NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State University closed out the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with multiple event titles, podium finishes and All-OVC performances as the Tigers delivered one of their strongest overall showings of the outdoor season.

Championship Performances
Tennessee State was dominant in the men's 400-meter hurdles, led by junior Kylen Thorps, who captured the conference title with a winning time of 52.46. Junior Brian Townsend followed closely behind to finish second in 52.86, giving the Tigers a 1-2 finish and 18 team points in the event.

The Tigers also claimed gold in the men's 4x400-meter relay as the quartet of Devin Jones, Thorps, Caleb Joshway and Joshua McClendon raced to a first-place finish in 3:11.61 to close the championship meet.

Sprint Success
Joshway led Tennessee State in the men's 100 meters with a runner-up finish after clocking 10.36 in the finals. Freshman Jayden Guy added a seventh-place finish in 10.67, while junior Damon Jackson scored with an eighth-place performance in 10.75.

The Tigers added another podium finish in the men's 4x100-meter relay as Jackson, Dont'e Barnes, McClendon and Joshway combined for a third-place finish in 40.74.

McClendon also turned in a strong performance in the men's 400 meters, placing fourth overall with a finals time of 47.55 after advancing through preliminaries at 47.66.

Middle Distance Production
Tennessee State picked up valuable points in the men's 800 meters as sophomore Devin Jones earned a silver-medal finish in 1:51.14 and senior Robert Hooper followed closely behind in third at 1:51.26. The pair combined for 14 points in the event for the Tigers.

Hurdles Depth
In the men's 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Bobby Teixeira continued a strong outdoor campaign with a fourth-place finish in 14.07. Senior Bryce Sparks added points with a seventh-place performance in 14.54.

Field Event Contributions
Senior Christian White paced the Tigers in the field events with a fourth-place finish in the long jump after recording a mark of 7.52m (24-8.25).

Freshman Gabriel Deng delivered a top-four finish in the triple jump with a mark of 14.63m (48-0), while junior Kolby Jones scored in both horizontal jumps, placing eighth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump.

In the decathlon, sophomore Preston Fuller totaled 5,408 points to place sixth overall and score for TSU.

Women's Highlights
Senior Serenity Harry led the women's team with a sixth-place finish in the 200 meters, crossing the line in 24.49. Harry also anchored the Tigers' 4x100-meter relay squad of Kara Stewart, A'Marie Khan, Kaymin Sales and Harry to a sixth-place finish in 46.80.

Tennessee State also earned a pair of scoring performances in the women's 100-meter hurdles as senior Pearl Onwnmbiko placed fourth in 14.33 and Stewart finished fifth in 14.45.

In the throws, sophomore Carolyn McRee placed fourth in the discus with a mark of 42.21m (138-6) and added another scoring finish in the hammer throw. Senior Ayana Pugh contributed points in the shot put with a sixth-place mark of 12.13m (39-9.75).

Meet Takeaways
From conference titles in the hurdles and relays to podium finishes across the track and field events, Tennessee State delivered a complete team performance against the OVC's top competition as the Tigers continued to build momentum heading into the postseason.