By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It was a successful final tune-up for the Tennessee Tech indoor track & field team Friday and Saturday, as the Golden Eagles competed at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn. in their final regular season meet before the Ohio Valley Conference Championships.
Newcomer Naomy Lokiles delivered one of the top performances of the weekend for the purple and gold, earning a top-15 finish among more than 50 competitors in the 5,000-meter run. The sophomore turned in the OVC's top time of the year with a personal record of 17:10.70.
Joining in her in the league's top five for the event this year was senior Helen Pacurariu-Nagy, delivering the fourth-fastest 5K with a time of 17:48.08.
A trio of Golden Eagles clocked in with new career records in the mile, led by rookie Rylee Wells with a sub-5-minute mark of 4:59.68. Hannah Faudi and Hayley Stegall locked down PRs as well with times of 5:15.81 and 5:16.40, respectively.
In the sprints, Hannah Little tallied her own personal best showing by blazing to a time of 25.70 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Aliyah Kennedy joined the OVC leaders in the 400-meter dash, recording the 10th-best mark with a finish of 57.75 seconds for a new PR. Rachael Brewer also nailed down a PR in the event, clocking in at 58.77 seconds.
Moving on to the field side of the event, Sidnee Stanton flew through the air for the league's seventh-best showing in the long jump with a distance of 5.69 meters (18'8"). Angela Hoover landed at 5.16 meters (16'11.25") for a new personal record. In the triple jump, rookie Tyla Street put together a strong performance with a leap of 11.58 meters (37'10.75").
Tech's 4x400-meter relay crew worked together to accomplish the team's top showing of the year so far. Brewer, Little, Kennedy, and Paris Bowles combined for a mark of 3:56.80.
Competing as individuals on the men's side of the event, a number of Tech's men's cross country squad put in good work on the weekend as well. Carter Bradford showed a strong result in the mile with a time of 4:09.00.
James Hyland and Zak Myles-Hawkins each turned in PRs in the 5K, producing times of 14:45.78 and 15:24.92, respectively. Bradford, Hyland, and Myles-Hawkins combined with Roberts Dawson for an impressive fifth-place finish in the distance medley relay, clocking in at 10:09.90.
The Golden Eagles close out the season at the OVC Indoor Track & Field Championships, competing in Indianapolis, Ind. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion.
File photo by Reily Rogers
