By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2024 campaign is officially in the books for the Tennessee Tech indoor track & field team, as the Golden Eagles capped off a fourth-place finish at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex Thursday evening.
After dropping 30 points on Wednesday's opening day of action the purple and gold followed it up with 28 more on Thursday, tying for fourth overall with Eastern Illinois behind 58 points. Southeast Missouri claimed the league title with a whopping 224 points while Little Rock finished as the runner-up with 125.50. Western Illinois rounded out the podium with 78 points.
"We're really proud of our team's efforts today and throughout the championship," Tech head coach Peter Dalton expressed. "The entire team pulled together for another strong team finish."
Leading things off was the team's biggest performance of the day, a podium showing by senior Cayla Johnson in the pentathlon. The veteran took home the bronze with 3,438 total points, including a personal record of 12.76 meters (41'10.25") for a first-place nod in the shot put. She also led the group in the high jump and secured six points for the Cookeville crew with her third-place, overall finish.
Another long-time Tech vet brought home another point for her squad, as Anya Akili finished eighth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.12 seconds. Junior Amara Nwajagu secured five points to the Golden Eagle effort behind a fourth-place showing in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line at 55.92 seconds.
Rookie Carolina Bannach wrapped up her banner indoor campaign by establishing a new program record in the pole vault for the fourth time in five meets. The freshman earned a fourth-place finish after clearing a new PR of 3.60 meters (11'9.75") to collect another five points for Tech.
Back on the track, Paris Bowles locked down three more points for the purple and gold, clocking in at 2:17.74 to place sixth in the 800-meter dash. A pair of distance runners totaled another three points for the Golden Eagles, led by Helen Pacurariu-Nagy's seventh-place performance in the 3,000-meter run.
The veteran clocked in at 10:17.29, inches in front of rookie teammate Makaleigh Jessee. The freshman finished eighth with a time of 10:17.78, earning one point to go along with Pacurariu-Nagy's two points.
To officially wrap up the two-day event and the indoor campaign, Tech turned to its 4x400-meter relay squad. Kategie Casseus opened the race for the Golden Eagles, handing things off to Nwajagu. She passed the baton over to Bowles before rookie Bay'Andria Hodges brought things home for a time of 3:51.97, a fourth-place finish, and five final points.
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 Michael Wade
