Interview: David Needs

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.—Carson-Newman will be sending Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.), Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) to the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships this weekend for a chance at winning individual national championships in the 60 meter dash, high jump and pole vault events.

"This is one of those things for each of them that they are going there to win," coach David Needs said. "The type of three competitors they are, their aspirations are not just to place but to win the thing. When we recruit people to come to Carson-Newman, we look for people who have the aspirations to be the best. That is what we want and that is who these three athletes are."  

To qualify for indoor nationals, each athlete must be ranked in the top 16 in the event to get an automatic bit. Circumstances call for additional athletes to make the cut and sometimes up to 20 athletes per event make the trip to NCAA Indoor Championships.

Snead, Carson-Newman's first automatic qualifier, will be competing in the men's 60m dash when the meet commences on March 11-12. The Richmond, Va. native is capping off his first season at Carson-Newman in impressive fashion since transferring in from Pima Community College during the summer of 2015.

Named the fifth-fastest football player who also runs track nationwide by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Snead has won multiple meets this season in the 60m dash, including a season-best mark of 6.73 seconds at the UCS Invitational on Feb. 20. 

The time also extended his own C-N program record of 6.77 seconds the junior set earlier in the season and moved him into the top-five for Division II in the event.  

Stepp, who is coming off a two-time All-American freshman campaign a season ago, is set to head back to nationals where he finished with a fifth-place showing of 2.07m last year in the men's high jump. Sitting out the first three meets of the season with a hamstring injury, Stepp rested and is adamant on competing at a high level this go around.

The Jefferson City, Tenn. native recorded a career-best of 2.14m in the event at the Camel City Invitational earlier this season on Jan. 29. The school record holder is currently ranked No. 6 in Division II for the event.

Gaul will be the lone women's representative from Carson-Newman's indoor squad who will be competing at nationals. The sophomore set and extended the Eagle's women's pole vault record several times this season that ended with a 3.90m vault in her last competition at the UCS Invitational on Feb. 20.

Currently ranked as Division II's eighth-best women's vaulter, Gaul will be competing in indoor nationals for the first time in her career.

Action will begin Friday morning at 9:30 a.m., but C-N's athletes will not be taking the stage until 3:30 p.m. when Gaul will take her first attempt in the women's pole vault. Snead will quickly follow a few minutes later in the men's 60 meter dash and Stepp will round out the Championships for the Eagles Saturday afternoon at 2:15 p.m.  

Co-hosting 2016's edition of indoor nationals will be Pittsburg State University and the Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau and action will be taking place at the Robert W. Plaster Center on Pittsburg State University's campus.

"You can't go in there and pretend. You know it's the national championships and that is why you are there," Needs said. "It's special when you go there and see the 16-best people in your event, so you can't pretend that it is anything but that. You work with these athletes and you work on their mental aspect of things so that when they get to this stage, it shouldn't matter. It's about running down a run way, clearing a bar or coming out of the blocks. It doesn't matter who is next to you. All that matters is what you do when it's your turn to compete."

Stay up to date on all three of Carson-Newman's indoor track and field athletes when they begin competition in 11 days at cneagles.com and on twitter at @CN_Track. 

-CN-