Indoor Track & Field Off to Nashville for the Music City Challenge This Weekend

Friday, February 10

Nashville, Tennessee

Tulane University

Vanderbilt University

Indoor Track & Field Off to Nashville for the Music City Challenge This Weekend

Feb 9, 2023 | Track & Field

Live Results | Live Video (Friday) | Live Video (Saturday)

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane indoor track & field program is back in action and on the road this weekend as the program heads to Nashville, Tenn. for the Music City Challenge at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility. The action on Friday starts with the women's high jump at 11 a.m. The events begin on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the women's 3000m.

The program is expected to send Zander Dunbar (400m, 600m and 4x400m), Aaron Gilliam (mile, 3000m, 4x400m relay), Arturs Lapins (5000m and 4x400m relay), Bradley Makuvire (3000m and 5000m), Tucker Poshard (5000m), Niall Ryan (3000m), Parker Samuelson (pole vault), Roman Schrader (800m and 4x400m relay), Jalen St. Fort (800m and 4x400m relay), Bethwel Tum (800m and 4x400m relay), Norah Bice (shot put), Maren Butler (shot put), Mackenzie Callahan (mile, 3000m and 4x400m relay), Janae Dean (800m and 4x400m relay), Alyssa Dismuke (shot put), Alexis Esteves (400m, 600m and 4x400m relay), Megan Fitzgerald (pole vault), Laura Fodor (60m hurdles, long jump and 4x400m relay), Abigail Heck (800m and 4x400m relay), Kristina Leggas (pole vault), Sophia McNerney (mile and 3000m), Allison Nelson (4x400m relay), Kristen O'Handley (high jump, long jump and 4x400m relay), Patricija Ozolina (60m hurdles and long jump), Alexandra Potts (pole vault), Victoria Robinson 800m sand 4x400m relay). Kara Steele (triple jump), Margot Temines (60m hurdles and high jump), Kaia Todd (200m, high jump and triple jump)

A total of 47 other school are participating in the competition including Alabama, UAB, Arkansas State, Auburn, Austin Peay, Ball State, Belmont, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Cumberland (Tenn.), Duke, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Florida International, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Illinois State, Indiana State, Kent State, Lipscomb, Louisville, McNeese State, Memphis, Meridian CC, MIT, Miami (Fla.), Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Missouri, Murray State, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rider, Southern Illinois, Southern Mississippi, Tennessee, Tennessee State, Texas Tech, Troy, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

Tulane currently is ranked in the top-20 in the South Central Regional in the women's 800m (Victoria Robinson – 10th, Janae Dean – 13th), the men's mile (Aaron Gilliam - 8th), the women's mile (Mackenzie Callahan- 5th), men's 3000m (Bradley Makuvire – 11th), the women's 60m hurdles (Kristen O'Handley – 17th), the women's 4x400m relay (8th), the women's distance medley relay (6th), the women's high jump (Kristen O'Handley – 16th), the women's pole vault (Alexandra Potts – 13th, Kristina Leggas – 20th), the women's triple jump (Kara Steele – 10th), the women's shot put (Maren Butler – 18th), the women's pentathlon (Kristen O'Handley – 4thh, Margot Temines – 8th, Patricija Ozolina - 18th).

The Green Wave also rank in the top-10 in the American Athletic Conference in the women's 400m (Kristen O'Handley – 7thh), the men's 800m (Roman Schrader – 7th, Jalen St. Fort – 9th), the women's 800m (Victoria Robinson – 2nd, Janae Dean – 3rd, Sophia McNerney – 7th), the men's 800m (Aaron Gilliam – 10th), the women's mile (Mackenzie Callahan – 2nd), the women's 3000m (Sophia McNerney – 8th), the women's 60m hurdles (Kristen O'Handley – 9th), the men's 4x400m relay (8th), the women's 4x400m relay (6th), the women's distance medley relay (4th), the women's high jump (Kristen O'Handley – 8th), the men's pole vault (Parker Samuelson - 10th), the women's pole vault (Alexandra Potts – 5th, Kristina Leggas – 9th, Megan Fitzgerald – 10th), the women's triple jump (Kara Steele – 6th), the women's shot put (Maren Butler – 3rd), the women's pentathlon (Kristen O'Handley – 2nd, Margot Temines -3rd, Patricija Ozolina – 8th)

Tulane, after the first five weeks of the 2023 indoor campaign, has #EventSquads – team's top-four competitors in each individual event - ranked among the top 50 nationally in the women's pentathlon (4th – total of 14,676 points – average of 3,669 points), women's pole vault (26th – total 14.98m – average – 3.74m), women's 800m (35th – total 8:46.65 – average of 2:11.66) and women's high jump (46th – total 6.56m – average 1.64m).

Last time out, Kristen O'Handley set a new school record in the pentathlon at the Harvard Elite with 4,062 points. She won a pair of the individual pentathlon events in the high jump and the long jump. Margot Temines also stood in the pentathlon at the meet in earning 3,934 points. Her point total was the second-most in school history. Temines won three of the events of the pentathlon with individual victories in the shot put, long jump and the 60m hurdles. Maren Butler placed second in the shot put with a 14.70. Kara Steele earned third in the triple jump with a 12.31m).

The Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White was highlighted by Mackenzie Callahan setting a personal-best in the mile run with a 4:43.34. The run also places her second in the Tulane record book in the event. Other standouts at the meet include Victoria Robinson (2:09.19) and Janae Dean (2:09.37) setting personal bests in the 800m. The marks also rank second and third in the event in the Tulane record book. Aaron Gilliam led the men with a personal-best of 4:04.82 in the mile. Sophia McNerney placed 10th in the 3000m (9:45.52). It currently ranks her second in the Tulane record books in the event. Bradley Makuvire finished ninth in the 3000m (8:14.21). The 4x400m relay grouping of O'Handley, Robinson, Janae Dean and Alexis Esteves placed ninth in the event with a 3:49.16.

Next, the program travels heads to Baton Rouge for the LSU Twilight on Friday, Feb. 17.
 
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