By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A pair of record-breaking performances and a few more top-10 showings rounded out the first event of the 2024 season for the Tennessee Tech indoor track & field team, as the Golden Eagles concluded action on day two of the Commodore Challenge in Nashville on Saturday.
Highlighting the weekend were a pair of rookie pole vaulters, kicking off their collegiate careers with a bang. Carolina Bannach shattered the previous program mark of 3.14 meters (10'4"), set by Katie Lowery back on Feb. 2, 2013, erupting for a vault of 3.42 meters (11'2.5"). Angela Hoover also bested the previous school record, delivering a mark of 3.17 meters (10'4.75").
The Golden Eagle 4x400-meter relay team of Kategie Casseus, Amara Nwajagu, Paris Bowles, and Bay'Andria Hodges put forth a top-10 effort on the day. The group crossed the finish line with a time of 3:58.90, placing eighth overall.
Nwajagu had a busy day for the purple and gold, locking down a top-10 performance in the 400-meter dash. The junior placed ninth after clocking in at 57.76 seconds.
Rounding out the top displays of the day for the Golden Eagles was another strong showing by rookie Bay'Andria Hodges. After earning a top-10 finish in the 200-meter dash on Friday, the freshman blazed to another top-10 effort in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.70 seconds.
"We had a lot of positive performances in our first meet," assistant coach Tony Cox said. "We have several freshmen this year, and they handled the pressure of their first collegiate meet and did great. The first meet is always a learning experience and we are happy with what we saw this weekend."
Tech is due back in Nashville next weekend, returning to Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility for the Vanderbilt Invitational. Action will take place on Friday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 20.
File photo by Thomas Corhern
