By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Running alongside some of the top college and amateur teams in the nation, the Tennessee Tech track & field squad left a lasting impression this weekend at the 72nd annual Pepsi Florida Relays.
After setting two school records and earning three Top 25 finishes (including one Top 10 showing) on Friday, the Golden Eagles added another school record Saturday and finished sixth in the 4x800m relay.
Junior Sarah Brandt led things off in the opening leg, followed by freshman D'Airrien Jackson, freshman Crystal Liebenberg and sophomore Madison Stremler. That Tech foursome obliterated the school record by 38 seconds, posting a time of 9:14.71.
The previous Tech standard, set in 1999 in the Mt. Laurel Relays at Sewanee, was 9:42.71 set by the foursome of Aseelah Jones, Christina Judon, Melanie Mickle and Michelle Kline.
The 4x100m relay team of Sharnique Leonce, Jackson, Tiara Hymon and Na'Asha Robinson flirted with another school record, a mark that was set earlier this year, but came up just shot. They posted a time of 47.08 seconds to finish 43rd.
On Friday, Brandt set the school mark in the 800-meter run (2:10.86), and the 4x400m relay team added a second school record (3:41.98).
The Golden Eagles journey to Nashville Friday to compete in the Boston Moon Invitational, hosted by Tennessee State University.
SATURDAY 4x800m relay – 6 Sarah Brandt, D'Airrien Jackson,
Crystal Liebenberg, Madison Stremler, 9:14.24 (school record)
4x100m relay – 43 Sharnique Leonce, D'Airrien Jackson
Tiara Hymon, Na'Asha Robinson, 47.08
FRIDAY
100m hurdles - 61 Sharnique Leonce, 14.39
400m - 23 Na'Asha Robinson, 54.44
800m - 25 Sarah Brandt, 2:10.86 (School Record)
800m - 40 D'Airrien Jackson, 2:13.87
4x400m relay – 10 Na'Asha Robinson,D'Airrien Jackson,
Crystal Liebenberg, Sharnique Leonce, 3:41.98 (School Record)
