Golden Eagle track and field team heads to Bloomington, Ind., to compete at the Indiana University Relays

Posted: Jan 26, 2017

By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information

IU Relays Heat Sheet
IU Relays Schedule of Events

COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Golden Eagle track and field team will compete at the Indiana University Relays on Friday, January 27 to Saturday, January 28. Held inside the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse in Bloomington, Ind., the Purple and Gold squad will face competitors from some of the nation's top conferences. Competition begins on Friday at 5p.m. and will then resume on Saturday at 9:20 a.m.

"We are excited to take the team to Bloomington for the Indiana Relays," head coach Wayne Angel said. "It's going to be a fantastic meet and there will be some outstanding teams in attendance. It will also be very competitive; the intensity of this meet will kick up a couple of notches compared to the past two meets that we competed in."

Follow the Meet Live

Live results will be provided throughout the day as the heats finish here.

A Look at the Competition

Represented at this weekend's meet will be participants from schools of: Western, Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Louisville, DePaul, Southeast Missouri, Miami (Ohio), Tulane, North Central, South Florida, and Western Kentucky.

Host Indiana University is currently ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region. The Hoosiers will look to keep their momentum going from their last meet when they hosted the Gladstein Invitational. There, Indiana's Megan Grabowski claimed a victory in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.03.

Competitions to Watch

Na'Asha Robinson returns to the track to compete in the 200-meter dash, in which she currently holds the school record. N. Robinson topped her former Golden Eagle record in the Purple and Gold's first meet this year at the Vanderbilt opener. There, Robinson recorded a time of 24.00, which clocked in .46 seconds faster than her former record.

Another race to watch will be the 800-meter run. Current Tech record holder, Sarah Brandt will be competing in the race. Last year at the Meyo Invitaional, Brandt recorded a time of 2:11.00 to claim the Tech school record. Brandt will look to top her time with teammate Anna Cooper competing alongside her.

"Our lineup this weekend will have our athletes competing in their marque events," Angel said. "It will serve as a means of evaluating the strength and weaknesses of our program as we prepare for the OVC championships at the end of February."

Last Time Out

Brandt placed first in the mile amongst 46 competitors when she recorded a time of 4:59.12 at the Illini Classic. Teammates N. Robinson, D'Airrien Jackson, and Micayla Rennick also had phenomenal showings for the Golden Eagles. N. Robinson claimed a first place finish in the 400-meter dash. She recorded a winning time of 55.22 amongst the field of 27 participants. Jackson placed second in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:34.09, while Rennick finished second in the 800-meter run with a 2:13.88 mark.

"In four weeks, we will be headed to Charleston, Ill., to face some great competition at the OVC championships," Angel continued. "It's time for our veterans to step up and be the leaders on the team and demonstrate to their teammates what it's like and how to compete at great venues like the Indiana Relays."

"When the smoke clears this weekend, we will have a clearer picture of how our roster will stack up against the best that the OVC has to offer," Angel stated.

You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports Facebook page or on Twitter at @TTUGoldenEagles.

Photo by Thomas Corhern