By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech cross country teams wrapped up the 2021 campaign Friday morning, competing at the NCAA South Regional Championships at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala.
The Golden Eagle women completed competition in the 6K, the first event other than a 5K for the squad this season, 20th among a field of 32 teams across the region. Coming off the highest finish in program history at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, a second-place showing, Tech showed grit in its first taste of South Regional action since 2018.
Leading the pack for Tech for the third time this season and second event in a row was Helen Pacurariu-Nagy. The sophomore clocked in with a time of 21:43.98, placing 66th overall in the field of more than 200 competitors.
Next up for the Golden Eagles was returning freshman Amanda Laboy, delivering a time of 22:32.42 to finish 110th. Ruby Wyles rounded out the top three performers for the purple and gold, completing the course in a time of 22:48.71 to rank 125th.
Rahab Sawe was just three seconds behind her teammate, posting a final time of 22:51.70 for a finish of 140th. Completing the scoring for Tech was Katharina Schmidt, ranking 140th with a final time of 23:09.41.
The Tech women delivered a runner-up finish while competing in the 5K at Vaughn's Creek Cross Country Course at Percy Warner Park, the top performance in program history. On the men's side, the Golden Eagles tied the program's top finish since 1967, tying for the second-highest with a third-place showing in the 8K.
The men's team produced an 18th-place finish among the 25 programs competing in the 10K, also the first time the Golden Eagles ran any event other than an 8K on the year.
Once again leading the purple and gold on the men's side was Dominic Smith, finishing 60th out of the 162-man field. It marked the sophomore's fifth event pacing his squad, with Smith racing to a time of 31.28.74.
Rookie Miceal McCaul wasn't far behind, clocking in at 31:46.63 to finish his freshman campaign in 69th place. Completing his final career race as a member of the Golden Eagles, senior Ababu Mohamed was the third Tech runner to cross the finish line, posting a time of 32:09.85 to rank 87th.
Returning freshman Chase Faudi secured a top-100 finish, producing a time of 32:33.20 to rank 99th. Rounding out the scoring for the purple and gold, fellow returning freshman Clayton Kirkus finalized the year with a 113th-place finish and time of 33:07.06.
"This was a great way to finish the season," Tech head coach Peter Dalton expressed, "with strong showings against the region's best. There is a lot more to come from this group of men and women. We're just getting going."
Photos by TTU Track & Field
