Strong debuts, program record highlight season-opening Vanderbilt Invitational for Tech track & field
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech track & field team officially opened the 2025 indoor campaign Friday and Saturday, competing in Nashville at the Vanderbilt Invitational at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech track & field team officially opened the 2025 indoor campaign Friday and Saturday, competing in Nashville at the Vanderbilt Invitational at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility.
A number of strong debuts, a slew of personal records, and even a new program mark all highlighted the season-opening event for the purple and gold. Eight different Golden Eagles competed in their first collegiate indoor meet over the weekend.
Sophomore Madison Johnson delivered one of the top moments of the weekend, placing third overall in the high jump. The Jacksboro, Tenn. native cleared 1.63 meters (5'4.25") to pace the Tech crew.
Fellow sophomore Carolina Bannach continued to rewrite the Tech record books in the pole vault, shattering her own school mark by clearing 3.68 meters (12'0.75"). Placing second in the event, the nearby Mt. Juliet native topped her previous program record by an impressive 0.08 meters.
Freshmen Aliyah Kennedy and Rachael Brewer both performed well in their collegiate debuts in the 400-meter dash. Kennedy clocked in at 59.80 while Brewer just trailed her teammate with a finish of 1:00.19.
Senior veteran Kategie Casseus produced a new PR in the 60-meter dash, a time of 7.92 seconds. In the 800-meter run, junior Paris Bowles set her season up with a high note, finishing at 2:20.73 for the fastest season-opening time of her career.
On the distance side of the track, rookies Rylee Wells and Savanna Amos carried their success from the cross country season over to the indoor campaign. The duo placed first and second, respectively, in their heat in the 5,000-meter run, with both ending the event ranked in the top 20. Wells posted a time of 18:01.77 for a PR while Amos record a new career-best with a time of 18:01.90.
Longtime Tech veteran Helen Pacurariu-Nagy distributed her top season-opening performance in the 3,000-meter run of her career, ending the event with a showing of 10:21.39. Making her debut with a splash, Tyla Street turned in a solid performance in the triple jump with a mark of 11.51 meters (37'9.25").
Tech's 4x400-meter relay crew proved that youth wouldn't hold it back this season, with a trio of freshmen joining veteran Paris Bowles for a time of 4:03.71. Rookies Hannah Little, Rachael Brewer, and Aliyah Kennedy made up the first three slots of the team with Bowles serving as the anchor.
Next on the docket, the Golden Eagles travel to Birmingham, Ala. for the UAB Vulcan Invite. Competition is set for Friday, Feb. 7 at the Birmingham Crossplex.
Photo by Reily Rogers
