Four school records fall at Vanderbilt to open indoor track season
Tennessee Tech runners broke four school records Saturday, including marks that had stood for 18 and 15 years, when the Golden Eagles opened the 2015-16 indoor season at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener.
By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two marks that had been in the books for 18 and 15 years were among four school records broken Saturday by the Tennessee Tech track & field team when it opened the indoor season at the Vanderbilt Opener.
Golden Eagle runners broke school records in the 200m, 400m, and 800m races individually, and the 4x400m relay record. In addition, returnees on the squad established four new personal-best marks at the event.
Jaydean Joseph, a junior from Grenada who spent the past two years attending junior college in the Bronx, finished fifth in the field of 37 runners in the 200m race, posting a time of 25.21 seconds. It broke the oldest school record in the books, a mark of 25:80 that was set on Feb. 14, 1998 at Middle Tennessee.
The first record to fall Saturday came in the 400m event by Na'Asha Robinson, a freshman from Huntsville, Ala. She posted a time of 55.08 seconds on her sprint around the 300m Vanderbilt track, placing her third overall in the field of 38 runners. Her time broke the previous record of 59.34, set on Feb. 27, 2010 at the OVC Indoor Championships.
D'Airrien Jackson, a freshman from Santa Clara, Calif., was next into the Tech record books, earning a fourth place finish among 22 entries in the 800m event. She broke a school standard that had stood for 15 years. Her time of 2:15.28 eclipsed the previous record of 2:15.89, set Feb. 24, 2001 by Michelle Kline at the OVC Indoor Championships.
The fourth school record to fall came in the team's final event of the afternoon. The 4x400m relay team of NaAsha Robinson, Joseph, Tiara Hymon and Jackson shattered the record by more than 13 seconds with a new mark of 3:49.69. The previous record of 4:02.89 was set in the 2010 OVC Indoor Championships.
"I was very pleased with the team's performance today," said head coach Wayne Angel. "We had some eye-openers, especially in the 400, 800, 200 and mile relay races which were all school records.
"We now have a benchmark from which we can build upon," he said. "We just have to continue to work hard and get better each day."
Now that the season is underway, the team actually takes more than a month before its next action. With final exams and a long holiday break on the horizon, the next meet on the schedule is the Ed Temple Invitational on Sunday, Jan 10, at Tennessee State University's Gentry Center.
Tech's individual performances Saturday at Vanderbilt, with school records in parenthesis along with indications of new records and new career-bests:
60m (7.70, Bethany Burney)
Jaydean Joseph, 7.89
Morgan O'Neal, 8.11
Brittany McGee, 8.17 (career best)
Tiara Hymon, 8.25
200m (25.80, Gwen Cannon)
Jaydean Joseph, 25.21 (new school record)
Tiara Hymon, 26.56
Brittany McGee, 26.95 (career best)
Morgan O'Neal, 27.15
400m (59.34, Allison Price)
Na'Asha Robinson, 55.08 (new school record)
800m (2:15.89, Michelle Kline)
D'Airrien Jackson, 2:15.28 (new school record)
Sarah Brandt, 2:20.04
Andrea Retano, 2:23.47
Mile Run (5:06.53, Michelle Kline)
Anna Cooper, 5:49.61
3,000m (10:04.39, Stephanie Place)
Purity Murray, 10:40.18
Sonel Bezuidenhout, 11:10.81
Jenna Storms, 11:12.09
Lera McNamara, 11:53.58 (career best)
4x400 Relay (4:02.89)
N. Robinson, Joseph, Hymon, Jackson "A" 3:49.69 (new school record)
Retano, McGee, O'Neal, Brandt "B" 4:18.82
High Jump (5' 7", Katherine Lynn)
Na'Scottisha Drummond, 5' 0.25"
Eshe Robinson, NH
Long Jump (17' 55", Chelsa Mills)
Tina Driscoll, 15' 2"
Eshe Robinson, NM
Triple Jump (38' 1.5", Chelsea Mills)
Raven Smith, NM
Shot Put (43' 1", Suzanne Roberson)
Antonia Susnjar, 34' 10"
Makayla Kington, 33' 4"
Samantha Howard, 30' 4"
Tina Driscoll, 29' 3"
Weight Throw (54' 11.25", Ashley Mayhew)
Makayla Kington, 35' 11" (career best)
NH indicates No Height; jumper did not register a height
NM indicates No Mark; jumper did not register a distance
Photo by Jim Dillon
