Golden Eagles Set Sights on Big Finish at OVC Indoor Championships
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Tennessee Tech Track & Field looks to close out its 2026 indoor campaign with a strong performance at the OVC Indoor Championships in Louisville, competing this Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 24–25, beginning at 8 a.m.
By Caden Smith, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Tennessee Tech Track & Field looks to close out its 2026 indoor campaign with a strong performance at the OVC Indoor Championships in Louisville, competing this Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 24–25, beginning at 8 a.m.
The 2026 OVC Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship will be held at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville. It marks the first time the event will be held at the venue, which opened in 2021. The facility offers a 200-meter banked Mondo indoor track, one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world. It is one of only nine hydraulically banked indoor tracks in the United States and the only banked indoor track in the state of Kentucky. This year marks the 40th overall women's indoor championship, with the first being held in 1985. Last year, the Southeast Missouri women claimed its third-straight and 10th overall crown with a 34.5-point win.
Last year, Tech delivered several strong finishes at the OVC Indoor Championships, highlighted by a 4th‑place mile performance from Rylee Wells (5 points), a 3rd‑place showing in the 3000m from Naomy Lokiles (6 points), and a 3rd‑place finish by the 4x400m relay (6 points). In the field, Ally Beneke made her mark in her first OVC Championships appearance, earning a runner‑up finish and eight points.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Tennessee Tech Track & Field turned in a strong showing at the Vanderbilt Music City Challenge on Feb. 13–14, piling up multiple personal bests and adding a new school record to cap the weekend.
In the women's jumps, Madison Johnson opened the meet with a 5th‑place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.64m (5‑4.5). Sidnee Stanton added an 8th‑place finish in the long jump with a personal‑best leap of 5.81m (19‑0.75). The senior holds the No. 4 long jump mark in the OVC. Asharee Davis followed with a college‑best 5.43m (17‑9.75) in the unseeded long jump, while Chase Wolfenbarger made her triple‑jump debut with an 11.22m (36‑9.75) performance.
On the track, Carrie Flowers recorded a career‑best 9.20 seconds in the 60‑meter hurdles, and Kennedi Winbush advanced to the 60m semifinals for the third meet in a row after a season‑best time of 7.55 seconds and a 5th place finish. Winbush holds the second-fastest 60m time in the OVC. Winbush also placed 8th in the 200m with a personal best time of 24.65 seconds.
The women's 400m group delivered two new personal bests, with Aliyah Kennedy placing 8th in 57.58 and Kyla Joy running a career‑best 58.81. Kennedy holds the No. 3 time in the OVC for the 400 meters, while Joy holds the No. 8 time in the conference standings.
Freshman standout Grainne Moran continued her standout indoor season, breaking both the school and her own personal record in the 600 meters with a time of 1:32.53. Paris Bowles followed with a career‑best 600m time of 1:33.17 to finish 5th.
Tech's distance crew added more strong marks, highlighted by Jane Lokiles, who ran a season‑best time of 17:52.97 in the 5000 meters, and Zaely Tilt, who posted a personal‑best time of 18:13.42. Makaleigh Jessee also turned in a solid performance with a 17:59.55 showing. Lokiles now holds the third‑fastest 5000m time in the OVC, Jessee ranks fifth, and Tilt sits seventh. In the 3000m, Rylee Wells ran a time of 9:57.39. She holds the 3rd-best time in the OVC. Hayley Stegall added to Tech's distance success with a personal‑best mile time of 5:09.82.
On the men's side, Carter Bradford led the Golden Eagles with a 4:07.97 mile. Zak Myles‑Hawkins added a career‑best mile time of 4:12.43, and Dante Torres ran a personal‑best mile time of 4:30.93. In the 3000m, Luca Gambling clocked a new personal‑record time of 8:29.62 to finish 10th overall.
NEXT UP
Tech returns to action for the first outdoor meet at the UAB Spring Invite in Birmingham, Ala, on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28.
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