By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NCAA South Regional Championships
Date: Friday, Nov. 15, 2024
Time: 7:30 a.m. CT (women – 6K) & 8:30 a.m. CT (men – 10K)
Location: Apalachee Regional Park | Tallahassee, Fla.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech cross country teams are set to test the waters against the best competition in the area Friday morning, competing at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. for the NCAA South Regional Championships.
The women's 6K will kick off the action at 7:30 a.m. CT with the men's 10K to follow at approximately 8:30 a.m.
The Golden Eagle women's squad heads into Friday's action fresh off its fourth consecutive top-three finish at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, placing third overall.
A historic performance from rookie Rylee Wells was the highlight of the day for the purple and gold, as the youngster blazed her way to a runner-up showing. Clocking in with a new personal record of 21:37.1, the Knoxville native became the first Golden Eagle to place second at the OVC Championships with the highest finish ever by a freshman in program history.
A pair of Golden Eagles landed on the All-OVC Second Team as well, led by fifth-year senior Helen Pacurariu-Nagy and a time of 22:16.1. The veteran crossed the finish line 11th overall, becoming just the first runner in program history to earn All-OVC accolades in four separate seasons.
Joining her on the All-OVC Second Team, her second such bid in as many years donning the purple and gold, sophomore Makaleigh Jessee delivered a 14th-place finish. She earned a time of 22:28.4 to provide Tech with its most All-OVC honors in a single league championship since 2021.
The Tech men's squad battled through some adversity in the 8K to finish seventh overall with 160 points, just nine points back of a top-five performance. It was a familiar face pacing the pack of purple and gold, one that made history yet again along the way.
Senior Miceal McCaul turned in a season-best time in the 8K of 24:33.6, placing seventh among 87 runners. The strong run provided the veteran a spot on the All-OVC First Team for the third straight year. In addition to becoming the first Golden Eagle in school history to claim three First Team accolades, McCaul also became the first Tech runner ever to earn All-OVC honors in four seasons.
Photos by Roscelle Griffin
