By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
Ohio Valley Conference Championships
Date: Friday, Nov. 1, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. CT (women – 6K) & 10:00 a.m. CT (men – 8K)
Location: Skyhawk Runway Trail | Martin, Tenn.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Crunch time has finally arrived for the Tennessee Tech cross country teams, as the Golden Eagles embark on a tip west to Martin, Tenn. for Friday's Ohio Valley Conference Championships at SKyhawk Runway Trail.
The women's 6K will kick off the action at 9:00 a.m. CT with the men's 8K to follow at approximately 10:00 a.m.
For the first time, the Championship has moved off its traditional Saturday date and will now be held on a Friday to align with the NCAA Regionals schedule.
It marks the first time UT Martin has hosted the event in West Tennessee since 2004 (they hosted the 2014 event in Oxford, Ala.).
The purple and gold head into this year's league championships with plenty of momentum after both teams closed the regular season with first-place performances at the Golden Eagle Invitational two weeks ago.
The Golden Eagle women set the tone early in the 6K, edging out Northern Colorado by just two points. The Cookeville crew tallied 28 total points to top the Bears, thanks to a healthy number of impressive runs across the board.
Leading the way with a runner-up performance and a new personal record in the 6K was sophomore Makaleigh Jessee, clocking in at 21:33.8. Not only was the time a new PR, but her runner-up finish was also a career-best.
Placing fourth overall and second among the Golden Eagles was senior Helen Pacurariu-Nagy, producing a season-best time of 21:48.2. Right on her heels in fifth place, freshman Rylee Wells continued her sensational rookie campaign with a new PR of 21:53.3.
The Tech men's team found a little more cushion in its victory, totaling 31 points for the edge over Morehead State (43 points) and Northern Colorado (48 points).
In his final regular season meet as a Golden Eagle, Miceal McCaul earned his second career individual title and first since winning the Chattanooga Invitational back on Oct. 14, 2022. The senior cruised to an eight-second win with a time of 25:37.4.
Two spots back in third place with his best career finish was junior Carter Bradford, delivering a performance of 25:57.7. Following his teammate in fourth place, senior James Hyland kept the purple and gold in the top spot with a time of 26:20.6.
The Field
All 11 OVC squads will take part in this year's championships, including host UT Martin, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Little Rock, Morehead State, SIUE, Southeast Missouri, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, and Western Illinois.
Photos by Roscelle Griffin
