NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was a beautiful day for folks to get out and enjoy the 83rd running of the Iroquois Steeplechase!

Thousands of people were out on Saturday ready to enjoy the race and have some fun! The event is an annual tradition around here.

“It’s kind of like the right of passage of Nashville and it’s an exciting place to be. Everyone comes and they’re happy. We welcome all the newcomers as well,” Spectator Nancy Gregg said.

The annual race, known as Nashville’s “rite of spring”, always brings out the masses. People also put on some of their best outfits.

“You go to Michaels the night before; have a cocktail and get the hot glue and you go to town,” Gregg jokingly said.

Before the races start, people usually tailgate. “Just remember if you get caught drinking at steeple better know the right people,” Brian Horowitz jokingly adds.

For some of these folks this is their first time “I graduated law school last week, so Brian brought me for my first year,” Caitlyn Moss said.

Horowitz said this wasn’t his first rodeo. “In high school we would come out here and jump the fences. Now, we come out here with real tickets, so kind of graduated from the other side,” Horowitz said.

Everyone in attendance says the races are a lot of fun to watch, but it’s also about making memories with loved ones.

Also, raising money for charity. This year’s event is once again benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Since 1981, the hospital has received more than 11 million dollars in proceeds from Steeplechase’s governing body, The Volunteer State Horsemen’s Foundation.

Oklahoma State entered Saturday with national title hopes but ended the day with a heartbreaking defeat.

OSU’s women’s tennis team lost 4-2 to No. 16 Tennessee in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls were the No. 1 team in the country with a 29-0 start, but their first loss came in heartbreaking fashion at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater.

Trailing 3-2 with Ayumi Miyamoto and Anastasiya Komar still playing on Courts 5 and 1, the Cowgirls looked to stave off elimination. Both players battled through adversity and extended their sets but could not overcome the hole they had put themselves in.

Komar lost the third set in a tiebreaker, as Tennessee’s Sofia Cabezas sealed her team’s victory and a spot in the Elite Eight. The match did not end in OSU’s favor, and the team’s early momentum quickly came to a halt.

OSU got on the board first, winning the doubles point on Courts 1 and 3. However, the Cowgirls lost the first singles point after Lucia Peyre left with an injury. Peyre did not play in doubles and was unable to get through the first set before her afternoon ended.

No. 3 Ange Oby Kajuru put OSU up 2-1 after beating Elza Tomase on Court 2. However, Tennessee did not lose another match to end OSU’s undefeated season.

Despite the loss, Chris Young’s team still had one of the most successful seasons in OSU history. Although the Cowgirls have had deeper postseason runs in his tenure, their consistent placement at No. 1 and the ITA indoor championship made 2024 an unforgettable campaign.

The season ended with a disappointment, but the Cowgirls should be able to carry the momentum from this season into the next. However, the Cowgirls missing out on the opportunity to win a national championship in front of their home fans might sting for a while.

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The Tennessee Volunteers will trot out a very strong five-man group along their offensive line this season.

While the conversations around the Tennessee Volunteers remain centered on quarterback Nico Iamaleava, their offensive line unit has begun drawing some national attention. Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee has done a strong job building his unit over the past few years, and now he’s got a group that appears fit to compete at a high level in the SEC.

On3 national writer Jesse Simonton ranked the top-10 offensive lines in the country, and the Vols slotted in as the No. 9 unit across college football. “Josh Heupel’s offensive system does some of the heavy lifting for Tennessee’s OL, but the Vols still feature a veteran unit with highly-coveted young transfer,” Simonton wrote. “Cooper Mays, Javontez Spraggins, and John Campbell Jr. (who is flipping from left to right tackle) have a combined 95 career starts and are all back. Tennessee then added former 5-star Lance Heard from LSU, who is set to protect Nico Iamaleava’s blindside in 2024. “

“The Vols also inked a very good recruiting class of offensive linemen, and Dayne Davis and Jackson Lampley return as sixth-year seniors who provide valuable depth. This won’t be a unit that wins the Joe Moore Award, but it’s capable of pushing around a fair number of DLs in the SEC.”

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