COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech track and field team hits the road as the squad heads across I-40 for the 2015 Tennessee Challenge, hosted by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, on Saturday with events starting around 8:30 a.m. CT.
This will be the final preparatory meet for the Golden Eagles before the Ohio Valley Conference Championship meet that will be held on May 15 and 16.
"I think each meet has been a building block and the momentum we are riding right now is really good," said head coach Wayne Angel. "In the sprints, we've made improvements; in the throws, we've been doing really well, and in the jumps as wel. The relays have been looking really good. In the distance events, the kids are really working hard and improving. We want to continue to improve and be able to be significant at the OVC meet, I don't think we are there yet, but we have made a foundation for which we can keep improving upon."
"This is last meet we will be able to for fine-tune things, and put things together to help prepare us for the OVC meet. We want to be presentable, and I think when people see Tennessee Tech, they will see the improvements we have made."
The Golden Eagles are coming off of a successful outing at the Arkansas State Red Wolf Open where it saw 11 student-athletes hit personal bests, some more than one, and for junior Atlanta Westbrook, a PR meant a new school record.
Westbrook, who set the triple jump record with a distance of 37-08.5 in 2014, bested her own mark by 4.75 inches, with a mark of 38-01.25 to finish sixth overall.
"Coach [Sam] Linck has been doing a great job with our jumpers," said Angel, "and I think Atlanta is very motivated and driven. I think when the other athletes see that, it motivates them to do well. Each teammate motivates the other, and when one succeeds it excites the rest of the team to better."
The Golden Eagles will see some great competition this weekend.
"We will be competing against the University of Tennessee, the flagship university, you've got Louisville, Western Kentucky, and a lot of other good teams, and the exposure that our kids will get will help them get ready for the OVC competition," said Angel. "The competition will be just as good, if not better, so when the we get to the OVC championships, there is no need to be afraid, because we have already competed against the best anyway."
