By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It was a solid start to the 2024 campaign for the Tennessee Tech cross country teams, as the Golden Eagles kicked off the new season in Nashville at the Belmont Opener at Vaughn's Creek Cross Country Course at Percy Warner Park.
The Golden Eagle women set the tone for the day, opening things with a third-place showing in the 5K. Trailing only Vanderbilt and Belmont, Tech claimed four top-15 finishes and another top-20 to round out the scoring.
Veteran Helen Pacurariu-Nagy picked up where she left off last season after leading the purple and gold in each event. The fifth-year senior crossed the finish line with a time of 18:50.2, ranking 10th among the nearly 50 competitors. Freshman Rylee Wells made her collegiate debut with a bang, finishing 11th overall a split second behind the heels of her teammate at 18:50.3.
Following her breakout rookie campaign in 2023, sophomore Makaleigh Jessee produced another strong performance to place 13th, delivering a time of 19:05.4. Making her Golden Eagle cross country debut after joining the track & field squad in the spring, freshman Savanna Amos clocked in at 19:12.2 to finish 14th.
Rounding out the Tech scoring for the women, fellow rookie Hannah Faudi picked up a time of 19:33.8 in her first collegiate race to rank 20th.
On the men's side, the purple and gold collected a fourth-place display behind just Belmont, Vanderbilt, and Lipscomb while also competing in a 5K. It was a trio of Tech men leading the way with a tight grouping at the finish line.
Junior Carter Bradford was particularly special in leading his first race as a Golden Eagle, clocking in at 15:55.3 to finish 15th among the more than 50 racers. Less than a full second behind was senior James Hyland, ranking 16th behind a time of 15:55.7. Fellow senior Miceal McCaul followed at 15:57.2 to place 17th.
Finishing fourth for the purple and gold with a time of 16:15.7 was junior Robert Dawson, who earned a top-25 finish overall. Completing the Tech scoring, junior Isaac Legault placed 33rd while crossing the line at the 16:47.1 mark.
"It was a strong showing by both squads to open the season," Tech head coach Peter Dalton said. "There is still a lot of upside and room to grow for each team as we progress through our schedule."
The Golden Eagles will head west for the UT Martin XC OVC Preview in Martin, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 14.
File photos by Thomas Corhern
