2020 OVC Indoor Championship Central
By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a week away from competition, the Tennessee Tech track and field team heads to Birmingham, Ala. for the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships.
Returning to the Birmingham CrossPlex for the second consecutive year, the two-day meet begins Wednesday morning.
Wednesday's events begin 9 a.m. CT, while the running events will start at 2:40 p.m. and contain most of the preliminary races. On Thursday, events will also begin at 9 a.m., followed by track events at 12:30 p.m.
Tech enters the conference meet as the two-time defending OVC indoor champions, after earning its first-ever track and field championship in 2018 and then repeating as conference champions last season.
Using the season's individual successes as a barometer, the potential for success is high for Tech. The Golden Eagles broke a couple school records in the indoor season and saw four athletes named OVC Female Athletes of the Week.
Senior Lisa Wickham ranks first in the OVC and tied for 16th nationally in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.25 seconds. She shattered the school record in each of the three meets so far this year. Wickham also ranks 8th in the OVC in the 200m with a time of 24.86 seconds that she posted at the Bulldog Invitational.
Freshman Lyn'Nikka Vance also holds the top conference mark in the long jump, as well as ranking tied for 70th nationally with a 6.01m leap at the Buccaneer Invitational. Her mark set a new school record, surpassing the previous mark by one-tenth of a meter during her second-ever collegiate meet. Vance also holds ranks tied for third with teammate Ceirra Tate in the 60-meters with a time of 7.51 seconds. Vance also ranks 18th in the OVC in the 200m, posting a time of 25.56 seconds.
In addition to the 60-meters, junior Tate also ranks tied for third in the 200m with a time of 24.65 seconds, as well as 9th in the conference in the 400-meters, holding a performance of 57.47 seconds. Both marks were set at the Buccaneer Invitational.
Freshman Nancy Jesang leads the Golden Eagles in the 3,000m, holding 13th place in the OVC with a time of 10:08.44 that she produced during the Bulldog Invitational.
Jalena Curbeam ranks 11th in the league in the triple jump after posting a 10.96m leap during the Bulldog Invitational.
As a team, the Golden Eagles hold 8th and 9th in the OVC in the distance medley relay and 4x400 relay, respectively. Tech posted the 13:30.40 in the DMR at the season-opening Blazer Invitational, before claiming a time of 4:06.75 in the 4x400 at the regular-season finale Buccaneer Invitational.
The women's field includes Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, SIUE, Tennessee State, and UT Martin.
Following the OVC Championships, any Golden Eagle that rank in the top 16 in the NCAA in their events will travel to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. on March 13-14.
Live results from the meet will be available here throughout the two-day event, while a live stream will also be available on ESPN+ for both Day 1 and Day 2. Fans are encouraged to also follow @TNTech_XC_TF and @OVCSports on Twitter for updates from the meet.
Photo by TTU Sports Information