By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech indoor track and field team heads south to Birmingham, Ala. to take on the best the Ohio Valley Conference has to offer Wednesday and Thursday, competing at the 2024 OVC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
OVC Indoor Championships Information
Feb. 21-22, 2024 – Located at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. Wednesday's action will kick off with field events at 11:30 a.m. CT and running events at 2:40 p.m. On Thursday, combined events will kick off at 9:00 a.m., while field events will begin at 11:00 a.m. and running events are slated to start at 12:30 p.m.
What to Watch For
The Golden Eagles carry a season of growth, PRs, and school records into this year's edition of the OVC Championships, with a healthy balance of veterans and rookies looking to rack up the points for the purple and gold.
In the team's final tune-up of the year at the Music City Challenge
it was a healthy mix of youngsters and veterans providing the highlights for the purple and gold.
For the third time in four meets this season, freshman Carolina Bannach established a new program record in the pole vault, clearing 3.57 meters (11'8.5") to finish eighth among 22 competitors.
Fellow freshman Ally Beneke kept her strong campaign rolling by tying her own PR in the high jumpand placing second among 30 total jumpers with a mark of 1.65 meters (5'5"). Madison Johnson also finished in the top-10, ranking sixth with a jump of 1.61 meters (5'3.25") while Kendall Medders ended the day 11th with a height of 1.56 meters (5'1.25").
Sidnee Stanton delivered a pair of top-10 showings on the day, starting with a sixth-place performance in the long jump and a season-long leap of 5.52 meters (18'1.5") before recording another season-best mark in the triple jump. The sophomore finished 10th in the event behind a mark of 11.45 meters (37'6.75").
Rookie Mattie Bush captured a new personal best in the long jump, ranking just outside the top-10 with a mark of 5.27 meters (17'3.5"). Fellow freshman Angela Hoover smashed her previous career display in the triple jump by over half a meter, putting forth a leap of 11.04 meters (36'2.75").
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will have a month to prepare for outdoor competition, with the season-opener slated for Friday, Mar. 22 and Saturday, Mar. 23 at the Lee Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
