "whiny" is an attempt to dismiss our arguments without actually having to address them.

No.

I did this because the person to whom the arguments were directed at ignored them and yet continued to make the same claims.

She didn't make the right move. I've outlined the reasons several times in this thread. For your convenience, here is a direct link to a post outlining said reasons: