Golden Eagles set records, PRs and move five runners into Saturday's finals
The Tennessee Tech track & field team earned five points Friday on the first day of the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships. More importantly, coach Wayne Angel's team will send five runners into the finals on Saturday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech track & field team is on the scoreboard after the first day of the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships, but it's only the beginning for coach Wayne Angel's team.
On Friday, Tech runners claimed five spots in the finals on Saturday, all of which are guaranteed to add points.
At the end of the first day, Eastern Illinois had the lead in the standings with 44 points through five scored events, with Eastern Kentucky a close second after claiming 41 points. Tennessee State's 38 points has the host Tigers in third. With 11 finals scheduled for Saturday at Tennessee State's Gentry Center, the title is up for grabs.
And the Golden Eagles, with OVC Freshman of the Year Na'Asha Robinson leading the way, aim to snare a fair share of those available points.
Robinson set one school record in the prelims Friday and qualified for the finals in both the 200m and 400m. Also stepping into the spotlight Saturday will be freshman Crystal Leibenberg in the 400m, freshman D'Airrien Jackson and junior Sarah Brandt in the 800m.
The Golden Eagles had two runners earn their way into Saturday's finals in both the 400m and 800m, including a pair who each finished first in their heats.
In the 800m, Brandt won the opening heat in the time of 2:14.87, while Jackson placed second in her heat in 2:14.39. Saturday's finals are slated for 2:45 p.m.
Two other Golden Eagles competed in the 800m, but came up short of qualifying to advance. Madison Stremler ran the route in 2:19.76 while Andrea Retano posted a time of 2:28.12.
Robinson not only won her heat in the 400m prelims, she posted the top qualifying time, as well, running the race in 55.38 seconds. Leibenberg finished second in the fourth heat and her time of 57.73 seconds places her fifth among those qualifying for the 1:50 p.m. finals.
Robinson raced her way into a second final by clocking a school-record time of 24.46 seconds in the 200m prelims, the second-fastest time of the day. It broke her own school mark of 24.64 set at Notre Dame earlier this month.
Senior Tiara Hymon and freshman Morgan O'Neal also raced in the 200m, both missing out on the finals. Hymon posted a 26.51 showing while O'Neal finished in 26.68.
Three Tech runners ran the 55m dash, but none qualified to advance to the finals. Hymon had the best time among the trio, sprinting across the line in 7.39 seconds in her first career race at that distance. Junior Brittany McGee posted a personal best at 7:43 seconds, and O'Neal also beat her previous PR with a time of 7.50 seconds.
The distance medley relay team claimed Tech's first points of the day, putting five on the scoreboard with a fourth place showing and a school record of 12:01.09. The foursome of Stremler, Leibenberg, Jackson and Brandt broke the previous mark of 12:07.21 which was set at Notre Dame.
The Golden Eagles had personal best times in a pair of field events, but neither advanced into the finals. In the high jump, freshman NaScotisha Drummond cleared 5 feet, 2.5 inches, while in the weight throw it was a PR of 39 feet, 3.5 inches from Makayla Kington.
Two Tech runners wrapped up the first day in the 5,000-meter run. Sonel Bezuidenhout finished in 19:28.73, while Purity Murray posted a time of 19:35.03.
In the men's standings, SIUE has 41 points and a slim lead over Eastern Kentucky with 37.
Saturday's schedule has Tech competing for points in the triple jump, 200m, 400m, 800m and 4x400m relay.
