By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Four Golden Eagles claimed individual crowns and several other individuals showed out with strong performances this weekend at the Buccaneer Invite at East Tennessee State's ETSU/MSHA Mini-Dome.
Senior Lisa Wickham and freshman Lyn'Nikka Vance highlighted the meet for the Golden Eagles. Wickham was named Women's Athlete of the Meet for her performance in the 60-meter dash and Vance earned Women's Field Athlete of the Meet for her impressive performance in the long jump.
"We had a lot of great performances across the board, but Lisa stole the show and deservedly so," expressed head coach Peter Dalton. "The younger athletes continue to progress well with wins in the long jump and 3k. The coaching staff and I are excited for a few more weeks of practice before the championships."
Wickham produced another career day, posting a phenomenal time of 7.28 seconds in the 60-meter dash to finish with the No. 12 best time in the nation this season. Her record time not only broke the previous school record that she set during the first meet of the season by four-hundredths of a second, in addition to surpassing the previous facility record at the mini-dome with her blazing performance.
Vance also had a stellar weekend for the Purple and Gold. She jumped an impressive 6.01 meters (19' 8 ¾") in the long jump to claim the event title, in addition to becoming the first Golden Eagle to surpass the six-meter mark and break the school record in her second career meet. Vance also had a great showing in the 60-meter dash. She finished with a time of 7.51 seconds to finish second in the field, only behind Wickham.
Freshman Nancy Jesang claimed the individual title and a new PR in the 3,000-meter run. Jesang finished with a time of 10:35.17, placing her at the top of the field. Teammate and fellow freshman Rahab Sawe also turned in an impressive performance in the 3,000m, claiming a new PR and finishing sixth with a time of 11:03.97.
In the 200-meter dash, Ceirra Tate ran a season-best and secured the Golden Eagle's final individual title of the meet. Tate turned in a time of 24.65 seconds. Teauna Anderson also had a solid performance in the 200m, finishing with a time of 26.39.
Jordan Toney made her collegiate debut in the 800-meter with a really strong performance. Toney crossed the line in 2:34.56 to place 22nd in the field.
Keyanna Word rounded out Tech's field performances with a pair of strong performances in the weight throw and shot put. Word opened the weekend with a new personal best in the weight throw, tossing for 9.37m (30' 9"). She then finished the weekend with a 27th-place finish in the shot put with a performance of 9.39m (30' 9 ¾").
Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 for their final tune-up before the OVC Indoor Championships as they compete at the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.
Photo by TTU Sports Information
