By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

MURRAY, Ky. – It was light action for the Tennessee Tech outdoor track & field team on Day 1 of the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but the Golden Eagles still showed signs of growth Wednesday while competing on the campus of Murray State.

Junior Anya Akili set the tone right out of the gate, earning a first-place finish in the first event of the heptathlon behind a sizable personal record. She blazed to a PR of 14.49 in the 100-meter hurdle to pace the field with 910 points through one event.

The Mason Hall, Trinidad and Tobago native delivered another personal-best mark in the high jump, clearing 1.52 meters (4'11.75") to collect another 644 points. Following a mark of 9.06 meters (29'8.75") in the shot put, Akili wrapped up the day with a great showing in the 200-meter dash. Placing second, she clocked in at 25.28, just five-hundredths of a second off her career-best, gathering 861 more points to finish the day third in the heptathlon at 2,883 points.

Diamond Rush turned in a special performance in the 400-meter hurdles, narrowly missing out on a spot in the finals. Finishing ninth overall, she produced a massive PR of 1:03.75, besting her previous mark by more than three full seconds.

Competing in the 200-meter run, Ashtin Holman joined the personal-record club with a new career-best showing. The sophomore finished at 26.11 in the event preliminary rounds, topping her old PR by over three-tenths of a second.

Day 2 of the OVC Championships is set to kick off Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. CT with multi-events. Field events will begin at 2:30 p.m. while running events are slated for a 5:30 p.m. start.

Photo by Dave Winder, Murray State Media Relations