Winbush, Brewer Record-Breaking Performances Lead Golden Eagles to Third at Final OVC Championship
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Tennessee Tech Track & Field closed out its final Ohio Valley Conference championship meet in impressive fashion, finishing third overall with 113 points at the 2026 OVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship at the Coleman Sports Complex.
By Caden Smith, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Tennessee Tech Track & Field closed out its final Ohio Valley Conference championship meet in impressive fashion, finishing third overall with 113 points at the 2026 OVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship at the Coleman Sports Complex.
"It was just a superb weekend from top to bottom for the team," said Tech head coach Peter Dalton. "We are so proud of our athletes and everything we've accomplished during our time in the OVC."
Tech opened the meet with a strong statement from its distance squad in the 10,000m. Makaleigh Jessee delivered a massive personal-best 36:55.98 to finish runner-up for the Golden Eagles, while Jane Lokiles added another standout performance with a personal-best 37:24.86 to place fourth overall.
In the heptathlon, Angela Hoover totaled a personal-best score of 3707 points to finish fourth while producing PRs in the 100m hurdles (15.72), shot put (7.41m), 200m (27.15), long jump (5.30m), javelin (22.14m), and 800m (2:49.80). Chase Wolfenbarger also turned in a strong showing in the heptathlon, placing fifth with a personal-best 3676 points while recording PR marks in the 200m (27.16) and javelin (26.11m).
The field events produced several key performances for the purple and gold. Ally Beneke and Madison Johnson each cleared 1.68m (5-6) in the high jump to tie for second overall, with Johnson matching a personal best. Sidnee Stanton added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (5.71m), while Asharee Davis recorded a personal-best leap of 5.62m (18-5.25). Tyla Street posted a personal-best leap of 12.20m (40-0.25) in the triple jump to place fifth overall. Wolfenbarger and Davis each added personal-best marks in the triple jump as well, with Wolfenbarger recording an 11.49m (37-8.25) leap and Davis posting an 11.43m (37-6) mark.
On the track, Tennessee Tech consistently pushed athletes into finals throughout the weekend. Kennedi Winbush qualified third in the 100m prelims with an 11.59 and later advanced through the 200m prelims with a 24.36 before delivering a historic championship performance in the 100m final, exploding for an 11.42 personal-best to capture the OVC title, break the Tennessee Tech school record, and secure her second OVC championship of the academic year. Winbush later added another podium finish in the 200m final, taking second overall in 23.97.
Tech's sprint group continued its breakout season in the 400m, where Hannah Little qualified third overall in prelims with a 55.65 before racing to a personal-best 55.11 in the final to finish runner-up. Kyla Joy also advanced through prelims with a personal-best 55.60 before placing fourth overall in the final with a time of 56.64.
Rachael Brewer advanced to the finals in the 400m hurdles with a prelim time of 1:03.24 before delivering another breakthrough performance in the championship race, clocking a personal-best 1:01.90 to finish runner-up while breaking the Tennessee Tech school record in the event. Carrie Flowers also qualified for the 100m hurdles final with a 14.52 prelim performance before racing to a personal-best 14.48 to place sixth overall.
Paris Bowles qualified for the 800m final with a 2:16.46 prelim performance before adding another scoring finish in the final with a sixth-place time of 2:16.81.
The distance squad closed the meet with another strong performance in the 5000m, where Jessee collected her second runner-up finish of the championship with a time of 17:38.08. Rylee Wells followed closely behind in third place with a mark of 17:52.53 as the Golden Eagles continued to climb the team standings late in the meet.
Tennessee Tech closed the championship in style in the 4x400m relay, as Hannah Little, Aliyah Kennedy, Kyla Joy, and senior anchor Paris Bowles combined for a season-best 3:44.92 to place second overall in the final event of the weekend.
We thank the Ohio Valley Conference for the 76 great years of competition, opportunity, and memories shared along the way as Tennessee Tech Track & Field now looks to bring this positive momentum toward a new era in the Southern Conference starting next season.
Women's Team Standings
1. Southeast Missouri — 164
2. Eastern Illinois — 127.5
3. Tennessee Tech — 113
4. Little Rock — 99
5. Southern Indiana — 63
6. SIU Edwardsville — 62.5
7. Western Illinois — 62
8. Lindenwood — 39
9. Morehead State — 36
10. Tennessee State — 27
11. UT Martin — 18
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles will travel to Little Rock, Ark., for the OVC Outdoor Championships, set for Wednesday, May 13, through Friday, May 15.
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