By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It was a banner weekend of success for the Tennessee Tech outdoor track & field team at the Tennessee Invite, with a number of Golden Eagles setting new personal standards while competing in Knoxville.
Among the numerous highlights for the purple and gold, rookie Tyla Street fired off a massive personal record in the triple jump, launching to a distance of 11.92 meters (39'1.25"). The mark represented the third best in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.
Fellow freshman Rylee Wells locked down the first sub-18-minute mark of her career in the 5,000-meter run, delivering a PR of 17:50.71 for the fifth-fastest 5K in the league. Also presenting a new career mark in the event, rookie Megan Forstner crossed the finish line at 18:36.39.
The youth continued to show off for the Cookeville crew in the 400-meter hurdles, with freshman Rachael Brewer nailing down the fourth-best time in the OVC with a PR of 1:04.78. Chipping in with her top performance of the year, sophomore Carolina Bannach cleared 3.61 meters (11'10") in the pole vault.
Sophomore Mattie Bush soared through the air on her way to a monster personal record in the long jump, landing at 5.94 meters (19'6") for the second-best leap in the conference so far this season. In the high jump, fellow sophomore Madison Johnson cleared a season's best height of 1.65 meters (5'5"), marking the third-best showing in the OVC.
Both Hannah Little and Kategie Casseus produced strong runs in the 400-meter dash, with the rookie Little's PR of 56.87 seconds ranking fifth in the league this year. Casseus clocked in at 58.78 seconds. In the 200-meter dash, Little compiled a competitive time of 25.00 seconds flat while rookie Aliyah Kennedy tallied a mark of 25.41 seconds.
Registering a new PR in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kendall Johnson finished the event with a time of 11:52.43. Tech's 4x400-meter relay crew of Little, Brewer, Kennedy, and Paris Bowles placed fifth among 16 different squads behind a season-best performance of 3:53.46.
A number of members of the Tennessee Tech men's cross country team took part in a number of distance events as individuals, led by a pair of standouts in the 5K. Zak Myles-Hawkins won his heat behind an impressive run of 15:15.51, while Dante Torres earned a PR of 15:51.89.
James Hyland ran well in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking in with a final time of 9:42.13.
Next up for the Golden Eagles is a trip east to Cullowhee, N.C., and Western Carolina's Catamount Classic. The two-day event will run from Friday, Apr. 25, through Saturday, Apr. 26.
File photo by Reily Rogers
