KNOXVILLE, Tenn - The Carson-Newman men and women's track and field teams traveled to Big Orange Country for the invitation-only, Tennessee Challenge meet held at the University of Tennessee's Tom Black Track Saturday afternoon.
This particular meet was the final opportunity for select Eagles who had been invited to competed to earn a national qualification spot to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"While today was productive, with a number of our athletes making finals in their events, their marks fell just short of the improvement we needed for nationals," coach David Needs said.
Sophomore Tiana Mills finished in fourth-place in the women's triple jump, beating out eleven athletes from eight Division I institutions. Mills will be competing in the women's triple jump at the national meet this year.
TJ Davis (Ooltewah, Tenn.) finished in sixth-place in the men's long jump, an event in which he will be competing in the men's long jump at the national meet.
"Proud of our athletes to come out in the middle of final exams and work hard," Needs said.
Senior Randall Freeman (Ooltewah, Tenn), and sophomore Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) earned their best marks of the year in their respective events. Freeman finished in seventh place in the men's triple jump after a 14.05m leap into the sand pit. Gaul finished in 20th place in the women's pole vault amongst 10 D-I university athletes.
In women's sprinting events, Gaul finished in 12th in the women's 400m Hurdles. Freshman Gabrielle Fewell (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished in 14th in the same event. Shauntae Miller finished in 21st place in the women's 400m Dash and 26th in the women's 200M Dash.
The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held May 21-23 at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. Stay current on all things Track and Field here on cneagles.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @CNAthletics.
-CN-