Tech Track and Field travels to Birmingham, Ala., to compete at Samford Open on Saturday
The No. 14 ranked in the South Region Tennessee Tech track and field team will once again take to the track on Saturday when the Golden Eagles head down to Birmingham, Ala., to compete at the Samford Open.
By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The No. 14 ranked in the South Region Tennessee Tech track and field team will once again take to the track on Saturday when the Golden Eagles head down to Birmingham, Ala., to compete at the Samford Open.
"This weekend is critical for us," head coach Wayne Angel said. "It is a final tune-up for the team as we prepare for the OVC Championships in a little less than two weeks. Our top kids have positioned their selves nicely in the conference, now it's time for the rest of the crew to step up and position themselves as well. We are taking 16 athletes to Samford with hopes of identifying other areas that can potentially affect the outcome at the championships. At the end of the meet we'll have a better picture of how to strategize to maximize our outcome at conference, and that's very important."
Follow the Meet Live
Live results will be provided throughout the day as heats finish here.
A Look at the Competition
The Golden Eagles will be joined by teams from various conferences such as: Alabama A&M, Florida A&M, Murray State, Georgia State, Mercer, UT Chattanooga, and Appalachian. Georgia State is currently ranked No. 15 in the South Region, so Tech will look to defend their position in this weekend's meet and move ahead of No. 13 Samford.
Competitions to Watch
This weekend Sharnique Leonce will compete once again in the 60-meter hurdles, coming off a phenomenal performance last weekend at the Meyo Invitational where she broke the Golden Eagle school record on day one, and then topped it once again on day two.
Sarah Brandt and D'Airrien Jackson will be competing in the 800-meter dash on behalf of the Purple and Gold squad. Brandt currently holds the Tech school record in the race with a time of 2:11.00, which she established last season.
Last Time Out
Most recently Na'Asha Robinson claimed a first place finish at the Meyo Invitational in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.20, which topped her own former Tech school record of 54.14. Her time beat out 68 other runners from various schools such as Vanderbilt, Purdue, Notre Dame, Indiana, Georgia Tech, the University of Miami, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Louisville, and Ohio State.
The Golden Eagles opened day one of the meet on a high-note with a school record shattering performance in the distance medley relay. The quad of Micayla Rennick, D'Airrien Jackson, N. Robinson, and Sarah Brandt claimed a fifth place finish (out of 20) in the race, beating out teams from schools of Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and OVC opponent Eastern Illinois University. The group's time of 11:35.22 also topped the former Tech school record.
Sharnique Leonce also broke the Tech school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.68, placing 15th in a field of 24 competitors. D'Airrien Jackson also had a solid finish in the 400-meter dash. She placed 20th out of the field of runners with a time of 55.66. Micayla Rennick placed 25th overall in the 3,000 meter run clocking in with a time of 9:52.43
Photo by Thomas Corhern
