By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – It was a spectacular race for the Tennessee Tech women's cross country team Friday morning, as the Golden Eagles placed third at the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships at Skyhawk Runway Trail in Martin, Tenn. The Tech men's cross country squad finished seventh at the event.
The Golden Eagle women locked down their fourth consecutive top-four finish at the OVC Championships, scoring 86 points in the 6K for a sizable gap between them and fourth place. It also marked Tech's third top-three display at the league's annual event in the past four years.
A historic performance from rookie Rylee Wells was the highlight of the day for the purple and gold, as the youngster blazed her way to a runner-up showing. Clocking in with a new personal record of 21:37.1, the Knoxville native became the first Golden Eagle to place second at the OVC Championships with the highest finish ever by a freshman in program history.
Only Purity Sanga (2018) and TTU Sports Hall of Famer Stephanie Place (2008) earned better showings after capturing first place. For her efforts, Wells earned a spot on the All-OVC First Team.
A pair of Golden Eagles landed on the All-OVC Second Team as well, led by fifth-year senior Helen Pacurariu-Nagy and a time of 22:16.1. The veteran crossed the finish line 11th overall, becoming just the first runner in program history to earn All-OVC accolades in four separate seasons.
Joining her on the All-OVC Second Team, her second such bid in as many years donning the purple and gold, sophomore Makaleigh Jessee delivered a 14th-place finish. She earned a time of 22:28.4 to provide Tech with its most All-OVC honors in a single league championship since 2021.
Freshman Savanna Amos was next among the Tech lineup to clock in, producing a time of 22:59.1 to rank 27th among the 94 competitors. Rounding out the Golden Eagle scoring effort, senior Chloe Wade placed 32nd overall following a performance of 23:04.2
The Tech men's squad battled through some adversity in the 8K to finish seventh overall with 160 points, just nine points back of a top-five performance. It was a familiar face pacing the pack of purple and gold, one that made history yet again along the way.
Senior Miceal McCaul turned in a season-best time in the 8K of 24:33.6, placing seventh among 87 runners. The strong run provided the veteran a spot on the All-OVC First Team for the third straight year. In addition to becoming the first Golden Eagle in school history to claim three First Team accolades, McCaul also became the first Tech runner ever to earn All-OVC honors in four seasons.
Next for the Golden Eagles to cross the line, Carter Bradford saved his best race of the season for the OVC Championships. Ranking 18th, the junior clocked in with a PR of 24:59.0. Fellow junior Robert Dawson claimed his own PR in the 8K with a time of 25:50.4.
Gutting through a nagging injury, senior James Hyland ended the race at 26:05.4 to join the scoring group of Golden Eagles. Rookie Dante Torres completed the Tech scoring, racing to a time of 26:47.6.
Next on tap for the Golden Eagle squads are the NCAA South Regional Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday, Nov. 15.
Photos by Alex Boggis, UT Martin Athletics & Jahmil Taylor, OVC Creative
