By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The assault on the school record books proved successful during the indoor season for the Tennessee Tech track & field team, and now coach Wayne Angel's team turns its focus to the outdoor season, which gets underway this weekend at the Vanderbilt Black & Gold Invitational.

Angel and his staff will take a lineup of 22 women to the meet, which begins Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday's schedule starts with field events at 10 a.m. and running events at noon, and is scheduled to wrap up with the 4x400 relay at 4 p.m.

"We had a very successful indoor season," Angel says in review of the past two months. "I am very proud of our ladies' accomplishments. As we move forward into the outdoor season, we will continue to use the positive momentum that we established at the Indoor OVC championships.

"We will focus on the process of being one of the best teams in the OVC this year," he said. "Our level of intensity will be very high and our focus in preparation will be second to none."

Tech established school records in nine different events during the indoor season, including five running events, one field event and three relays. Angel and his squad are excited about the possibilities awaiting under open skies during the outdoor season.

"This season will be an exciting and eventful one," he predicts. "It will be the best outdoor season yet. It's going to be fun to watch them as they continue to break records in their quest to be one of the best teams in the OVC."

Tech's strengths should continue to be in the sprints where the Golden Eagles boast one of the top 400-meter tandems in the OVC, highlighted by OVC champion and Indoor Freshman of the Year Na'Asha Robinson.  Also expected to challenge to break the tape every time she runs is freshman D'Airrien Jackson. Tech's long list of telented sprinters also includes freshman Crystal Liebenberg, senior Tiara Hymon, junior Brittany McGee, freshman Morgan O'Neal, freshman Currin Washington, and junior Jaydean Joseph.

A couple of those young sprinters will also emerge among the Golden Eagle leaders in the hurdles, headed by Liebenberg.  The lineup of hurdlers includes Hymon, sophomore Madison Stremler, and junior Sharnique Leonce, who joins the roster for the outdoor season.

"Sharnique is an outstanding short hurdler who should contribute valuable points for Tech at the OVC championships," Angel said. He added that he expects Liebenberg to contend for the 400m hurdles title at the OVC championships. A newcomer to the team in January from Pretoria, South Africa, Angel said that Liebenberg was one of the top junior hurdlers in her country with a personal best time of 60.40.

Another OVC indoor champion heads up Tech's middle distance runners, where Sarah Brandt will pace a talented trio. Joining the OVC 800m champ will be Jackson and Stremler. While Brandt captured the OVC crown, Jackson finished second and Angel points to tremendous improvements by Stremler since last year.

Adding depth to Tech's middle distance lineup will be Molly Griffin and Andrea Retano, who was the Oregon state high school champion.

Junior Purity Murray, freshman Jenna Storms, and sophomore Sonel Bezuidenhout led Tech's efforts in the cross country season, and Angel is expecting the trio to "step up their efforts outdoors." He added that returnees Anna Cooper and Lera McNamara will provide needed depth, as well.

One returnee and one newcomer make up Tech's throwers in 2016.  Sophomore Makayla Kington was Tech's top thrower last season and she is back to compete in the shot put and discus. Antonia Susnjar a transfer from Western Kentucky out of Croatia was bronze medalist in javelin at the Conference USA championships. She has a personal best of 42.36 meters in the Javelin.

Angel expects Tech's jumpers to be among the most-improved areas on the team with the addition of South Carolina state high school high jump champion NaScottisha Drummond and junior college All-American Sharinque Leonce, a pair who could add needed points at the conference championships. In the triple jump freshman Raven Smith set the school indoor record and finished eighth in the OVC championships.

Leonce, a product of St. Lucia who enrolled at Tech in January following two strong seasons at Iowa Western Community College, will add another dimension to the Golden Eagle lineup by competing in the multi-event heptathlon. Leonce brings a wealth of experience to the Tech roster, ranking as one of the top junior college heptathletes in the country. Last season she scored 4,416 points in the heptathlon, a performance that would have placed her in the top four in the OVC. A three-time Junior College All-American, she has personal bests of 5feet, 6 inches in the high jump, 14.14 seconds in the 100m hurdles, and 25.19 seconds at 200 meters.

Here is the schedule of events for Tech athletes at Vanderbilt:

Friday
4 p.m. – Hammer (Kington)
4 p.m. – Shot Put (Leonce)
4 p.m. – Triple Jump (Smith)
5 p.m. – 200m (Robinson, Joseph, Leonce, Hymon, Jackson, Washington,
                             McGee, Liebenberg, O'Neal)
6 p.m. – 1,500m (Brandt, Storms)
7 p.m. – 5,000m (Murray)

Saturday
10 a.m. – Discus (Kington)
10 a.m. – Javelin (Susnjar)
11 a.m. – High Jump (Drimmond, Leonce)
11 a.m. – Long Jump (Smith, Driscoll, E. Robinson, Leonce)
12 p.m. – 4x100 Relay (Liebenberg, Robinson, Hymon, Jackson)
                     4x100 Relay (McGee, Leonce, Washington, O'Neal)
12:30 p.m. – Steeplechase (Murray)
1 p.m. – 100m High Hurdles (Leonce, Liebenberg, E. Robinson)
1:30 p.m. – 400m (Jackson, Washington, Joseph)
2 p.m. – 100m (Robinson, Hymon, McGee, O'Neal)
2:30 p.m. – 800m (Brandt, Retano, Griffin)
3 p.m. – 400m Hurdles (Liebenberg, Hymon, Stremler)
3:30 p.m. – 3,000m (Bezuidenhout, Cooper, McNamara)
4 p.m. – 4x400 Relay (Washington, Joseph, Leonce, Hymon)