By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Tennessee Tech indoor track & field team put the finishing touches on its 2025 campaign Tuesday and Wednesday, finishing off action at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis.
Competing at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, the Golden Eagles concluded the two days of action with a total of 43 points, placing sixth among the 11 teams competing for the league crown. Southeast Missouri claimed its third straight OVC Indoor title behind an impressive 163 points.
"With the large majority of our team made up of freshmen and sophomores, the future is very bright for this program," Tech head coach Peter Dalton expressed. "We're excited to double the focus as we pivot to the outdoor season coming up."
Highlighting Tech's efforts at the 2025 Indoor Championships was sophomore Naomy Lokiles, who took the podium with a third-place showing in the 3,000-meter run. Claiming six big points, she clocked in at 9:58.07. She also earned five more points in the 5,000-meter run, leading a scoring trio of Golden Eagles with a fourth-place finish of 17:30.99.
Rookie Rylee Wells picked up three points in the 3K, crossing the finish line at 10:07.75 to place sixth. Wells also contributed five massive points in the mile run, finishing fourth with a mark of 5:01.78.
Sophomore Makaleigh Jessee finished seventh in the 5K, scoring two points with a time of 17:42.03 for a new personal record. Right on her teammate's tail to earn the final point available in the race, sophomore Savanna Amos placed eighth with a new PR of 17:47.03.
Junior Paris Bowles rounded out the individual runners to score for the purple and gold, securing a pair of points by finishing seventh in the 800-meter behind a time of 2:20.95.
On the field side of things, five Golden Eagles showed off their skills to claim more valuable points for the program, led by freshman Tyla Street. The rookie picked up four points with a fifth-place performance in the triple jump, landing a PR of 11.80 meters (38'8.75").
Sophomore Carolina Bannach cleared 3.65 meters (11'11.75") in the pole vault, earning sixth place for three points. Another sophomore, Madison Johnson, tied for sixth in the high jump to earn 2.5 points, finishing with a mark of 1.65 meters (5'5"). Fellow sophomore Ally Beneke tied for eighth to land 0.5 points while clearing 1.60 meters (5'3").
Landing a new personal record with a leap of 5.59 meters (18'4.25") in the long jump was yet another sophomore, Mattie Bush. She earned one point with an eight-place showing.
Teaming up to produce another podium finish for the purple and gold were a trio of freshmen and Bowles, representing Tech in the 4x400-meter relay. Rookies Rachael Brewer, Hannah Little, and Aliyah Kennedy led off the third-place performance while Bowles anchored things for six huge points and a time of 3:51.09.
The Golden Eagle distance medley relay squad also gathered points for the effort, finishing seventh overall. Junior Lauryn Jackson, Bowles, sophomore Hayley Stegall, and rookie Hannah Faudi combined to clock in at 12:35.45.
Tech will get a month to prepare for its 2025 outdoor campaign, competing next at the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Mo. on Thursday, Mar. 27. and Friday, Mar. 28. The squad will split up and also take part in the UAB Spring Invite on Friday, Mar. 28 and Saturday, Mar. 29.
Photos by Ethan Levy
