Women's Cross Country Wins First OVC Championship
Tennessee Tech's women's cross country wins its first OVC Championship!
By Caden Smith, TTU Athletics Media Relations
Charleston, Ill.- Tennessee Tech's women's cross country wins its first OVC Championship!
Tennessee Tech's efforts were highlighted by five top 20 finishes on the women's side, led by a sixth-place finish from Naomy Lokiles, and on the men's side, a second-place finish by Carter Bradford. It marks the first-ever OVC Championship for the cross country program. Peter Dalton was named OVC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Women's cross country finished 1st in the 6k among 11 other teams. Naomy Lokiles led the team with a personal best time of 21:26.5 and a 6th place finish. Makaleigh Jessee finished 7th with a personal best time of 21:27.9. Jane Lokiles finished 11th with a personal best time of 21:46.8. Joy Jepleting finished 17th with a time of 22:09.45. Rylee Wells finished 19th with a time of 22:10.90. Megan Forstner finished with a personal best time of 22:48.15. Zaely Tilt finished with a personal best time of 23:13.34. Hayley Stegall finished with a personal best time of 23:32.48.
"I'm proud of our entire organization. This is the first cross country championship in Tennessee Tech history," said Coach Dalton. "All season long, this group of women remained diligent, not afraid to work, and identified the Conference Championships as the goal. The first championship and forever OVC Champions is a special accomplishment for this group."
The men's team came in 5th, led by Carter Bradford's PR (24:22.83), finishing 2nd. Bradford's time was the 6th fastest in program history.
"The men ran phenomenal and probably should've finished third without a little bit of adversity," said Coach Dalton. "Our men's team just missed the Top 3, but what a run by Badford and I know the rest of the guys will be back better than ever next season."
Zak Myles-Hawkins finished 10th with a personal best time of 24:40.65. Luca Gambling finished 15th with a personal best time of 24:57.70. Nick Chambers finished with a personal best time of 25:25.85. Jack Glisson-Schlitt finished with a personal best time of 26:15.66.
Team Scores
Women Points Men Points
1. Tennessee Tech 60 1. UT Martin 62
2. SE Missouri 79 2. Southern Indiana 62
3. Southern Indiana 80 3. SE Missouri 96
4. Eastern Illinois 82 4. Eastern Illinois 97
5. SIU Edwardsville 148 5. Tennessee Tech 100
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