NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With one school record and 11
career-best performances, the Tennessee Tech women’s track
& field team surprised the field Friday at the Ohio Valley
Conference Indoor Championships. The Golden Eagles are in third
place after five events were completed on the first day.
Eastern Illinois holds the first-day lead with 40 points.
Southeast Missouri is second with 31 points and Tech is third with
28, tied with Eastern Kentucky. Host Tennessee State (20) is in
fifth place, followed by Austin Peay (17), Jacksonville State (16)
and Murray State (15).
Senior Tiffany Palmer had Tech’s highest finish Friday,
claiming second place in the 5,000-meter run in a career-best time
of 18:20.28, just four seconds off the winning pace to earn eight
team points.
The Golden Eagles earned 12 of their points in the longest event
of the day, as senior Ashley Evans also posted a career-best time
at 5,000 meters to finish fifth in the time of 18:32.55.
Tech scored nine points in the high jump, with two jumpers placing
in the top five. Senior Katherine Lynn (in photo above) claimed
fourth place and five points while Meagan Lyons earned fifth place
and four points. Each cleared the bar at 5-feet, 2.25 inches.
A third Tech jumper didn’t score but was able to post a
career-high as Sarah Kmet made it clean at 5-feet, one-quarter
inch.
The Golden Eagles earned four points in the shot put and three
more in the distance medley relay.
In the shot put, junior Ashley Mayhew (photo below) placed fifth
with a toss of 40-feet, 4.75 inches. Three other Golden Eagles had
career-best tosses but finished out of the scoring. Lacy Yslas had
a throw of 36-feet, 9.75 inches, Madison Borden reached 34 feet,
and Haley Wennerstrom a toss of 28-feet, nine-inches.
Tech’s final three points Friday came in the distance medley
relay, where the foursome of Traci Jones, Danielle Catlett, Jenna
Philpott and Amanda Simmons posted a time of 13:02.9 to finish
sixth.
The school record fell in the 400-meter dash when Allison Price
(photo at left) ran a 59.34, just short of advancing to
Saturday’s finals. Emily Weinzetl also had a career-best in
the event at 1:01.59.
Two runners had career times in the 800-meter run. Simmons led
with a 2:27.6, coming up just short of reaching the finals, and
Philpott was timed at 2:30.36.
Two freshmen had the other career-best times Friday. In the
55-meter dash, Justine Phillips crossed the line in 7.63 seconds,
while Krysten Joshen had a time of 27.86 in the 200-meter dash.
Meagan Lyons narrowly missed her own school record in the 55-meter
hurdles, advancing to Saturday’s finals with a time of 8.45
seconds, which was the eighth fastest time in the prelims.
