By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech indoor track and field team heads back to Nashville for the second straight week, taking part in the Vanderbilt Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Vanderbilt Invitational Information
Jan. 19-20, 2024 – Located at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility in Nashville, Tenn. Friday's action will kick off with multis at 9:30 a.m. CT, field events at 11:00 a.m., and running events at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, multis will begin at 8:30 a.m., field events will start at 10:00 a.m., and running events are slated to kick off at 12:00 p.m.
What to Watch For
There were a number of impressive collegiate debuts for the purple and gold in last week's season-opening event in Nashville, as well as solid performances from a veteran group of Golden Eagles.
Highlighting the weekend were a pair of rookie pole vaulters, kicking off their collegiate careers with a bang. Carolina Bannach shattered the previous program mark of 3.14 meters (10'4"), set by Katie Lowery back on Feb. 2, 2013, erupting for a vault of 3.42 meters (11'2.5"). Angela Hoover also bested the previous school record, delivering a mark of 3.17 meters (10'4.75").
On the track, junior Amara Nwajagu led Tech's effort in the 200-meter dash, earning a top-10 finish by clocking in at 25.35 seconds. Making her collegiate debut with a top-10 showing of her own was Bay'Andria Hodges, who finished right on Nwajagu's tail with a time of 25.37 seconds.
The Golden Eagle 4x400-meter relay team of Kategie Casseus, Nwajagu, Paris Bowles, and Hodges put forth a top-10 effort on the day. The group crossed the finish line with a time of 3:58.90, placing eighth overall. Nwajagu had a busy weekend for the purple and gold, locking down a top-10 performance in the 400-meter dash as well, finishing ninth after clocking in at 57.76 seconds.
Wrapping up the running events for the Golden Eagles, freshman Makaleigh Jessee performed at an elite level in her collegiate debut, placing first in the 5,000-meter run with a mark of 18:50.87. Sophomore Ava Costello earned a runner-up finish, clocking in at 19:25.72.
Competing in the long jump, senior Anya Akili turned in a distance of 5.65 meters (18'6.5") to place fourth overall. Sophomore Sidnee Stanton finished in the top-10 with a mark of 5.26 meters (17'3.25").
Up Next
The Golden Eagles compete next at the YSR Open, a one-day event hosted by Sewanee on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Sewanee, Tenn..
Photo by Thomas Corhern
