JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.—Two wins and 10 top-10 finishes highlight an impressive day for the Carson-Newman indoor track and field team as the Eagles concluded day two of events of the East Tennessee State University Track & Field Invitational Saturday afternoon.
"Overall for the weekend, the one thing we wanted to do was to come up here and compete," coach David Needs said. "We made sure we were going to perform to our highest level. I'm pleased with that and proud of the steps we have taken each week of the season."
Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.) and Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) garnered first-place accolades in their respective events for a Carson-Newman club that stood tall when matched up against over 15 Division I schools and numerous other programs that compete across the country.
For the second consecutive day, Snead broke his own school indoor record in the 60m dash. Saturday's first-place finish in the finals segment resulted in a 6.77 second win. The victory came within a strong field which boasted some of the nation's fastest sprinters.
"Kevin [Snead] wining was in convincing fashion today," Needs said. "To win this sprint race against some pretty good opponents says a lot, especially considering he has improved every time he has run on a track this season."
Snead was not the only one breaking records Saturday afternoon. Gaul's first-place finish in the pole vault resulted in a jump into the top-10 for Division II in the event at nine. The 3.65m mark broke her on school record in the event she notched a week ago at the David E. Walker Invitational after lunging 3.55 meters.
On top of breaking more indoor school records, Carson-Newman had yet another athlete provisionally qualify for indoor nations on Saturday.
Christian Stumpf (Johnson City, Tenn.) accomplished the feat after notching a 2.03m mark in the men's high jump.
The Eagles had a number athletes to who broke personal records on the day, including four on the women's side.
Hannah Green (Talbott, Tenn.) completed her best career time in the mile run with a 5:39.71 finish. Sarah Sharp (Lewis Center, Ohio), Kathie O'Neil (Sevierville, Tenn.) and Aiyana Martino (Kalispell, Mont.) also recorded personal bests with times of 2:28.12, 2:29.30 and 2:30.57 tallies in the 800m run.
"I am proud of the major accomplishments and wins, but as a coach, I like the efforts and strides made by other athletes who may not have won their events," Needs said. We had some people on our team that made big jumps this week on times and it was a truly a team effort. We took a major step forward this weekend."
Carson-Newman will be at it again next weekend right back here in Johnson City, Tenn. for another meet at ETSU.
For complete coverage of Carson-Newman track and field and the rest of Eagle sports, follow us online at cneagles.com and on twitter at @CNathletics.
Carson-Newman Women
3000m Run
6) Sarah Honaker 11:52.46
Mile Run
13) Hannah Green 5:39.71
800m Run
6) Sarah Sharp 2:28.12
7) Kathleen O'Neill 2:29.30
13) Aiyana Martino 2:30.57
36) Jennifer Warren 2:41.46
4 X 400m Relay
14) Carson-Newman "A" 4:13.12
2. Cassie Smith
3. Sarah Sharp
4. Aiyana Martino
Pole Vault
1) Tori Gaul 3.65m
Carson-Newman Men
Mile Run
26) Alec Bross 5:17.15
800m Run
6) Anthony Jackson 2:01.55
23) Joshua Marsh 2:07.72
60m Dash Finals
1) Kevin Snead 6.77
3000m Run
13) Lachlan Dickie 8:50.40
Long Jump
2) T. J. Davis 7.21m
4) Timontrez Eady 6.98m
12) Jason Williams 6.69m
29) Randall Freeman 6.13m
High Jump
2) Christian Stumpf 2.03m
Shot Put
7) Randall Freeman 14.10m
25) Lee Wells 11.60m
26) Darius Morris 11.48m
29) Roy Collins 10.72m
35) Julius Kirby 8.35m
-CN-